Leadership is a matter of how to be, not how to do it.
Interpretation
Leadership is defined more by character and presence than by actions alone.
Frances Hesselbein's quote emphasizes that true leadership stems from one's essence and being, rather than merely following a set of actions or strategies. Effective leaders embody the qualities and values they wish to promote, inspiring others through their very presence and approach to life.
In practice
In a corporate setting to inspire management to foster a positive workplace culture.
When people are speaking, they require our undivided attention. We focus on them; we listen very carefully. We listen to the spoken words and the unspoken messages. This means looking directly at the person, eyes connected; we forget we have a watch, just focusing for that moment on that person.
It takes courage for a leader to identify and confront self-imposed barriers, to put in place the personal strategies required to unleash the energy, innovation, and commitment to self-development.
Women are working for part or all of their adult lives now. The possibilities are limitless, but you need to prepare.
The real leader redefines or defines the mission in a very powerful way so that people understand it; it permeates the organization.
Leadership is not a basket of tricks or strategies or skills that you pull out. Leadership begins with the quality of the person.
Social-sector organizations have to be better managed than for-profit organizations... because they have no margin of error.
A really great person is the person who makes every person feel great.
Quarterbacks need to make their team better. If it's a bad team, they can even make a bad team better.
There are blessed intervals when I forget by one means or another that I am President of the United States.
The truth is that teamwork is at the heart of great achievement.
Work hard to seem infallible and others will work to find our flaws. Admit our shortcomings and others will work to help us be infallible.
As a coach you need to choose the characteristics your players can contribute. I don't think it's a good thing for a coach to analyse his team by looking for something he sees in other teams. He has to pay close attention to the characteristics his team have, and make the most of those.
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