To sum it up; leadership is stepping up to the plate and overcoming whatever obstacles lay in front of you and guiding your men towards a clear objective. Give them the mission, step back and supervise without holding their hand but maintaining a command presence. Pepe Aguilar
A Compilation of Quotes on Leadership by Leaders
Take Charge, Move Out- Campbell University US Army ROTC motto.
Ready, Willing, Able- Officer Candidate School NC Military Academy Motto
All that is necessary for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing.
Leadership: Generalship
No general can fight his battles alone. He must depend upon his lieutenants, and his success depends upon his ability to select the right man for the right place. Philip Armour Sun Tzu: The Art of War
All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near. Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him. Thus the highest form of generalship is to balk the enemy's plans, the next best is to prevent the junction of the enemy's forces, the next in order is to attack the enemy's army in the field, and the worst policy of all is to besiege walled cities. He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight. He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces. He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks. He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared. He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign.
If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle. Whoever is first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy, will be fresh for the fight; whoever is second in the field and has to hasten to battle will arrive exhausted. Hence that general is skillful in attack whose opponent does not know what to defend; and he is skillful in defense whose opponent does not know what to attack.
Military tactics are like unto water; for water in its natural course runs away from high places and hastens downwards... Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows; the soldier works out his victory in relation to the foe whom he is facing. Therefore, just as water retains no constant shape, so in warfare there are no constant conditions. He who can modify his tactics in relation to his opponent and thereby succeed in winning, may be called a heaven-born captain. Invincibility depends on one's self.
A leader leads by example not by force. General Dwight D. Eisenhower
Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it. "You don't lead by hitting people over the head-that's assault, not leadership." General George S. Patton
"A leader is a man who can adapt principles to circumstances.“ Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity. A general is just as good or just as bad as the troops under his command make him. "A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent." General Douglas MacArthur
Army Unit Mottos
260TH MILITARY POLICE (MP) COMMAND "PEACE LAW ORDER"
3D MILITARY POLICE (MP) GROUP "JUSTICE WILL PREVAIL"
6TH MILITARY POLICE GROUP "SEEK THE TRUTH"
800TH MILITARY POLICE BRIGADE "Vires In Arduis" ("Strength In Difficulties.") 11TH MILITARY POLICE BATTALION "STRENGTH THROUGH TRUTH"
19TH MILITARY POLICE BATTALION "TRUTH IS OUR SWORD"
22D MILITARY POLICE BATTALION "INTEGRITY ABOVE ALL"
6TH PSYCHOLOGICAL OPERATIONS BATTALION "VERITAS VOS LIBERABIT“ (The Truth Will Set You Free)
Proverbs
Not the cry, but the flight of a wild duck, leads the flock to fly and follow. Chinese Proverb
It is absurd that a man should rule others, who cannot rule himself. (Absurdum est ut alios regat, qui seipsum regere nescit.) Latin Proverb
He who has learned how to obey will know how to command. Solon
He who has never learned to obey cannot be a good commander. Aristotle
What you cannot enforce / Do not command. Sophocles
The Presidents
No man is good enough to govern another man without that other's consent. Abraham Lincoln
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. John Quincy Adams
“A good leader can’t get too far ahead of his followers.” — Franklin D. Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt "The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.“ "People ask the difference between a leader and a boss. The leader works in the open, and the boss in covert. The leader leads, and the boss drives.“ “Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.”
Roman Leadership
A ruler should be slow to punish and swift to reward. Ovid
The greater a man is in power above others, the more he ought to excel them in virtue. None ought to govern who is not better than the governed. Publius Syrus
It is impossible to imagine anything which better becomes a ruler than mercy. Seneca
Various Quotes
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. Harold R. McAlindon
Men are governed only by serving them; the rule is without exception. V. Cousin
The real leader has no need to lead-- he is content to point the way. Henry Miller
When I give a minister an order, I leave it to him to find the means to carry it out. Napoleon Bonaparte
No man can stand on top because he is put there. H. H. Vreeland
Let him who would be moved to convince others, be first moved to convince himself. Thomas Carlyle "A good objective of leadership is to help those who are doing poorly to do well and to help those who are doing well to do even better." Jim Rohn
"The boss drives people; the leader coaches them. The boss depends on authority; the leader on good will. The boss inspires fear; the leader inspires enthusiasm. The boss says "I"; The leader says "WE". The boss fixes the blame for the breakdown; the leader fixes the breakdown. The boss says, "GO"; the leader says "LET'S GO!" H. Gordon Selfridge
"The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly." Jim Rohn
"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
"If I advance, follow me! If I retreat, kill me! If I die, avenge me!" Francois De La Rochefoucauld
Become the kind of leader that people would follow voluntarily; even if you had no title or position. Brian Tracy
“Leadership is action, not position.” — Donald H. McGannon
"Success for leadership is . . . knowing the great art of directing others without their noticing it." Anonymous "Leadership is not magnetic personality ? that can just as well be a glib tongue. It is not "making friends and influencing people" -- that is flattery. Leadership is lifting a person's vision to high sights, the raising of a person's performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations.“ Peter F. Drucker
Leaders think and talk about the solutions. Followers think and talk about the problems. Brian Tracy
"The only real training for leadership is leadership.“ Anthony Jay “Leaders do not avoid, repress, or deny conflict, but rather see it as an opportunity.” — Warren Bennis
Diligent follow-up and follow-through will set you apart from the crowd and communicate excellence.” – John Maxwell
“Earn the right to be heard by listening to others. Seek to understand a situation before making judgments about it.” – John Maxwell
“A great leader’s courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position.” – John Maxwell
“Coming together is a beginning, and staying together is progress, but only when teams sweat together do they find success.” – John Maxwell
“Teams make you better than you are, multiply your value, enable you to do what you do best, allow you to help others do their best, give you more time, provide you with companionship, help you fulfill the desires of your heart and compound your vision and effort.” – John Maxwell
Vince Lombardi
"Leaders aren't born, they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work. And that's the price we'll have to pay to achieve that goal, or any goal." “Leadership is based on a spiritual quality; the power to inspire, the power to inspire others to follow.”
The Eagle (Aquila)
"Eagles don't flock - you have to find them one at a time." H. Ross Perot
To be a great leader and so always master of the situation, one must of necessity have been a great thinker in action. An eagle was never yet hatched from a goose's egg. James Thomas
When there is a storm the little birds hide, but the eagle faces it and sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm. The eagle doesn’t escape while the storm rages below, the eagle is soaring above it and seeks out his objective. Pepe Aguilar