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The Top 25 Transformational Leadership Quotes

“Where we are in life is where we are on the inside. A spiritual light hidden by things that matter not.” Jim Woods

“Where we are in life is where we are on the inside. A spiritual light hidden by things that matter not.” Jim Woods

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that companies claiming to be transformational are proliferating. When one looks deeper into whether those organizations are truly redefining what they are and what they do, stories of successful change efforts are exceptionally rare. Which is why most leaders have more in common with the Wizard of Oz than Peter Drucker.

Use these 25 quotes to launch your new you.

  1. “Calamity is the test of integrity.” – Samuel Richardson

  2. “Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees all others.” – Winston Churchill

  3. “To win one hundred battles in one hundred victories is not the ACME of skills. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the ACME of skill.” – Sun Tzu

  4. “The ability to deal with people is as purchasable as a commodity as sugar or coffee and I will pay more for that ability than for any other thing under the sun.” – John D. Rockefeller

  5. “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” – Winston Churchill

  6. “To lead people, walk behind them.” – Lao Tzu

  7. “If you see a snake, just kill it. Don’t appoint a committee on snakes.” – Henry Ross Perot

  8. “Punishing honest mistakes stifles creativity. I want people moving and shaking the earth and they are going to make mistakes.” – Henry Ross Perot

  9. “Do not fear when your enemies criticize you. Beware when they applaud.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

  10. “Effort and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.” – John F. Kennedy

  11. “Good leadership consists of showing average people how to do the work of superior people.” – John D. Rockefeller

  12. “When people are placed in positions slightly above what they expect, they are apt to excel.” – Richard Branson

  13. “Good judgment comes from experience and experience comes from bad judgments.” – Dr Warne W. Dyer

  14. “He who establishes his argument by noise is weak and command shows that his reason is weak.” – Montaigne

  15. “He who believes is strong; he who doubt is weak. Strong convictions precede great action.” – J. F. Clarke

  16. “Giving people self-confidence is by far the most important thing that I can do because then they will act.” – Jack Welch

  17. “It takes character and control to be understanding and forgiving.” – Dale Carnegie

  18. “The people who are doing the work are the moving force behind the Macintosh. My job is to create a space for them, to clear out the rest of the organization and keep it at bay.” – Steve Jobs

  19. “Inventories can be managed but people must be led.” – Henry Ross Perot

  20. “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and only five Minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you will do things differently.” – Warren Buffett

  21. “Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish.” – Sam Walton

  22. “I hire people brighter than me and I get out of their way.” – Lee Iacocca

  23.  “It’s alright to be Goliath but always act like David.” – Philip Knight

  24. “If you want to be great and successful, choose people who are great and successful and walk side by side with them.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

  25. “If you hear a voice within you saying ‘you are not a painter’ then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced.” – Vincent Van Gogh

About Lucy Kovalova-Woods

Lucy is Vice-President and Executive Director of Woods Kovalova Group, LLC. She is a two time bestselling author. Lucy consults on startup strategies, overcoming fear, high performance, starting over, career transition. As vice-president of Woods Kovalova Group Lucy has provided advice to Fortune 500 companies and people of all walks of life. Lucy holds an engineering degree from Liverpool University. Work with Lucy.