46 Leadership Definition Quotes

Leadership is an ever-evolving concept that shapes communities, organizations, and personal aspirations. Understanding its multifaceted nature requires a deep dive into the wisdom of those who have walked the path of leading others. In our quest to demystify what makes a great leader, we've curated a collection of the top 46 leadership definition quotes. These insightful quotes not only encapsulate the essence of leadership but also inspire us to embrace its challenges and responsibilities with courage and conviction. Join us as we explore these profound reflections, and let them ignite your own journey of leadership and growth.

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. “Emotional commitment means unchecked, unvarnished devotion to the company and its success; any legendary organizational performance is the result of emotionally committed managers.” - Stan Slap

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

4. “A company can’t buy true emotional commitment from managers no matter how much it’s willing to spend; this is something too valuable to have a price tag. And yet a company can’t afford not to have it.” - Stan Slap

5. “The company may have captured their minds, their bodies and their pockets, but that doesn’t mean it’s captured their hearts.” - Stan Slap

6. “Try not to take this the wrong way, but your brain is smarter than you are.” - Stan Slap

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

8. “The worst thing in your own development as a leader is not to do it wrong. It’s to do it for the wrong reasons.” - Stan Slap

9. “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

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

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

12. “When rewards come from an external source instead of an internal source, they’re unreliable, which means they’re dangerous if you grow to depend on them.” - Stan Slap

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

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

15. “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

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

17. “The economy is in ruins! Bottom line? Good management will defeat a bad economy.” - Stan Slap

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

19. “The first step to solving any problem is to accept one’s own accountability for creating it.” - Stan Slap

20. “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

21. “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

22. “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

23. “Success for Managers means: I want to be in healthy relationships. I want a real connection with people I spend so much time with.” - Stan Slap

24. “Let’s get right on top of the bottom line: You must live your personal values at work.” - Stan Slap

25. “Hard-core results come from igniting the massive power of emotional commitment. Are your people committed?” - Stan Slap

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

27. “The high quality of a company’s customer experience rarely has anything to do with the high price of their product.” - Stan Slap

28. “To integrate one’s experiences around a coherent and enduring sense of self lies at the core of creating a user’s guide to life.” - Stan Slap

29. “Management controls performance in people because it impacts skills; it’s a matter of monitoring, analyzing and directing.” - Stan Slap

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

31. “Leaders are people who know exactly who they are. They know exactly where they want to go. They’re hell-bent on getting there.” - Stan Slap

32. “Leaders make a lot of mistakes but they admit those mistakes to themselves and change because of them.” - Stan Slap

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

34. “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

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

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

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

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

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

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

41. “Most managers have plenty of emotional commitment to give to their jobs. If they can be convinced it’s safe and sensible to give it.” - Stan Slap

42. “Emotional commitment is a personal choice. Managers understand this even if their companies don’t.” - Stan Slap

43. “Work/life balance is not about escaping work. It’s about living exactly the way you want to when you’re at work.” - Stan Slap

44. “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

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

46. “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