I beg you take courage; the brave soul can mend even disaster.
Catherine The GreatRead
I may be kindly, I am ordinarily gentle, but in my line of business I am obliged to will terribly what I will at all.
Interpretation
This quote reflects the duality of kindness and the necessity of making tough decisions in leadership roles.
Catherine The Great's quote highlights the complex nature of leadership where one can embody kindness and gentleness yet must also confront the harsh realities that come with responsibility. It illustrates the balance leaders must find between being compassionate and being decisive, emphasizing that effective leadership sometimes requires making difficult choices that may seem cruel but are necessary for the greater good.
In practice
During a leadership conference, this quote can be used to discuss how to balance compassion with the need for tough decisions.
I beg you take courage; the brave soul can mend even disaster.
I praise loudly. I blame softly.
In politics a capable ruler must be guided by circumstances, conjectures and conjunctions.
A great wind is blowing, and that gives you either imagination or a headache.
I like to praise and reward loudly, to blame quietly.
Happiness and unhappiness are in the heart and spirit of each one of us: If you feel unhappy, then place yourself above that and act so that your happiness does not get to be dependent on anything.
You all know the reasons which have impelled me to renounce the throne. But I want you to understand that in making up my mind I did not forget the country or the empire, which, as Prince of Wales and lately as King, I have for twenty-five years tried to serve.
Any government will work if authority and responsibility are equal and coordinate. This does not insure “good” government, it simply insures that it will work. But such governments are rare — most people want to run things, but want no part of the blame. This used to be called the “backseat driver” syndrome.
I cannot penetrate the soul of Arafat. I cannot know in advance whether, behind all the masks, he's the kind of leader who can reach an agreement or whether he wants to be the Moses of the Palestinians, staying in front of the river and not crossing into the promised land.
The problem with most leaders today is they don't stand for anything. Leadership implies movement toward something, and convictions provide that direction. If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything
Management did not emanate from nature. Management is not a tree: it's a television set. Somebody invented it. It doesn't mean it's going to work forever. Management is great. Traditional notions of management are great if you want compliance. But if you want engagement, self-direction works better.
The leader for today and the future will be focused on how to be - how to develop quality, character, mind-set, values, principles, and courage.
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