52 Leadership Traits And Quotes

In the journey of leadership, the essence lies not just in steering the ship, but in inspiring and elevating those onboard. True leaders possess a unique blend of traits that set them apart, enabling them to influence and guide with authenticity and purpose. In this exploration, we've curated a collection of the top 52 leadership traits, each accompanied by a thought-provoking quote that captures its spirit. Whether you're an aspiring leader or a seasoned one, these insights will offer guidance, inspiration, and perhaps a new perspective on what it means to lead effectively. Dive in and discover the qualities that define outstanding leaders and the wisdom they've shared throughout history.

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. “What companies want most from their managers is what they most stop their managers from giving. What managers want most from their jobs is what they most stop themselves from getting.” - Stan Slap

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

5. “Profitability. Growth. Quality. Exceeding customer expectations. These are not examples of values. These are examples of corporate strategies being sold to you as values.” - Stan Slap

6. “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

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

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

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

10. “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

11. “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

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

13. “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

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

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

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

17. “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

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

19. “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

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

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

22. “Your company is its own competition and can deliver itself debilitating blows the competition only dreams of.” - Stan Slap

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

24. “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

25. “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

26. “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

27. “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

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

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

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

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

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

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

34. “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

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

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

37. “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

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

39. “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

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

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

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

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

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

45. “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

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

47. “A manager’s emotional commitment is worth more than their financial, intellectual and physical commitment combined.” - Stan Slap

48. “Why live my personal values at work? This is an excellent question to ask. If your attorneys are planning an insanity defense.” - Stan Slap

49. “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

50. “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

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

52. “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