Leadership Development Resources
“The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been."
— Henry Kissinger
My understanding of this quote is that a leader cannot take people to where they currently are because someone has already led them there. Be the one to lead them to a new bigger and better place then before. I believe to do this you need to show an influence process style of leadership. This means a leader must listen to his followers and vice versa. Together we can reach a common goal. This quote is important to my leadership development because as an athlete I have new teammates every year and I feel like it is my role as an assistant captain to give them the skills it takes to make it on to the next level of hockey. Even if they don’t go to a further level of hockey, I can still be a good leader and teach them how to handle themselves in public, have maturity and responsibility in the classroom, and how to develop from a teenage to a man in the real world.
"You cannot be a leader, and ask other people to follow you, unless you know how to follow, too."
— Sam Rayburn
My understanding of this quote is that not every time you will be the selected one, or looked upon one leading in group. Sometimes others have experience and may display a bigger leadership role than you, in this case you will become a follower. Nothing is wrong with being a follower but I feel you can learn a lot as a leader if you once were a follower. This quote is important to my leadership development because in my first year in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League I was not looked upon as a leader, nor was I an assistant captain. I was not given a big role within the team. At this point in time I was a follower because I stood behind my captains and assistant and displayed what they were looking for. Although it was not a good year for me as I explained earlier, I do believe everything happens for a reason. I learned what it is like not playing, being away from home, being a follower. Now I can relate to those other followers on my team as I am now the assistant captain and a leader. I can relate to my followers.
"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. "
— Harold R. McAlindon.
My understand of this quote is that sometimes always being a follow may not be the best thing for you. Sometimes after being a follower for so long you just want to go your own way and be a leader. This quote is basically saying that instead of being a follower, go your own way, and start to see others following you. This quote is important to my leadership development because I can relate to this quote throughout life situations. I always find myself ‘going against the grain’ as you may call it. If people are always doing things the same way, out of routine or just following the leader I always like to find a new approach to ultimately end up with the same result. I think for this to work you need to be innovative and determined. Steve Jobs quoted“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower. ”Sometimes the path you choose may not always be the easiest, but with determination and hard work you can always achieve your goals and dreams.
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”
— John Quincy Adams
My understand on this quote is that it is your job as a leader is to inspire your followers. Every leader has a vision and a dream; I think if you can install these dreams and visions into your followers you are a true leader. Pass on your knowledge and expertise to your followers and give them every advantage to be the next great leader. This quote is important to my leadership development because I can relate it to my personal life. In my mind I have the ultimate dream to make it to the NHL. Whether I make it or not, I can still be a good leader and along the road I am going to play with players who will be in the NHL for sure. I have never been a superstar and was given the easy road, I was always the one going unnoticed and taken the long road. I feel like even if I never make it to the big leagues, I can still influence others that the dream never goes away. As long as you work hard, you can achieve anything. For my dreams, all I can do is keep working hard.
“The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority. ”
— Kenneth Blanchard
My understanding of this quote is that in this day and age we can no longer have a true authoritarian leader. A great leader must be able to interact and influence his followers in such a manner to reach the ultimate goal. You cant have a leader who demands everything out of his followers and expect there to be no tension. I think of a leader like Adolf Hitler who was very authoritarian leader. His styles worked back then but I don’t think it would be the same in this era. I think this relates perfectly with the ‘leadership as an influence’ style. It also deals with ‘theory Y’ and having a democratic leader over a 100% authoritarian leader. This quote is important to my leadership development because it remind me of one of my coaches. All coachers are considers leaders and have great influence on his athletes. One of my coaches was a pure authoritarian leader and demanded a lot out of his players. He always kept his distance from the team and never interacted with his players. As a result of his poor leadership, we lost early in the play offs when we should have easily went on to win the championships.
"A good leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way. A good leader is a person who takes a little more than his share of the blame and a little less than his share of the credit.”
— John C. Maxwell
I decided to save the best for last because this one was my favorite. The meaning of this quote is an example of a true confident leader. When you have confidence as a leader, nothing can stand in your way to achieve your goal. A true leader not only talks the talk, but walks the walk. If a leader fell short of his goals, he is not quickly to blame others or point out reasons to why he did not succeed. He would take responsibility and be accountable for taking most of the blame. However, if he was successful you wouldn’t hear him bragging and needing reassurance of his accomplishment. You would see a true leader quietly carrying on with his business knowing personally that he succeeded. A good leader does not need reassurance or recognition of his accomplishments. In order to carry out these actions I think it would be important to posses certain traits like confidence, determination, honesty and integrity. This quote is important to my leadership development because I can relate to this quote because of my hard work ethic. Often times I will always be the hardest working but receiving the least attention or recognition. I never say anything and say ‘hey, what about me? Look what I did!” I just take what I learned from that situation and move on to the next. I have learned I do not need to approval or applause from someone else, I can find pleasure and success all by myself and be a true leader.
References:
Kissinger, H. (2012). Goodread Quotes. Retrieved from
http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/201690-the-task-of-the-leader-is-to-get-his-people
Rayburn, S. (2012). Quotations Book. Retrieved from
http://quotationsbook.com/quote/22923/
McAlindon, H R. (2012). Leadership Quotes. Retrieved from
http://www.winston-churchill-leadership.com/leadership-quote-part7.html
Adams, J. (2012). Thinkexist Quotes. Retrieved from
http://thinkexist.com/quotation/if_your_actions_inspire_others_to_dream_more/339093.html
Blanchard, K. (2012). Inspirational Quotes for Business and Work: Leadership Leadership Quotations. Retrieved from http://humanresources.about.com/od/workrelationships/a/quotes_leaders.htm
Maxwell, JC. (2012). Leadership Quotes. Retrieved from
http://sourcesofinsight.com/leadership-quotes/
— Henry Kissinger
My understanding of this quote is that a leader cannot take people to where they currently are because someone has already led them there. Be the one to lead them to a new bigger and better place then before. I believe to do this you need to show an influence process style of leadership. This means a leader must listen to his followers and vice versa. Together we can reach a common goal. This quote is important to my leadership development because as an athlete I have new teammates every year and I feel like it is my role as an assistant captain to give them the skills it takes to make it on to the next level of hockey. Even if they don’t go to a further level of hockey, I can still be a good leader and teach them how to handle themselves in public, have maturity and responsibility in the classroom, and how to develop from a teenage to a man in the real world.
