John Maeda Quotes

Good direction is often based on the ability to communicate.

Communication does not always occur naturally, even among a tight-knit group of individuals. Communication must be taught and practiced in order to bring everyone together as one

What I learned from directing, I learned from soccer, where it's like a coach-player relationship.

Leadership—not salesmanship

Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them.

Management is nothing more than motivating other people.

I've always tried to be a leader.

I'm a leader.

Communication is the most important skill in life. We spend most of our waking hours communicating. But consider this: You've spent years learning how to read and write, years learning how to speak. But what about listening?

The difference between mere management and leadership is communication.

You can't be focussed without really great communication

There's no way a director can communicate with every single person on the set and yet they need to motivate and instill an ambition to want to do their best work.

True leadership isn't about having an idea. It's about having an idea and recruiting other people to execute on this vision.

Leadership is absolutely about inspiring action, but it is also about guarding against mis-action.

I'm not in charge of making moves, you know. I'm in charge of coaching.

And I'd say one of the great lessons I've learned over the past couple of decades, from a management perspective, is that really when you come down to it, it really is all about people and all about leadership.

The best CEOs I know are teachers, and at the core of what they teach is strategy.

A manager is a guide. He takes a group of people and says, 'With you I can make us a success; I can show you the way.'

Leadership doesn't amount to much unless you have followers.

Leadership and partnership go together.

The problem with communicating without a coordinator is that everyone has to read everyone else's mind.

If you are going to lead people, you have to know where they are going.

Management is different from leadership..

Leadership is an individual sport, one that has to be fine-tuned to each of the people that reports to you. Leaders also need to provide the direction, energy, encouragement and inspiration for each person who reports directly to the leader as well as for the overall organization.

I've put a lot of thought into being a leader.