Quotes by Jo Owen

You do not have to be perfect to be a leader, because no leader is ever perfect.

Enjoyment is not the result of success: it is a requirement for success.

All the time we can choose how we feel: we can feel good or bad about what is happening around us. That is our choice: it is not a requirement of the job....You can always find smart people to do the intellectual heavy lifting, but you cannot delegate away your temperament and style. No one wants moody, sulky, angry, cynical and frustrated leaders...If you can master the elusive art of being responsible for your own feelings, you cannot only lead better, you can live better.

Courage can be learned when you make the exceptional become the routine

Today’s leaders do not need physical courage. But they do need courage to take unpopular decisions and to lead people where they would not have gone by themselves.

Seeking popularity achieves nothing other than an easy life in the short term. The effective leader will build respect, not popularity

All leaders find it easy to take responsibility for success. Few have the courage to take responsibility for setbacks.

The same person in different contexts could be a hero or a zero... As leaders we have to find the context in which we can best flourish.

If you read enough leadership books you will realise that to succeed you need to become an improbable mix of Nelson Mandela, Lord Nelson, Machiavelli, Churchill, Genghis Khan and Mother Teresa all put together. Some bosses think they are already that good: they are normally bosses who are well worth avoiding.

If you never fail, you have never tried hard enough.