Leadership Lessons Quotes

The biggest learning during my tenure as a captain was that, a lot of time, I used to think that this is common sense. But no, there is nothing called common sense.

Our national leaders could learn some good habits and important lessons from city hall to take the place of the various gimmicks being used in Washington to duck federal budget responsibility.

Now from a distance, I look back on what the Corps taught me: to think like men of action, and to act like men of thought!

I generally read everything about me. Based on my army experience, I think it's the right thing to do. Saddam Hussein didn't read his reviews and thought he was winning the war.

I forgot to shake hands and be friendly. It was an important lesson about leadership.

Being around veteran leaders such as CC Sabathia and Brett Gardner really helped me.

I refuse to see losing as a negative. Obama lost in '83 when he ran against Bobby Rush. Hillary lost in '08. Even Lincoln lost the first election. It's a useful learning experience.

I think our politicians could learn a lot from Mandela.

People may have their opinions about Senator Helms, but he was highly effective and he took care of his constituency. I learned all those lessons from him, and I bring a great deal to the table because of that.

Castro has been a teacher for me. A master. Not on ideology but on strategy.

Visit with your predecessors from previous Administrations. They know the ropes and can help you see around some corners. Try to make original mistakes, rather than needlessly repeating theirs.

Whatever position we may rise to, be it of MP, CM or PM, nothing can teach us the way villages can.

I learned from Al Davis. We didn't have any secretaries. Secretaries, really, in Oakland were young football people.

More and more I'm finding that I'm reading history, I'm reading biography, I'm reading autobiography for a sense of people who've been able to provide leadership. I don't read leadership books anymore.

One of the lessons of leadership worth emphasizing is that you want to get to know other great leaders and take their advice. At some point in your development, it's only people who've been in the seat of having to be leaders who can help you in a deep way.

When you experience a failure as a leader, don't hide it - talk about it. Your missed opportunity will encourage others to take risks.

I’ve learned that governing is more difficult than criticizing.

You can learn more about leadership by reading about Lincoln than you can from most business books.

Obama will learn from his mistakes.

Tony Blair was a good politician but not a good Prime Minister, and that's what we don't want to be. We don't want to be just people who are good at winning elections: we want to be good at governing. I think we benefit from having seen the mistakes that we think Tony Blair made in 1997.

Hopefully my time in Nashville has helped me. We've had a lot of different things happen to our hockey club, seen a lot of different situations and different types of clubs from an expansion team to a Stanley Cup playoff threat. I think any coach that's gone through those things, you become a better coach.

For Obama to save himself, he should be thinking about the example of an unlikely Republican predecessor: Richard Nixon.

I've had quite a long time in government, and I've learned a few things.

Here is a pretty good rule of thumb for Democratic Presidents: if it didn't work for Franklin D. Roosevelt, who won four terms and a World War, it probably won't work for you either.