Organizational Leadership - Module Four
This week's assignment was to choose ten quotes about leadership and to explain why each rings true for me.
1. “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” —Maya Angelou
This is my favorite quote for students as it sums up the most important aspect of relationships, yet is not necessarily something that occurs to everyone. So many young leaders in particular strive to excel or worry about saying the right thing, but it remains the emotional effect that has the longest lasting influence.
2. “Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” —Albert Einstein
This quote, to me, is the essence of the growth mindset. The point is not to complete whatever the task or goal is perfectly (according to someone else’s definition), but to contribute meaningfully in some way to the task, the group, or the field.
3. "Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be." —Ralph Waldo Emerson
I love this one! What a wonderful idea that each of us knows, deep down, just how powerful and successful we can be and that the goal of leadership is to bring out that hidden potential!
4. "The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things." —Ronald Reagan
I like the source of this quote just as much as the message, particularly given the current political climate in North America. It seems highly appropriate that the leader of an nation understands the responsibility of the position but also recognizes that his primary responsibility is to find (and then trust the efforts of) people best suited to the various tasks of an administration. To apply this to a school setting, a principal who trusts his/ her teachers to be experts in their classrooms and who gets out of the way to let them work will always have a better working relationship with those teachers. Additionally, in this situation, teachers feel more freedom to be creative in addressing the needs of their specific situations.
5. "Don't tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results." —George Patton
Similar to the one above, this quote has the added layer of meaning that by letting competent people work without micromanaging you will get results that are both successful and unexpected. If you ask for something very specific you will get it, but if you ask for something open-ended (this is the solution I want carried out vs. this is the problem we need to solve) you will access the creativity of your followers.
6. "We're here for a reason. I believe a bit of the reason is to throw little torches out to lead people through the dark." —Whoopi Goldberg
How beautiful. I was very surprised to find this quote in a list of statements about leadership, but I can see the relevance. To me, this one means that the motivational aspects of leadership can be conduits for increasing self-esteem, a sense of self-efficacy, and a sense of belonging (and importance) within the group.
7. "I start with the premise that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers." —Ralph Nader
Hands-down, this is my favorite quote about teaching (even though it wasn’t intended to be about teachers). I believe that our greatest calling as teachers is not the subject matter (although literacy is an exception) but the mind of the student If we can raise children who feel confident in their ability to think, plan, decide, and lead, then we have achieved the ultimate goal of our own leadership efforts.
8. "Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing." —Albert Schweitzer
Another leadership quote that is uniquely suited to education, this statement is the core of modeling behaviour we expect from our students. We cannot hope to get from our followers what we are unwilling to give them in return, be it respect, creative freedom, even work ethic and motivation!
9. "Leadership is not about titles, positions, or flow charts. It is about one life influencing another." —John C. Maxwell
This is probably the most philosophical of the quotes I chose. Here, I think the ‘author’ is trying to say that leadership is not about the formal definitions or expectations like board rooms and name plates but rather in the results of interpersonal relationships.
10. "It's hard to lead a cavalry charge if you think you look funny on a horse." —Adlai E. Stevenson II
And finally, for a little humor, this quote reminds me that leaders have to take risks and put themselves outside their comfort zones in order to best lead their specific followers. It may be challenging and you may feel ridiculous, but it is worth it to effectively motivate and communicate with your group. Embrace the challenge!
