Servant Leadership Quotes

Quotes by Category

This list of quotes is a compilation from my own reading and studies on Servant Leadership. They are ordered by topic (category) and are all displayed in line below. Therefore, you can browse them all, or select a specific topic of interest here:

Category:
 

Accountability Quotes

...leaders who do not hold their people accountable to a set standard are, in effect, thieves and liars. Thieves because they are stealing from the stockholder who pays them to hold people accountable, and liars because they pretend that everything is OK with their people when in fact everything is not OK.The Servant James C. Hunter
The Servant

Authority Quotes

A leader - whether in the home, church, business, community, or government - has authority due to her role, but her positional power will not bring about good for individuals or organizations unless it is backed up by the capital of character.Leading with a Limp Dan B. Allender
Leading with a Limp
Authority: The skill of getting people to willingly do your will, because of your personal influence.The Servant James C. Hunter
The Servant
People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.John C. Maxwell
You have to perform at a consistently higher level than others. That’s the mark of a true professional.Joe Paterno

Challenges Quotes

Grace. Loss. Fortune. Hardship. Victory. Sometimes the worst seat is best seat in the house and it comes as a result of leading.Leading with a Limp Dan B. Allender
Leading with a Limp
Adversity, under servant leaders, provides room for all to grow and learn from their experiences.The Art of Servant Leadership Dr. Tony Baron
The Art of Servant Leadership
…even darkness must pass. A new day will come, and when the sun shines it’ll shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you, that meant something even if you were too small to understand why. But I think Mr. Frodo, I do understand, I know now folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t. They kept going because they were holding on to something.Samwell Gamgee
Lord of the Rings
A rut... is little more than a coffin with the ends kicked out.The Servant James C. Hunter
The Servant
…most leaders get sucked down into the weeds and they spend too much of their valuable time majoring in the minors.Michael Hyatt
I think we're living in a time when size is not a strategic advantage, necessarily.Vanderbilt University Interview Michael Hyatt
Vanderbilt University Interview
Either we heal now, as a team, or we will die as individuals.Any Given Sunday Al Pacino
Any Given Sunday
The will to win is important, but the will to prepare is vital.Joe Paterno
When you want to hurry something, that means you no longer care about it and want to get on to other things.Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance Robert M. Pirsig
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world, the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself; therefore, all progress depends upon the unreasonable man.The Servant George Shaw
The Servant

Character Quotes

True heroism is remarkably sober. Very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.Jay Paterno Arthur Ashe
Jay Paterno
When individuals doubt the integrity of one another, and are highly suspicious of each other's motives, a quality, mutual relationship is impossible.The Art of Servant Leadership Dr. Tony Baron
The Art of Servant Leadership
....it’s easier to hold to your principles 100% of the time than it is to hold to them 98% of the time.Clayton M. Christensen
hbr.org/2010/07/how-will-you-measure-your-life/ar/4
Trust is a function of two things: character and competence. Character includes your integrity, your motive and your intent with people. Competence includes your capabilities, your skills, and your track record. Both are vital.Speed of Trust Stephen M. R. Covey
Speed of Trust
Character is the glue that bonds solid and meaningful relationshipsThe Mentor Leader Tony Dungy
The Mentor Leader
Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny.Ralph Waldo Emerson
For individuals, character is destiny. For organizations, culture is destiny.Delivering Happiness Tony Hsieh
Delivering Happiness
Leadership is not about personality, possessions, or charisma, but all about who you are as a person. I used to believe that leadership was about style but now I know that leadership is about substance, namely character.The Servant James C. Hunter
The Servant
Besides pride, loyalty, discipline, heart, and mind, confidence is the key to all the locks.Joe Paterno

Courage Quotes

Courage never takes away fear; courage simply redistributes fear to get the job done.Leading with a Limp Dan B. Allender
Leading with a Limp
Courage is fear that has said its prayers.Leading with a Limp Anne Lamott
Leading with a Limp
A warrior's not about perfection, or victory, or invulnerability. He's about absolute invulnerability. That's the only true courage.Peaceful Warrior Nick Nolte
Peaceful Warrior

Culture Quotes

The fundamental keys to the culture of any organization can only be achieved when everyone is on the same page.The Mentor Leader Tony Dungy
The Mentor Leader
The brand is just a lagging indicator of a company's culture.Delivering Happiness Tony Hsieh
Delivering Happiness

Decisions Quotes

De-cide. Homo-cide. Sui-cide. Patri-cide. The root word Decidere means to "to cut off".Leading with a Limp Dan B. Allender
Leading with a Limp

Empowerment Quotes

Empowerment is not about "I take some of my power and give it to you". That's the myth.Practicing Servant Leadership James A. Autry
Practicing Servant Leadership
The best minute you spend is the one you invest in people.Ken Blanchard

