Peter Koestenbaum

Reflection doesn’t take anything away from decisiveness, from being a person of action. In fact, it generates the inner toughness that you need to be an effective person of action — to be a leader. Think of leadership as the sum of two vectors: competence (your specialty, your skills, your know-how) and authenticity (your identity, your character, your attitude). When companies and people get stuck, … [ Read more ]

James E. Webb

[The main task of leadership is] one of continually organizing and reorganizing, directing and redirecting diverse human and material resources and complex activities under conditions that always contain elements of uncertainty.

Mark Frein

If I can start to get people to really work that muscle — the curiosity before judgment, the listening before developing an action plan — I know I can get them down a road where they become empathetic leaders and amazing listeners who will create very safe, transparent environments for people to feel seen and heard.

Admiral Jacky Fisher and the Art of Disruptive Leadership

Firms around the world strive for disruptive leadership. Through a case study of Admiral Jacky Fisher, who completely disrupted the immensely powerful British Royal Navy at the beginning of the 20th century, preparing it for the onset, just four years later, of World War I, Jan-Benedict Steenkamp identifies six key characteristics of disruptive leadership.

Stanley McChrystal 

People will forgive you for not being the leader you should be; but they won’t forgive you for not being the leader you claim to be.

Roger L. Martin

A great leader’s first reaction is, hmm, say more. Tell me more. … Because it has this super big knock-on effect. One, it causes your subordinates to all think that if you’ve got an interesting thought, I’m open to hearing it. I’m not going to just shut that down because it disagrees with me. Everybody is more inclined to think about things and think about … [ Read more ]

Class Takeaways: The Frinky Science of the Human Mind

Five lessons in five minutes — how to build emotional connections that back up your decisions.

Paul B. Thornton

Leadership starts as an inside job. First, you need to:

  • Clarify your beliefs and values
  • Focus your message
  • Find your courage

Then it’s an outside job. Speak up. Take action. Influence and inspire others with your words and actions.

Paul B. Thornton

The best managers and leaders help people become more independent, more capable, and more confident.

Adam Bryant

The key differentiator of leaders for me is whether they are selfless or self-centered. Do they see the people who work for them simply as assets to help them achieve their own goals, or do they consider it their responsibility to help their team grow and develop? […] To be clear, I’m not suggesting business leaders are entirely selfless. They are not volunteers, and many … [ Read more ]

Robert K. Greenleaf

A fresh critical look is being taken at the issues of power and authority, and people are beginning to learn, however haltingly, to relate to one another in less coercive and more creatively supporting ways. A new moral principle is emerging which holds that the only authority deserving one’s allegiance is that which is freely and knowingly granted by the led to the leader in … [ Read more ]

Jeff Blum

You can be a leader without being a manager but you cannot be a manager with also being a leader.

Jeffrey Pfeffer

Authenticity and the idea of authenticity basically gives people an excuse to not change, to not adapt. So, instead of being true to yourself, you need to be true to what other people around you need from you. This idea that you need to be authentic is insane.

Robert Rosenberg

As CEO, you are the Communicator in Chief. The responsibility for aligning all the various constituencies in the organization behind company strategy falls primarily to the CEO, but it doesn’t stop there. Just when you think you have communicated clearly to all parties, go back over your message again and again. You cannot make your point too clearly or check back enough times to make … [ Read more ]

Eric Hoffer

Self-doubt is at the core of our being. We need people who by their attitude and words will convince us that we are not as bad as we think we are. Hence the vital role of judicious praise.

Eric Hoffer

It is better to be bossed by men of little faith, who set their hearts on toys, than by men animated by lofty ideals who are ready to sacrifice themselves and others for a cause.

Robert Chesnut

CEOs have to be particularly careful about setting ambitious targets and using powerful language to motivate employees. Audacious goals can create fear (what happens if I don’t deliver?), and they may be interpreted as giving implicit permission for bad behavior.

Massella Dukuly, Vanessa Tanicien

The best leaders ask questions they genuinely want to know the answers to. To do that, stop and check in with yourself: Why am I asking this question? Do I genuinely want to hear from this person or am I trying to make sure that I don’t look bad? Am I checking a box or am I trying to truly engage?

Tera Allas, Bill Schaninger

Even though most business schools, executive training courses, and leadership programs espouse servant leadership, few bosses manage to fully commit to it. Perhaps that’s no surprise. In most organizations, the average manager has neither the incentives nor the skills to focus on employee happiness. Consider how most businesses make promotion decisions: people who get ahead tend to be either current high performers or those who … [ Read more ]