"You cannot be a leader, and ask other people to follow you, unless you know how to follow, too."
— Sam Rayburn
My understanding of this quote is that not every time you will be the selected one, or looked upon one leading in group. Sometimes others have experience and may display a bigger leadership role than you, in this case you will become a follower. Nothing is wrong with being a follower but I feel you can learn a lot as a leader if you once were a follower. This quote is important to my leadership development because in my first year in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League I was not looked upon as a leader, nor was I an assistant captain. I was not given a big role within the team. At this point in time I was a follower because I stood behind my captains and assistant and displayed what they were looking for. Although it was not a good year for me as I explained earlier, I do believe everything happens for a reason. I learned what it is like not playing, being away from home, being a follower. Now I can relate to those other followers on my team as I am now the assistant captain and a leader. I can relate to my followers.
"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. "
— Harold R. McAlindon.
My understand of this quote is that sometimes always being a follow may not be the best thing for you. Sometimes after being a follower for so long you just want to go your own way and be a leader. This quote is basically saying that instead of being a follower, go your own way, and start to see others following you. This quote is important to my leadership development because I can relate to this quote throughout life situations. I always find myself ‘going against the grain’ as you may call it. If people are always doing things the same way, out of routine or just following the leader I always like to find a new approach to ultimately end up with the same result. I think for this to work you need to be innovative and determined. Steve Jobs quoted“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower. ”Sometimes the path you choose may not always be the easiest, but with determination and hard work you can always achieve your goals and dreams.
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”
— John Quincy Adams
My understand on this quote is that it is your job as a leader is to inspire your followers. Every leader has a vision and a dream; I think if you can install these dreams and visions into your followers you are a true leader. Pass on your knowledge and expertise to your followers and give them every advantage to be the next great leader. This quote is important to my leadership development because I can relate it to my personal life. In my mind I have the ultimate dream to make it to the NHL. Whether I make it or not, I can still be a good leader and along the road I am going to play with players who will be in the NHL for sure. I have never been a superstar and was given the easy road, I was always the one going unnoticed and taken the long road. I feel like even if I never make it to the big leagues, I can still influence others that the dream never goes away. As long as you work hard, you can achieve anything. For my dreams, all I can do is keep working hard.
“The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority. ”
— Kenneth Blanchard
My understanding of this quote is that in this day and age we can no longer have a true authoritarian leader. A great leader must be able to interact and influence his followers in such a manner to reach the ultimate goal. You cant have a leader who demands everything out of his followers and expect there to be no tension. I think of a leader like Adolf Hitler who was very authoritarian leader. His styles worked back then but I don’t think it would be the same in this era. I think this relates perfectly with the ‘leadership as an influence’ style. It also deals with ‘theory Y’ and having a democratic leader over a 100% authoritarian leader. This quote is important to my leadership development because it remind me of one of my coaches. All coachers are considers leaders and have great influence on his athletes. One of my coaches was a pure authoritarian leader and demanded a lot out of his players. He always kept his distance from the team and never interacted with his players. As a result of his poor leadership, we lost early in the play offs when we should have easily went on to win the championships.
"A good leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way. A good leader is a person who takes a little more than his share of the blame and a little less than his share of the credit.”
— John C. Maxwell
I decided to save the best for last because this one was my favorite. The meaning of this quote is an example of a true confident leader. When you have confidence as a leader, nothing can stand in your way to achieve your goal. A true leader not only talks the talk, but walks the walk. If a leader fell short of his goals, he is not quickly to blame others or point out reasons to why he did not succeed. He would take responsibility and be accountable for taking most of the blame. However, if he was successful you wouldn’t hear him bragging and needing reassurance of his accomplishment. You would see a true leader quietly carrying on with his business knowing personally that he succeeded. A good leader does not need reassurance or recognition of his accomplishments. In order to carry out these actions I think it would be important to posses certain traits like confidence, determination, honesty and integrity. This quote is important to my leadership development because I can relate to this quote because of my hard work ethic. Often times I will always be the hardest working but receiving the least attention or recognition. I never say anything and say ‘hey, what about me? Look what I did!” I just take what I learned from that situation and move on to the next. I have learned I do not need to approval or applause from someone else, I can find pleasure and success all by myself and be a true leader.
References:
Kissinger, H. (2012). Goodread Quotes. Retrieved from
http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/201690-the-task-of-the-leader-is-to-get-his-people
Rayburn, S. (2012). Quotations Book. Retrieved from
http://quotationsbook.com/quote/22923/
McAlindon, H R. (2012). Leadership Quotes. Retrieved from
http://www.winston-churchill-leadership.com/leadership-quote-part7.html
Adams, J. (2012). Thinkexist Quotes. Retrieved from
http://thinkexist.com/quotation/if_your_actions_inspire_others_to_dream_more/339093.html
Blanchard, K. (2012). Inspirational Quotes for Business and Work: Leadership Leadership Quotations. Retrieved from http://humanresources.about.com/od/workrelationships/a/quotes_leaders.htm
Maxwell, JC. (2012). Leadership Quotes. Retrieved from
http://sourcesofinsight.com/leadership-quotes/