“Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.”
The Countess gives this advice to her son Bertram as he leaves. Two verse lines are joined for display.
Lead in a way people can trust
Leadership Quotes
The most useful leadership lines point back to behavior. These sayings focus on clarity, responsibility, listening, and the example a leader creates.
12 leadership quotes & sayingsCopy, share, or make an image
Clarity is a form of respect.
People remember the standard you protect under pressure.
A leader owns the weather they bring into the room.
Trust is built before the difficult decision arrives.
Listen long enough to be changed by what you hear.
A title can assign authority; behavior earns influence.
Make it safe to tell you the truth.
Good leadership leaves other people more capable.
Accountability begins with the person setting the goal.
Decide with the people affected in view.
Consistency makes direction believable.
Choosing and adapting
Follow the line with a leadership decision
A value needs visible behavior
Choose a saying about clarity before explaining a priority, or one about listening before inviting disagreement. A quotation cannot supply a missing decision. Work motivation is about doing the task; leadership wording should explain how you will make the task possible for other people.
Show what accountability means this week
Name the owner, the next step, and the support available. Do not imply that a slogan obliges everyone to absorb an unreasonable deadline.
- Instead of
- Accountability begins with the person setting the goal.
- Try
- I changed the brief late, so I am moving the review to Thursday. I will send the final requirements today and remove the optional reporting task.
Invite information you might not like
A request for honesty is more useful when people know how to respond and what will happen next.
Example wording
Before we commit to the launch date, tell me which dependency looks least secure. Reply privately if you prefer; I will summarize the risks without naming contributors.
Names and situations in the examples are illustrative. Keep only details and promises that are true for you.
Back to the short examples ↑