Six Quotes for Leaders to Ponder

I collect stuff. I have a hard drive full of articles, poems, quotes and pithy comments made by the famous and not so famous. Most come from books I’ve read and speakers who have addressed my leadership groups over the years.

Over the July 4 holiday weekend, I went through my collection of quotes. I was pleasantly surprised at how often I refer to them in my executive coaching sessions to make a point. Here are a half dozen of my favorites. Each is followed by a comment from yours truly with my thoughts on why it’s worthy of your attention. If any of them make you uncomfortable, that’s probably a sign that you should explore why.

1. “If you hire small people, your company will become a company of dwarfs.” — David Ogilvie

Ogilvie was a legend in the advertising business. He built a company that was widely admired by hiring smart, talented people. I’m proud to say my daughter started her career at Ogilvie. Do you make it a point to hire people who are smarter, more talented than you?

2. “To keep misfits in jobs they cannot do is not being kind; it’s being cruel.” — Peter Drucker

Drucker was one of the great thinkers of the last century. He knew that it takes courage to fire people, even the misfits. If someone doesn’t fit the job or culture, you’re doing them a favor by letting them go. If you tolerate misfits and underperformers, your inaction says volumes about you as a leader.

3. “A lousy boss is one who lacks candor, thinks it’s unkind to tell an employee what they’re doing wrong and pays more attention to budgets than to dreams.” — Jack Welch

This quote from the former General Electric CEO goes hand in hand with the one above. Too many of us sugarcoat feedback. It makes us look weak and creates a culture that will drive out the most talented people.

4. “The pace of the pack is the pace of the leader.” — Kraig Kramers

I had Kraig Kramers speak to my leadership peer groups on three occasions. He told us “speed wins” and emphasized that too many leaders set the bar too low and the pace too slow. The result is missed opportunities and bored team members.

5. “There are few business problems; they are usually deep-rooted emotional issues that manifest themselves in a business setting.” — Morrie Shechtman

I’m not a therapist; I was a marketing major at a party school. And though I took just one psych class in college, I’m dead certain Mr. Shechtman (who has worked as a psychotherapist) is right about this. It explains why emotional self-awareness is the cornerstone of leadership.

6. “If there are no consequences for subpar performance, then you’re responsible for your own frustrations or anger.” — Lee Thayer

Reading Dr. Thayer’s books on leadership can be a real slog, yet they’re packed with powerful lessons for leaders. With this quote, Thayer is making it clear that in too many companies, a good story is an acceptable substitute for delivering on a commitment. Effective leaders must be tough, willing and able to hold people accountable for their commitments. They don’t tolerate stories.

All six of these quotes are worth pondering. I hope reading one or two of them made you uncomfortable (squirming is progress). If that’s the case, you know where you need to focus to improve as a leader. If you have a quote—someone else’s or your own—that is worthy of adding to this list, please share it.