Fear Quotes

Forgiveness Quotes

Forgiving behavior is dealing with situations as they arise in an assertive manner and then letting go of any lingering resentment. As the leader, if you are not able to let go of the resentment, it will consume you and render you ineffective.The Servant James C. Hunter
The Servant

Humility Quotes

For most leaders, humility comes only by wounds suffered from foolish falls.Leading with a Limp Dan B. Allender
Leading with a Limp
I learned that if you can retain the feeling of what it feels like to be a "have not" in a society of "haves", to be down in the hierarchy, you can carry that with you into leadership positions.Practicing Servant Leadership James A. Autry
Practicing Servant Leadership
Too many leaders act as if the sheep... their people... are there for the benefit of the shepherd, not that the shepherd has responsibility for the sheep.kKen Blanchard
Generally, you can be humble only if you feel really good about yourself—and you want to help those around you feel really good about themselves, too.Clayton M. Christensen
hbr.org/2010/07/how-will-you-measure-your-life/ar/5
We also decided that humility was defined not by self-deprecating behavior or attitudes but by the esteem with which you regard others.hbr.org/2010/07/how-will-you-measure-your-life/ar/5 Clayton M. Christensen
hbr.org/2010/07/how-will-you-measure-your-life/ar/5
I must follow the people. Am I not their leader?Benjamin Disraeli
We are all important, but we are not indispensable.The Mentor Leader Tony Dungy
The Mentor Leader
You shouldn't take pride in your natural talents any more than you should take pride in your sex, your race or color of your hair.Now, Discover Your Strengths Tony Hsieh
Now, Discover Your Strengths
Who then is the greatest leader? The one who has served the most.The Servant James C. Hunter
The Servant
Your early successes can be your undoing later.Vanderbilt University Interview Michael Hyatt
Vanderbilt University Interview
The name on the front of the jersey is what really matters, not the name on the back.Joe Paterno

Joy Quotes

Leadership (General) Quotes

Your men love you. If I knew nothing else about you, that would be enough.A Knight's Tale Colville
A Knight's Tale
...you cannot separate the health of the individual from the health of the community and of society.Dr. Patch Adams
Our craving for success without significance has made power the modern idolatry of our times.The Art of Servant Leadership Dr. Tony Baron
The Art of Servant Leadership
The power appetite of leaders today, ones that are self-serving, is leading to the demise of our great nation, of great companies, and of great individuals.The Art of Servant Leadership Art Barter
The Art of Servant Leadership
If you're truly obsessed over customers, it'll cover a lot of errors.Delivering Happiness Jeff Bezos
Delivering Happiness
In the past a leader was a boss. Today's leaders must be partners with their people... they no longer can lead solely based on positional power.Ken Blanchard
Doing deals doesn’t yield the deep rewards that come from building up people.Clayton M. Christensen
hbr.org/2010/07/how-will-you-measure-your-life/ar/2
Who really benefits from discouragement? More often than not, encouragement is exactly what is needed.The Mentor Leader Tony Dungy
The Mentor Leader
The high destiny of the individual is to serve rather than rule.Albert Einstein
...the best leaders are servant leaders - they serve those they lead.Delivering Happiness Tony Hsieh
Delivering Happiness
You manage things, you lead people.The Servant James C. Hunter
The Servant
Part of the role of a thought leader is not to necessarily have all the answers - I certainly don't - but it's to be able to ask the right questions and the privilege of being able to lead the conversation.Vanderbilt University Interview Michael Hyatt
Vanderbilt University Interview
The companies that are successful, they start out to make meaning, not to make money.TiECon 2006 Guy Kawasaki
TiECon 2006
Servant leadership is the only real form of leadership. After all, if you're not serving others, you are self-serving and that is not leadership.Ben Lichtenwalner
Paradigm Flip
This is a service station, we offer service. There is no higher purpose.Peaceful Warrior Nick Nolte
Peaceful Warrior
The goal of many leaders is to get people to think more highly of the leader. The goal of a great leader is to help people to think more highly of themselves.J. Carla Nortcutt
We are here to add what we can to, not get what we can from life.Sir William Osler
Servant-leadership is more than a concept, it is a fact. Any great leader, by which I also mean an ethical leader of any group, will see herself or himself as a servant of that group and will act accordingly.M. Scott Peck

