You manage things, you lead people. We went overboard on management and forgot about leadership.
Grace HopperRead
It's always easier to apologize for something you've already done than to get approval for it in advance.
Interpretation
It's simpler to seek forgiveness for past actions than to ask for permission beforehand.
This quote by Grace Hopper highlights the often complex dynamics of decision-making and accountability in leadership. It suggests that taking initiative and acting decisively can sometimes lead to regrets, but it is more practical to repair and apologize for mistakes than to navigate the sometimes tedious process of seeking prior approvals or permissions from others, which can stifle innovation and decisiveness.
In practice
In a team meeting where innovative ideas are presented, you might say this quote to encourage risk-taking.
You manage things, you lead people. We went overboard on management and forgot about leadership.
If you do something once, people will call it an accident. If you do it twice, they call it a coincidence. But do it a third time and you've just proven a natural law!
Leadership is a two-way street, loyalty up and loyalty down. _x000D_ _x000D_ Respect for one's superiors; care for one's crew.
It is often easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.
I've always been more interested in the future than in the past.
I've received many honors and I'm grateful for them; but I've already received the highest award I'll ever receive, and that has been the privilege and honor of serving very proudly in the United States Navy.
He who finds a new path is a pathfinder, even if the trail has to be found again by others; and he who walks far ahead of his contemporaries is a leader, even though centuries pass before he is recognized as such.
I don't think a system or a government should fear critical opinions or views. Only by heeding those critical views would it be possible for us to further improve our work and make further progress.
Whether it is with friends or family, I expect them to set a great example for me, and hopefully I will do the same for them. And that is all part of being a leader.
I would rather play with 10 men than wait for a player who is late for the bus.
This mode of electioneering suited neither my taste nor my principles. I thought it equally unsuitable to my personal character and to the station in which I am placed.
No leader, however great, can long continue unless he wins battles. The battle decides all.
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