29 Quotes by James M. Kouzes

Do what you say you will do.

If you think you’re a leader and you turn around and no one is following you, then you’re simply out for a walk.

The best way to lead people into the future is to connect with them deeply in the present.

It always takes a group of people working together with a common purpose in an atmosphere of trust and collaboration to get extraordinary things done.

Leadership is a relationship between those who aspire to lead and those who choose to follow.

Leadership isn’t the private reserve of a few charismatic men and women. It’s a process ordinary people use when they’re bringing forth the best from themselves and others. Liberate the leader in everyone, and extraordinary things happen.

You can’t lead others to places you don’t want to go yourself. If you don’t feel a burning passion for something, how in the world can you inspire and encourage others to share it?

The word “story” is short for the word “history.” They both have the same root and fundamentally mean the same thing. A story is a narrative on an event or series of events, just like history.

There’s nothing more demoralizing than a leader who can’t clearly articulate why we’re doing what we’re doing.