Leadership is absolutely about inspiring action, but it is also about guarding against mis-action.
No matter how carefully you plan your goals they will never be more than pipe dreams unless you pursue them with gusto.
Inspirational leaders need to have a winning mentality in order to inspire respect. It is hard to trust in the leadership of someone who is half-hearted about their purpose, or only sporadic in focus or enthusiasm.
It was a hallmark of Nelson Mandela's leadership that being open to change made him appear not weaker, but even stronger.
Insight essentially means being able to see things other people are not able to see. This is the hallmark of leadership.
I fell in love with the topic of leadership. For three decades, that has been a major focus of my hands-on work: listening to and working with leaders, their teams and their organizations.
I don't pretend there aren't biological differences, but I don't believe the desire for leadership is hardwired biology, not the desire to win or excel. I believe that it's socialization, that we're socializing our daughters to nurture and our boys to lead.
As a nation, we face a choice. With parts of the world on fire, can we ignore the despair beyond our borders? Or do we use our global influence and leadership to confront these challenges head-on?
As CEO of Accenture, I am not French anymore. When I'm in India, I am Indian. We are a company with no physical headquarters. We operate on a virtual level. Our leadership meetings are teleconferences, which is why the Board asked me to stay on in France. And I tell others to stay in their own countries.
When you can't make them see the light, make them feel the heat.
Mandela's heroism is the heroism of a man who suffered so badly for what he thought of as freedom. And yet when he had the upper hand he has this incredible self-control and these incredible leadership qualities.
A leader who doesn't hesitate before he sends his nation into battle is not fit to be a leader.
Most businesses think that product is the most important thing, but without great leadership, mission and a team that deliver results at a high level, even the best product won't make a company successful.
Many high school students are under so much competitive pressure. They are sometimes taught that if they don't have a 4.0 GPA, score in the 99th percentile on admissions tests, and demonstrate leadership in sports and participate in clubs, they won't get into college anywhere. Even highly credentialed professionals get caught up in this.
An important part of my job is listening to diverse points of view at all levels - from Millennials starting their careers... to women at the highest levels of leadership... to my own wife and daughter.
As a vibrant force in civil society, women continue to press for their rights, equal participation in decision-making, and the upholding of the principles of the revolution by the highest levels of leadership in Egypt.
The leadership of the Palestinian Authority is not held in high regard by most of the population of the West Bank. They're seen as living relatively high off the hog and certainly not accomplishing anything vis-a-vis the Israelis.
Hope and change? We're not doing that anymore. They're doing attack and blame. And so, I just think people are going to see through this. They want real leadership. They want us to get this country on the right track.
President Obama chose politics over leadership. 'Hope' and 'Change' have become bait-and-switch.
Winston Churchill inspired my leadership philosophy. I've read a huge number of his writings, especially his diaries from the Second World War. His thoughts on leadership and duty have helped me as England captain.
