Leadership advice quotes: 19 of the best you’ll ever receive
Along the course of a career, youâve probably had the good fortune of receiving a little nugget of golden insight, or perhaps, a tip here and there from a boss, manager or other respected colleague.
But itâs not like executives are just strolling down the hall, coffee cup in hand, spouting management advice at passersby. Truly good leadership advice can be a rare find.
Thatâs why weâve asked several leaders within Insperity, âWhatâs the best leadership advice youâve ever received?â
Go ahead and indulge your knowledge-hungry minds on the 19 responses we collected below.
19 of the best leadership advice quotes ever given
1. Form your own opinions
âGo into every relationship, whether business or personal, with your eyes open and willing to see people for who they are, not who others say they are. Form your own opinions, donât let others influence you. I truly believe this has helped me work with all different types of people.â
Kathi Farinacci | Customer Relationship Manager, Customer Relationship COE
2. Seek commitment, not compliance
âManagers can achieve compliance from their employees, which is merely getting people to do what theyâre supposed to do. But when managers lead their people to truly commit to their work, they get them to do MORE because they want to, not because they have to. Commitment = engagement.â
Dawn Motsiff  | Senior Human Resource Specialist, Eastern Business Team
Atlanta, Georgia
3. Get out of your office
âMany years ago I was hired as a human resources manager for a retail convenience store chain. There were seven people in our department. We served 350 stores in three states. My boss was a rather gruff gentleman named Dave. The day I started he said to me, âhereâs your office and Iâd better not ever see you in it.ââ
Rick Gibbs | SPHR, SHRM-SCP, Performance Specialist, Field Service Operations
New York, New York
4. Make decisions with your people in mind
âIf you do whatâs right for the individual, youâll have done whatâs right for the company. A well-seasoned engineering VP told me that many years ago, at a time when we were considering making some ânon-traditionalâ organizational changes. Iâve always remembered it.â
Ramona Bilgram | Manager, HR Services
St. Louis, Missouri
5. Celebrate success
âHave fun and celebrate success.â
Jeff Miller | Director, Learning and Performance, Service Operations
6. Ask for feedback
âMost people naturally avoid conflict, so they wonât tell you what they really think, unless you ask. Once you ask, they will tell you because you took away the conflict.â
Stephen King | President and CEO, GrowthForce
7. Do the right thing
âAlways do the right thing, every day, for yourself and your clients/customers.â
Sharon Basile | PHR, SHRM-CP, Senior HR Specialist, Field Service Operations
Chicago, Illinois
8. Inspire greatness
âYou can demand the backs and hands of employees, but they volunteer their hearts and minds. Great leaders have the ability to tap into the latent talents and energies of people in a way that unleashes discretionary effort. In this way, organizations can move past mediocrity and towards greatness.â
Frank McCollough | Business Performance Consultant, Mid-Market Solutions
St. Louis, Missouri
9. Align passion with purpose
âIf you can align your passion with your purpose, you will find fulfillment in whatever you choose to do in life. When a job starts to feel like a âjobâ you should evaluate whether or not you feel youâre aligned with your âpurposeâ in life. Not having alignment with your purpose affects who you are as a person and a professional.â
Shannon Cook | SPHR, Customer Relationship Manager, Customer Relationship COE
Kingwood, Texas
10. Embrace discomfort
âWe all have activities or situations that we avoid because weâre afraid or feel uncomfortable. Those are the ones we need to tackle first, and with gusto. Embrace discomfort and you will triumph with confidence.â
Corinn Price | Director, Community Involvement
Kingwood, Texas
11. Be real
âBe authentic and be accessible.â
Jeff Miller | Director, Learning and Performance, Service Operations
12. Get to know your people
âStay close to the people who are doing the real work in your organization.â
Rick Gibbs | SPHR, SHRM-SCP, Performance Specialist, Field Service Operations
New York, New York
13. Be yourself
âYou canât really copy anyone elseâs style effectively, no matter how much you look up to him or her.â
Bob McIntyre | Director, Service Operations
Rosemont, Illinois
14. Watch for a mental response
âHuman beings cannot control their internal mental voice and it shows in their eyebrows. So, when you say something look for twitching in their eyebrows to see if they have a mental response.â
Stephen King | President and CEO, GrowthForce
15. Influence with your vision
“Leaders must have vision, creativity and the ability to influence others to follow and support them into uncharted and often risky territory.”
Nick Venturella | Sales and Marketing Supervisor, ITA
16. Know when change is needed
âSometimes the only way to change people is to change the people.â
Ted Weinberger | Director, Compensation Services
17. Be honest
âBe genuine in your leadership. If you have to deliver a tough message, be honest and truthful.â
Ray Brock | Director, Safety Services
Kingwood, Texas
18. Show gratitude
âNever underestimate the importance of the words âpleaseâ and âthank youâ. Using them demonstrates a level of respect that people desire and appreciate, which can help build trust.â
Michael Timmes | Senior Human Resource Specialist
Florham Park, New Jersey
19. Critique with sensitivity
âBe honest and candid while still maintaining your employeesâ self-esteem.â
Jeff Miller | Director, Learning & Performance, Service Operations
Pay it forward
The next time youâve reached a business impasse as a leader, take out this list. Apply it. Conquer.
Then add your experience, what you learned. Repeat.
Pretty soon, youâll be the leader sharing the advice rather than seeking it.
Planning for future prosperity
The best way to turn leadership advice into action? Make it official.
Download our free e-book, How to develop a top-notch workforce that will accelerate your business, to learn how to put in place a long-term HR strategy that supports future growth and a winning corporate culture.
Tell us about it
Got leadership advice of your own?
Share it with us. Leave a comment on Twitter using #TipsToLeadBy. We canât wait to hear from you!
Let your employees know you care and appreciate their work.
Absolutely!
Helpful information. thanks for Sharing!
You’re welcome, so glad you found this article helpful! Thanks for your feedback đ
Excellent list to live by– thank you!
It really is! Thanks for your feedback – glad you enjoyed the read!
Please keep me in the loop as sharing incites and information is critical to everyone’s success.
We agree, Jack – helpful information is for sharing!
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Happy reading! (And sharing!)
That is good to know.