Motivation Quotes

Rarely does anyone change because of information sent to the head. But if you can reach down fifteen inches to the heart of a person, then it becomes a mandate, a mission, and a cause that builds momentum.The Art of Servant Leadership Dr. Tony Baron
The Art of Servant Leadership
It's easy to lose sight of the ultimate goal when you're in the trenches.The Mentor Leader Tony Dungy
The Mentor Leader
Is the life you're leading worth the price your paying to lead it?The Way We're Working Isn't Working Tony Dungy
The Way We're Working Isn't Working
I made a list of the happiest periods of my life & I realized that none of them involve money.Delivering Happiness Tony Hsieh
Delivering Happiness
(A manager) once confided in me she liked to picture in her mind's eye that every employee was wearing one of those sandwich billboard signs. On the front side, the sign would read 'Appreciate Me' and on the back side 'Make Me Feel Important.'The Servant James C. Hunter
The Servant
The mercenaries will always beat the draftees, but the volunteers will crush them both.The Mentor Leader Chuck Knolw
The Mentor Leader

Passion Quotes

I had decided to stop chasing the money & start chasing the passion.Delivering Happiness Tony Hsieh
Delivering Happiness

Politics Quotes

Power Quotes

The measure of a man is what he does with power.Pitacus
A reluctant leader is highly suspicious of people who work to accumulate and hoard power.Leading with a Limp Dan B. Allender
Leading with a Limp
Empowerment is not about "I take some of my power and give it to you". That's the myth.Practicing Servant Leadership James A. Autry
Practicing Servant Leadership
The best minute you spend is the one you invest in people.Ken Blanchard
A person who is worthy of being a leader wants power not for himself, but in order to be of service.Sam J. Ervin, Jr.
Power: The ability to force or coerce someone to do your will, even if they would choose not to, because of your position or your might.The Servant James C. Hunter
The Servant

Pride Quotes

Never let your ambition surpass your moral compass.Practicing Servant Leadership Warren Bennis
Practicing Servant Leadership
The more I break down my pride and ego, the more joy I have in life.The Servant James C. Hunter
The Servant

Religion Quotes

Each of you has been blessed with one of Gods wonderful gifts to be used in the service of others. So use your gift well.Bible 1 Peter 4:10
Bible
It is God's design to use reluctant servants to usher in glory.Leading with a Limp Dan B. Allender
Leading with a Limp
I’ve concluded that the metric by which God will assess my life isn’t dollars but the individual people whose lives I’ve touched.Clayton M. Christensen
hbr.org/2010/07/how-will-you-measure-your-life/ar/5
I realized that I needed to be more like the shepherd than the hired hand in protecting my team.The Mentor Leader Tony Dungy
The Mentor Leader
A leader lives with people to know their problems. A leader lives with God in order to solve them.John C. Maxwell

Sacrifice Quotes

Servant Leadership Quotes

Our top-down pyramid style of management is a very old concept borrowed from centuries of war and monarchies.The Servant James C. Hunter
The Servant
Servant leadership is the only real form of leadership. After all, if you're not serving others, you are self-serving and that is not leadership.Ben Lichtenwalner
Paradigm Flip

Success Quotes

It is the employees who determine a company's success or failure.The Art of Servant Leadership Dr. Tony Baron
The Art of Servant Leadership
Few people are successful unless other people want them to be.Charlie Brown
There is no success without a successor.Peter Drucker
We all know that the time spent is not necessarily an indicator of success.The Mentor Leader Tony Dungy
The Mentor Leader
When a team outgrows individual performance and learns team confidence, excellence becomes a reality.Joe Paterno

Technology Quotes

In the age of Twitter and Facebook, everyone has a megaphone.MichaelHyatt.com Michael Hyatt
MichaelHyatt.com
As the CEO, one of my main jobs is to get visibility for Thomas Nelson and I don't know of an easier, better way to do it, with greater leverage, than with Social Media.Vanderbilt University Interview Michael Hyatt
Vanderbilt University Interview

Toxic Leadership Quotes

Our craving for success without significance has made power the modern idolatry of our times.The Art of Servant Leadership Dr. Tony Baron
The Art of Servant Leadership
The power appetite of leaders today, ones that are self-serving, is leading to the demise of our great nation, of great companies, and of great individuals.The Art of Servant Leadership Art Barter
The Art of Servant Leadership
Who really benefits from discouragement? More often than not, encouragement is exactly what is needed.The Mentor Leader Tony Dungy
The Mentor Leader
A seagull manager is one who periodically flies into the area, makes a lot of noise, dumps on the people, maybe eats their lunch, and flies away.The Servant James C. Hunter
The Servant

Transparency Quotes

Project authenticity and vulnerability, be present, be accepting, and see your role as being useful, as being the servant.Practicing Servant Leadership James A. Autry
Practicing Servant Leadership
Servant leadership teaches us that you have to lay your cards on the table.Practicing Servant Leadership Warren Bennis
Practicing Servant Leadership
The best way to deal in a transparent world is just be transparent. Let your life be authentic and let people look in. Because if they want to find out, they're gonna find out. And so to me it's given me a greater sense of accountability as a CEO. It's given me a greater opportunity to lead.Vanderbilt University Interview Michael Hyatt
Vanderbilt University Interview
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