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As a manager the important thing is not what happens when you are there, but what happens when you are not there
Ken Blanchard
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Interpretation

What this quote means

True leadership is evaluated by the outcomes in your absence, not just your presence.

This quote by Ken Blanchard emphasizes that a manager’s effectiveness is not solely determined by their direct involvement or supervision but rather by the ability of their team to operate successfully on their own when the manager is not present. It highlights the importance of fostering independence and responsibility within a team, indicating that a great leader empowers their employees to thrive without constant oversight.

Themes

LeadershipManagementTeamworkIndependenceEmpowerment

In practice

Example use cases

This quote can be used in a leadership workshop to emphasize the importance of empowering team members.

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One of the topics I'm most passionate about is servant leadership - the greatest leaders recognize that they're here to serve, not to be served.
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Servant-leader ship is all about making the goals clear and then rolling your sleeves up and doing whatever it takes to help people win. In that situation, they don't work for you, you work for them.
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Congratulations offer more potential than cash. The amount of available cash is limited, but managers have an unlimited supply of congratulations. It's important to pay people fairly, but managers also should heap on congratulations and feed people's souls.
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If your employees are disengaged, and they don't take care of your customers, it doesn't matter how good your strategy is - your customers will still go somewhere else.
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The biggest obstacle that stalls leaders' growth is the human ego. When leaders start to think they know it all, they stop growing.
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