Commentary: Leadership in quotations

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Jay Butterfield
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing director of staff
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  Leadership is a difficult subject to master. Many people who have served successfully in leadership positions have left us with words of wisdom to assist us in our growth as leaders. One of my favorite quotes about leadership was said by former First Lady Rosalynn Carter:

"A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go, but ought to be."

In this quote, Carter offers a challenge to every leader. According to her, a leader is someone who knows their people and helps them accomplish their own goals. Depending on the caliber and motivation of the people in one's unit, this may or may not be a difficult task for the leader. But in order to become a great leader, Carter alludes to a harder road - taking people beyond their own personal goals and enabling them to achieve something they may never have conceived possible or never desired in the first place. To accomplish this, someone who is a great leader must have the right vision for their people. The leader must be able to see beyond what the individuals in the unit perceive as a victory or success, and the leader must guide them to their necessary destination. Therefore, a great leader is not only someone who knows their people, this person must also understand the greater purpose of the unit and its mission and develop a vision to guide the organization to true success.

Another quote which I find truly valuable came from Gen. Douglas MacArthur:

"A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent."

In this quote, MacArthur identifies several characteristics that leaders should have in great supply: confidence, courage, compassion, equality and integrity.

MacArthur starts off his passage by identifying actions a true leader performs. The first is the confidence to stand alone, which speaks to one's intelligence. A leader should be well read and knowledgeable about his or her position and the decisions that they make; doing so will provide the confidence a leader needs to stand firm, especially in the face of opposition.  Further still, a leader must be prepared to answer for the consequences of their decisions.

Next, MacArthur refers to the characteristic of courage. Every decision takes courage, but tough decisions require a measure of superior courage. Daily, leaders make choices that may result in life or death impacts, knowing the reward for victory could be great but also knowing they must be ready to answer for the worst. He encourages leaders to strive to make the difficult choices and alludes to the burden of responsibility and accountability that a leader carries while in command.

MacArthur also says that great leaders are compassionate. They know their people's needs, wants, hopes and dreams. To have such compassion, a leader must remove focus from their own glory and place it on their people and their success.

Lastly, MacArthur suggests two key qualities to become a leader: equality in action and integrity of intent. Equality in action speaks of fairness and evenhanded actions that take into account the laws of the land, the service and the people. He suggests a person bound for leadership is impartial to special interests, but chooses fairly and wisely, based on well-founded, educated research. Integrity of intent encompasses honesty, truth and faithfulness. Integrity answers the question why; not because leadership itself is the desired end, but because these choices and actions are the right answer for the people, the unit and the overall organization.

Taken together, these two quotes serve as guideposts to aspiring leaders. Armed with this wisdom, budding leaders can evaluate themselves, identify areas of weakness and move forward with purpose and dedicated study.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinkruse/2012/10/16/quotes-on-leadership/