John C. Maxwell

A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.

Success is…knowing your purpose in life, growing to reach your maximum potential, and sowing seeds that benefit others.

The challenge of leadership is to create change and facilitate growth.

A successful person finds the right place for himself. But a successful leader finds the right place for others.

The secret of your success is determined by your daily agenda.

A great leader’s courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position.

Effective leadership is putting first things first. Effective management is discipline, carrying it out.

Leaders who are effective are leaders who are disciplined in their daily lives.

You will launch many projects, but have time to finish only a few. So think, plan, develop, launch and tap good people to be responsible. Give them authority and hold them accountable. Trying to do too much yourself creates a bottleneck.

And give… give more credit to others and don’t assume they’re mean until you know they’re actually mean.

I have a very simple rule when it comes to management: hire the best people from your competitors, pay them more than they were earning, and give them bonuses and incentives based on their performance. That’s how you build a first-class operation.

I like to praise and reward in a loud voice and to scold in a whisper.

A great leader has to be flexible, holding his ground on the major principles but finding room for compromises that can bring people together. A great leader has to be savvy at negotiations so we don’t drown every bill in pork barrel bridges to nowhere. I know how to stand my ground – but I also know that Republicans and Democrats need to find common ground to stand on as well.

Teamwork makes the dream work, but a vision becomes a nightmare when the leader has a big dream and a bad team.

As a leader, the first person I need to lead is me. The first person that I should try to change is me.

I think people should be nicer to each other

I judge people based on their capability, honesty, and merit.

Everything rises and falls on leadership.

The very essence of leadership is having vision.

Rule a kingdom as though you were cooking a small fish – don’t overdo it.

Don’t blame the boss. He has enough problems.