Leadership

The following quotes are from Napoleon Hill. These are helpful for everyone, but especially an employer or manager.

Cooperation must start at the head of a department if it is expected at the other end. The same is true for efficiency.

In most large organizations, the amount of time and energy that is squandered in interdepartmental rivalry is enormous. Managers who compete with others inside the company waste valuable resources that should be directed at fulfilling the company’s mission to serve its customers better. Worse, a negative, internal focus can cause the company to miss opportunities, the full effect of which may not be realized for months or even years. Whether you are the head of the department or the newest worker on the staff, you can help your company immeasurably by refusing to become embroiled in internal strife. Compete with yourself to do the best job you can do instead of competing with others.

No one is capable of giving direction unless he or she knows how to take directions and carry them out.

An essential quality of leadership is developing the ability to persuade others to align their goals with yours and those of the organization. Until you, yourself, are able to join forces with others in the pursuit of a common objective, you will never persuade them to join your cause. Effective leaders recognize the value of working together, and they learn how to follow directions before being entrusted with the responsibility for the performance of others. Good leaders show by example how they expect others to behave. Even though the troops may be trained to follow orders unquestioningly, the officer always leads them into battle. You cannot push others to follow your example; you must pull them along with you. When you show by your every word and deed that you are a person of character, one who works for the greater good of the entire organization, your people will follow.

Every time you influence another person to do a better job, you benefit that person and you increase your own value.

Someone once said that no one can really motivate anyone else; all we can do is motivate ourselves and hope it catches on. You will probably never know how much you influence others with your behavior. When you always go the extra mile, you will influence those in your circle of friends and acquaintances, your family, your co-workers, and even your bosses to do more and better than they have done before. Your value to yourself and others is greatly enhanced by your ability to influence others to be happier, more productive people. There are no salary caps or career limits for those who lead others to great heights of success. Such people are simply too valuable.

A bull may have good qualities, but you will never bring them out by waving a red flag in his face.

Arousing others is easy — if you don’t care what kind of action you inspire. If you wish to create a positive response in others, you do so by example and through the art of gentle persuasion, not by daring them to attack. When you work with others, concentrate on their positive attributes, not on the things they dislike or fear. When you take the time to get to know your associates, to learn about their hopes, dreams, and aspirations, you can determine what motivates them. You can then show them how they can align their goals with yours to work together for your mutual advantage. When you do, everybody wins.

A peacemaker always fares better than an agitator.

In today’s “everything is negotiable” society, we are bombarded with messages telling us that we get what we demand, not what we deserve. You may temporarily achieve success by demanding more than your due from others, but it will not long endure. “Squeaky wheels” may initially receive the most attention, but the wise wagon-master eventually replaces them. It’s easy to create problems and dissension but very difficult to lead others in a spirit of cooperation and harmony. Which type of individual do you think is most valuable to the organization? The greatest rewards in life — both financial and personal — will always accrue to the peacemakers of the world.

Unlimited power may be available when two or more people coordinate their thoughts and actions in a spirit of perfect harmony for the attainment of a definite purpose.

A Master Mind alliance involves two or more people working together in perfect harmony toward the attainment of a common purpose. Such a partnership creates a superpower that enables each of its members to do far more than either would have been able to achieve separately. Choose your Master Mind partners carefully. Align yourself with people whose strengths complement yours. If you are a right brain person, for example, a logically-driven left brain person may be a perfect counterbalance to your creative bent. Above all, choose to associate only with people who share your positive values and your commitment to similar levels of achievement.

Before trying to master others, be sure you are the master of yourself.

When you develop a Positive Mental Attitude, you immediately set yourself apart from the crowd. You become a leader because positive thinking leads to positive action, while negative thinking leads to apathy and inaction. When you take the initiative in any situation, others will follow simply because they like to associate with people who know where they are going. In order to lead, however, you must first be willing to discipline yourself. The first rule of leadership is never to ask others to do what you are unwilling to do yourself. You can lead only by example. Being a leader requires you to work harder and longer than the others and proving you are the master of your own destiny.

There is harmony throughout the universe in everything except human relationships.

Our universe is characterized by order and harmony, yet we human beings must constantly struggle to achieve the same characteristics in our relationships. In fact, human beings seem to find it unnatural to cooperate with others. Successful individuals are those who have learned to swim against the current, to do the things that others refuse to do. They have learned how to work together for the benefit of the entire group. Achieving harmony in any relationship — business, personal, or professional — requires work. Take comfort in the fact that you’ll accomplish far more working with others than working against them. Demonstrate that you care about all the members of your team.

The climb upward will be easier if you take others along with you.

When you take the initiative, you become a de facto leader whose success will depend in large measure upon your ability to inspire others to work with you. They will follow your lead when they have confidence in you and when they know they will share in your success. Few of us are good enough or lucky enough to achieve great success completely on our own. We need others to help us. When we give more in return than we ever ask of our friends and associates, not only will we be able to accomplish much more in life, but it will also make the entire experience much more enjoyable.

Friendly cooperation always pays off because this sort of teamwork creates a positive mental attitude, which does not recognize obstacles.

In any organized endeavor, obstacles are going to occur. Sometimes they appear in the form of technical problems; sometimes they are disputes between members of the team over which course is best to follow. If you have set an example of initiative and open communication, you will find that your team has the mental and spiritual resources to overcome these kinds of struggles. A group of people who trust their leader and one another don’t waste energy jockeying for prestige. They know that they will all benefit from a solution, and they are motivated to find it by sharing the knowledge and ideas. From these many parts a skilled leader can create the necessary solution, but only if a spirit of friendliness and honesty prevails.

It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.
–Nelson Mandela

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, become more, you are a leader.

–John Quincy Adams

Don’t find fault, find a remedy.

–Henry Ford

Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.

–Margaret Fuller

A good leader takes a little more than his share of the blame, a little less than his share of the credit.

–Arnold H. Glasow