30 Powerful Quotes About Leadership
Do you ever feel like leading in English adds extra pressure?
As a non-native speaker, you bring unique strengths to the table, but navigating language and cultural differences can make leadership feel more challenging than it should.
To inspire and support you, I’ve gathered some of my favorite quotes about leadership:
“Listening to others, especially those with whom we disagree, tests our own ideas and beliefs. It forces us to recognize, with humility, that we don’t have a monopoly on the truth.” - Janet Yellen
“As a leader, it is important to not just see your own success, but focus on the success of others.” - Sundar Pichai
"Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other." -John F. Kennedy
“Leadership is about empathy. It is about having the ability to relate to and connect with people for the purpose of inspiring and empowering their lives.” - Oprah Winfrey
“If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done." - Bruce Lee
“So often people are working hard at the wrong things. Working on the right things is probably more important than working hard.” - Caterina Fake
“If failure is not an option, then neither is success.” - Seth Godin
"Silent gratitude isn't very much to anyone." - Gertrude Stein
“Leadership is about setting the stage for others to shine.” - Jensen Huang
“I can tell you, without diversity, creativity remains stagnant.” - Edward Enninful
“Truly remarkable leadership is not just about motivating others to follow, it’s about inspiring them to become leaders themselves and setting the stage for even greater opportunities for future generations.” - Condoleezza Rice
“I am the one thing in life I can control. I am inimitable. I am an original.” - Lin-Manuel Miranda
“The most effective way to do it is to do it.” - Amelia Earhart
”If you don’t get out there and define yourself, you’ll be quickly and inaccurately defined by others.” - Michelle Obama
“So please ask yourself: What would I do if I weren’t afraid? And then go do it.” - Sheryl Sandberg
“You have to see failure as the beginning and the middle, but never entertain it as an end.” - Jessica Herrin
"In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." -Thomas Jefferson
“We need to accept that we won’t always make the right decisions, that we’ll screw up royally sometimes – understanding that failure is not the opposite of success, it’s part of success.” - Arianna Huffington
“What distinguishes the greatest leaders of our time, it’s that success is very rarely a goal for them; it’s a byproduct of other goals they have.” - Adam Grant
"Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen." - Brené Brown
“The sign of a great leader is knowing what you know and knowing what you don’t know.” - Angela Ahrendts
"You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do."
-Eleanor Roosevelt“The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority.” - Ken Blanchard
“The duty of a leader is to create an organization where it is easy to practice kindness.” - Kim Cameron
“I learned to always take on things I’d never done before. Growth and comfort do not coexist.” - Ginni Rometty
“Do not be afraid to make decisions. Do not be afraid to make mistakes.” - Carly Fiorina
“The art of communication is the language of leadership.” - James Humes
“When purpose meets passion, you’re unstoppable.” - Shelley Zalis
“If you can't communicate your ideas, your brilliance doesn’t matter.” - Sundar Pichai
““A great leader doesn’t only inspire us to have confidence in what they can do. A great leader inspires us to have confidence in what we can do.” - Simon Sinek
I hope these quotes gave you a boost of inspiration and reminded you that you’re not alone on this journey.
Leadership isn’t about having perfect English. It’s about showing up, growing, and using your voice to make an impact.
Let these words stay with you as you lead, learn, and lift others along the way. You’ve got this!
Keep Learning
Take your leadership communication skills even further by analyzing how your culture may be negatively impacting your storytelling skills in English here.
