Sometimes leadership is planting trees under whose shade you'll never sit. It may not happen fully till after I'm gone. But I know that the steps we're taking are the right steps.
Interpretation
True leadership often involves making sacrifices and decisions that benefit future generations without immediate recognition.
This quote by Jennifer Granholm emphasizes the selfless nature of true leadership, where leaders invest in long-term outcomes for others, even if they themselves never reap the benefits. It highlights the importance of vision and commitment to progress that may not be realized in one's lifetime, and affirms that the actions taken today are crucial for the future.
In practice
This quote can inspire a team meeting discussing long-term goals and the importance of vision.
Those who purify your water, inspect your meat, and test your kids toys, as well as a huge number of nurses, teachers, and our soldiers, are public employees. The firefighters who don't hesitate to rush toward danger while you run away from it - they are all public employees.
When someone lives as a minority, they experience the world differently than those of us who live in the majority. We may occupy the same physical space, but we don't occupy the same psychic space.
Spiritual leadership should remain spiritual leadership and the temporal power should not become too important in any church.
Early on I realized that I had to hire people smarter and more qualified than I was in a number of different fields, and I had to let go of a lot of decision-making. I can't tell you how hard that is. But if you've imprinted your values on the people around you, you can dare to trust them to make the right moves.
An honest public servant can't become rich in politics. He can only attain greatness and satisfaction by service.
We periodically note that there are no silver bullets, there are no magic formulas, there's no single action or component of the overall... comprehensive civil-military approach.
If you facilitate your subordinates' steady progress in meaningful work, make that progress salient to them, and treat them well, they will experience the emotions, motivations, and perceptions necessary for great performance.
You [the employees] are involved in a crusade.
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