34 Leadership Class Quotes

In the fast-paced world of professional development, leadership is a quality that can set you apart. Whether you're an aspiring manager seeking to hone your skills or a seasoned executive looking for fresh inspiration, words of wisdom from renowned leaders can provide invaluable insight and motivation. In this post, we have carefully selected 34 of the most impactful leadership quotes. These quotes encapsulate the essence of what it means to lead with integrity, vision, and resilience. Read on to discover the timeless wisdom that can elevate your leadership journey to new heights.

1. “A manager’s emotional commitment is the ultimate trigger for their discretionary effort, worth more than financial, intellectual & physical commitment combined.” - Stan Slap

2. “Providing the ultimate solution to work/life balance: not escaping from work but living the way you want to at work.” - Stan Slap

3. “Your dreams and the dreams of your company may be different, but they are in no way incompatible.” - Stan Slap

4. “The purpose of leadership is to change the world around you in the name of your values, so you can live those values more fully.” - Stan Slap

5. “Human behavior is only unpredictable and dangerous if you don’t start from humanity in the first place.” - Stan Slap

6. “Your company really has to work for you before you’ll really work for your company.” - Stan Slap

7. “What first separates a leader from a normal human being? A leader knows who they are as a human being.” - Stan Slap

8. “Imagine a world where what you say synchs up, not sinks down.” - Stan Slap

9. “The myth of management is that your personal values are irrelevant or inappropriate at work.” - Stan Slap

10. “When you’re a manager, you work for your company. When you’re a leader, your company works for you.” - Stan Slap

11. “Here’s what you need to know most about leadership: Lead your own life first. The only thing in this world that will dependably happen from the top down is the digging of your grave.” - Stan Slap

12. “Instead of waiting for a leader you can believe in, try this: Become a leader you can believe in.” - Stan Slap

13. “You can stuff yourself with emotional fulfillment until it’s dribbling down your chin & your ego will quickly chomp it down and demand more.” - Stan Slap

14. “You can’t sell it outside if you can’t sell it inside.” - Stan Slap

15. “Being relevant to your customers only when you’re trying to sell something means choosing to be irrelevant to them for the rest of the time.” - Stan Slap

16. “You don't have to fear your own company being perceived as human. You want it. People don't trust companies; they trust people.” - Stan Slap

17. “There will be plenty of other problems in the future. This is as good a time as any to get ahead of them.” - Stan Slap

18. “Success means: I want to know the work I do means something to somebody and helps make the world, if not a Better place, not a worse one.” - Stan Slap

19. “Do you think your people struggle with being true to themselves? Do their values match up with their work?” - Stan Slap

20. “The heart of a company’s performance is hardwired to the hearts of its managers.” - Stan Slap

21. “Your values are your essence: an undistorted mirror showing you at your pure, attractive best.” - Stan Slap

22. “Careful now: even a financially rewarding, intellectually stimulating work environment isn’t the same as living your own values.” - Stan Slap

23. “Leadership creates performance in people because it impacts willingness; it’s a matter of modeling, inspiring, and reinforcing.” - Stan Slap

24. “Managers know what they want most: to be allowed to achieve success by leveraging who they are, not by compromising it.” - Stan Slap

25. “Any expert will tell you that if you want emotionally committed relationships then people must be allowed to be true to who they are.” - Stan Slap

26. “Companies should be the best possible place to practice fulfillment, to live out values and to realize deep connectivity and purpose.” - Stan Slap

27. “Values are deeply held personal beliefs that form your own priority code for living.” - Stan Slap

28. “Values are the individual biases that allow you to decide which actions are true for you alone.” - Stan Slap

29. “When you’re not on your own agenda, you’re prey to the agenda of others.” - Stan Slap

30. “When you don’t know what true for you, everyone else has unusual influence.” - Stan Slap

31. “True leaders live their values everywhere, not just in the workplace.” - Stan Slap

32. “This is your one and only precious life. Somebody’s going to decide how it’s going to be lived and that person had better be you.” - Stan Slap

33. “What managers want most from companies they stop themselves from getting.What companies want most from managers they stop them from giving.” - Stan Slap

34. “It’s impossible for a company to get what it wants most if managers have to make a choice between their own values and company priorities.” - Stan Slap