QuoteProject
The difference between a good and great officer is about ten seconds.
Arleigh Burke
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Great leaders make quick and effective decisions that can significantly impact outcomes.

This quote by Arleigh Burke highlights the crucial role of prompt decision-making in leadership. It suggests that the small difference of just a few seconds can separate a good officer from a great one, emphasizing that timely and decisive actions are essential in effective leadership, especially in critical situations.

Themes

Decision MakingLeadershipTimingGreatnessOfficer

In practice

Example use cases

In a military briefing, a commander might share this quote to emphasize the importance of quick decision-making.

More from Arleigh Burke

Any commander who fails to exceed his authority is not of much use to his subordinates.
Arleigh BurkeRead

Similar quotes

Active questions are the alternative to passive questions. There is a huge difference between, 'Do you have clear goals?' and 'Did you do your best to set clear goals for yourself?' The former is trying to determine the employee's state of mind; the latter challenges the employee to describe or defend a course of action.
Marshall GoldsmithRead
There are so many intelligent former black players, guys like Luther Blissett and Cyrille Regis, who never got a chance to become a top manager or a top coach because of the perception that surrounds people who look like them. They are black - which, for many, means they are good athletes but incapable of being anything above and beyond that.
John BarnesRead
The labor movement is organized upon a principle that the strong shall help the weak.
John L. LewisRead
If the United Nations does not attempt to chart a course for the world's people in the first decades of the new millennium, who will?
Kofi AnnanRead
True basketball coaches are great teachers and you do not humiliate, you do not physically go after, you do not push or shove, you do not berate, if you are a true coach. If you humiliate or curse them, that won't do it. Coaches like that are not coaches.
Morgan WoottenRead
Leadership is neither a rank nor a title. It is a choice. The choice to provide care and protection for those for whom we are responsible.
Simon SinekRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.