This is a great list of things he came across while reading on this subject:
1. No leader is exempt from criticism, and his humility will nowhere be seen more clearly than in the manner in which he accepts and reacts to it.
2. Anyone who steps into the arena of leadership must be prepared to pay a price. True leadership exacts a heavy toll on the whole person and the more effective the leadership, the higher the price! The leader must soon face the fact that he will be the target of critical darts. Unpleasant though it may sound, you haven’t really led until you have become familiar with the stinging barbs of the critic. Good leaders must have the thick skin.
3. Every leader must develop the ability to measure the value or worth of criticism. He has to determine the source and the motive, and he has to listen with discernment. Sometimes the best course of action is to respond to criticism and learn from it. Other times, he must be completely ignored.
4. It is impossible to lead anyone without facing opposition.
5. It is essential to face opposition in prayer.
6. Few people can live in the lap of luxury and maintain their spiritual, emotional, and moral equilibrium. Sudden elevation often disturbs balance, which leads to pride and a sense of self-sufficiency and then, a fall. It’s ironic, but more of us can hang tough through a demotion than through a promotion.
7. The man who is impatient with weakness will be defective in his leadership. The evidence of our strength lies not in streaking ahead but in a willingness to adapt our stride to the slower pace of our weaker brethren, while not forfeiting our lead. If we run too far ahead, we lose our power to influence.
8. No matter how strong a leader you are, you will experience times when the cutting remarks really hurt.
9. You must be determined to apply massive common sense in solving complex problems.
10. You must be willing to accept the simple fact that you have flaws and will need to work every day to become a better leader than you were yesterday.
11. We must never build pyramids in our own honor. We must not fall victim to pompous, self-serving practices.
12. Beware of the treacherous person who pledges loyalty in public then spreads discontent in private. Make every effort to identify and remove them. Leaders are often betrayed by those they trust most.
13. Do not delegate an assignment and then attempt to manage it yourself-you will make an enemy of the overruled subordinates.
14. Worthy leaders accept full responsibility for all assignments-even those they have delegated to their subordinates.
15. A wise leader expands his influence and ability to serve the company only through the art of delegation.
16. Know that your most worthy efforts will be scorned by your peers, for it is they who suffer most when you excel.
17. Regardless of the conditions under which a former leader departs, the new leader should neither encourage nor tolerate disrespectful talk of him. Speaking ill will not change past events or serve to further understanding. It will most certainly tarnish the stature of a new leader.
18. As a leader who achieves greater success, the jealousy others feel for him intensifies.
19. Good workers normally achieve what their leaders expect from them.
20. Leaders should remember that hospitality, warmth, and courtesy will captivate even the most oppressive foe.
21. Leaders should always aim high, going after things that will make a difference rather than seeking the safe path of mediocrity.
23. By being selfless, the leader enhances self.
24. When leaders become superstars, the teacher outshines the teaching.
25. The leader does not take all the credit for what happens and has no need for fame. A moderate ego demonstrates wisdom.
26. If you measure success in terms of praise and criticism your anxiety will be endless.
27. To become more profound, give up your selfishness. Let go of your efforts to be perfect or rich or secure or admired. Such efforts only limit you.
28. When I give up trying to impress the group, I become very impressive. The less I make myself, the more I am.
29. The flashy leader lacks stability. Trying to rush matters gets you nowhere. Trying to appear brilliant is not enlightened. Insecure leaders try to promote themselves. Impotent leaders capitalize on their position.
30. Too much force will backfire. Constant interventions and instigations will not make a good group. They will spoil a group. Force will cost you the support of the members.
31. Being open and attentive is more effective than being judgmental. This is because people naturally tend to be good and truthful when they are being received in a good and truthful manner.
32. The leader cannot be seduced by offers or threats. Money, love, or fame-whatever gained or lost-do not sway the leader from center.
33. The fewer rules the better. Rules reduce freedom and responsibility. Enforcement of rules is coercive and manipulative, which diminishes spontaneity and absorbs group energy.
34. The more coercive you are, the more resistant the group will become. Your manipulations will only breed evasions. Every law creates an outlaw.
35. Good leadership consists of motivating people to their highest levels by offering them opportunities not obligations.
36. Knowing that you do not know everything is far wiser than thinking you know a lot when you really don’t.
37. The wise leader models spiritual behavior and lives in harmony with spiritual values.
38. The wise leader knows that yielding overcome resistances, and gentleness melts rigid defenses.
39. A leader must endure a great deal of abuse. If the leader were not like water, the leader would break. The ability to be soft makes the leader a leader. This is another paradox; what is soft is strong.
40. Interfere as little as possible. Interference, however brilliant, creates a dependence on the leader.
41. Many leaders spoil the work just as it nears completion. They get eager. They get invested in certain outcomes. They become anxious and make mistakes. This is a time for care and consciousness.
42. A wise leader stays in the background and facilitates other people’s process. The greatest things a leader does go largely unnoticed. Because the leader does not push or shape or manipulate, there is no resentment or resistance.
43. There is a vast difference between being aware of the details and being lost in those details. The individual who is able to stand back being fully aware of the facts and yet not lost in them is the one best equipped to lead.
44. Lack of morale and discipline is the most contagious and destructive disease that can ever enter your company.
45. Do not expect everyone to agree with you even if you are the boss.
46. When you must be overly persuasive in gaining support for your decision, it’s usually a sign of a bad one.
47. Know that your most worthy efforts will be scorned by your peers, for it is they who suffer most when you excel.
48. A leader with followers who always agree with him reaps the counsel of mediocrity.
49. Great leaders never take themselves too seriously.
50. As a leader achieves greater success, the jealousy others feel for him intensifies.
51. Leaders should never rush into confrontations.
52. The ability to make difficult decisions separates leaders from followers.
53. Good workers normally achieve what their leaders expect from them.
54. Leaders are often betrayed by those they trust most.
55. The leader shows that style is no substitute for substance, that knowing certain facts is not more powerful than simple wisdom, than creating an impression is not more potent than acting from one’s center.
56. Silence is a great source of strength.
57. Enlightened leadership is service, no selfishness. The leader grows more and lasts longer by placing the well being of self alone.
58. When a person is calm, complex events appear simple. To know what is happening, push less, open up and be aware. See without staring. Listen quietly rather than listening hard. Use intuition and reflection rather than trying to figure things out. The more you let go of trying, and the more open and receptive you become, the more easily you will know what is happening.
59. The wise leader speaks rarely and briefly. The leaser teaches more through being than through doing. The quality of one’s silence conveys more than long speeches. The leader who knows how to be still and feel deeply will probably be effective, but the leader who chatters and boasts and tries to impress the group has no center and carries little weight.
60. The flashy leader lacks stability. Trying to rush matters gets you nowhere. Trying to appear brilliant is not enlightened. Insecure leaders try to promote themselves. Impotent leaders capitalize on their position.
61. Too much force will backfire. Constant interventions and instigations will not make a good group.
