Food for thoughts. They are often needed to keep us going, especially in the entrepreneurial journey. And so, we gathered some leadership quotes – either new nuggets of wisdom or familiar motivational pieces you have encountered before – which will help you move forward when things become rough.
Let’s start with some motivational lines that have inspired some of our EO members.
Aaron Smith, Founder of KX Pilates, finds entrepreneur Jim Rohn’s quote something helpful to his journey, which is “Care more about your customers than you do about the money you make from them, and you will be successful.”
On the other hand, Meirav Ambar, Partner at Trendtrade International, learned an important insight from her experience. “There is no such thing as a journey (especially a disruptive one) without failures – both professional and personal failures. As long as you learn from them, you are fine. (I am still working on accepting that.)”
“Be firm, but fair.” Many have probably said this line, but it is something that Lauren Staley, Managing Director of Infolio Property Advisors, has found useful and helpful to her leadership journey.
For Malcolm Bean, Director at Beanmkrgy, he holds on to two guiding statements, both of which pertains more to team composition: "It's all about the people - with the right people on board, you can go anywhere" and "You get the staff you deserve."
“The secret of leadership is simple: Do what you believe in. Paint a picture of the future. Go there. People will follow.”
- Seth Godin
Rahul Kale, Director at Sunpower Renewables, shares three inspirational quotes. The first one is “The secret of leadership is simple: Do what you believe in. Paint a picture of the future. Go there. People will follow” by Seth Godin. According to Rahul, “leaders that are entrepreneurs must first dare to dream. Yes, this must be backed up with significant and focused action, but they must be willing to create alternate realities that do not currently exist or are relatively uncommon. And for that, they must be dreamers.”
Another quote that keeps him motivated is Barbara Corcoran’s “My best success came on the heels of failures.” Rahul explained why he finds this inspiring, “Invariably, most Leaders in this space are relentless with their focus, discipline, drive, energy and ultimately faith in what they set out to accomplish. I have never met an entrepreneur who has not faced disappointment or failure in his/her career, but they don’t quit. Many have endured those instances multiple times, but they never let it faze them. It is an opportunity to return to the drawing board to re-strategise, examine or change course. It is an area I am proud to be a part of because I witness regularly how we use failure for what it's good for – a teacher to guide you onto your next achievement.”
Lastly, he finds Lisa Haisa’s quote very encouraging: “Great leaders don’t set out to be a leader…. they set out to make a difference. It's never about the role – always about the goal.” Rahul shared, “Our entrepreneurial journey started by wanting to make a difference - to provide energy independence and replace traditional fossil fuel consuming energy generators with clean, green, technically advanced, and economically cheaper renewable energy alternatives. Today, we have been recognized as one of Australia’s Most Innovative Companies. We wanted to create an alternative for a better future; being a leader just happened along the way.”
Other popular leadership quotes that you might find helpful in your growth as an entrepreneur are as follows:
"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.” —Jack Welch
"To add value to others, one must first value others." - John Maxwell
“A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a moulder of consensus.” - Martin Luther King Jr
"One of the tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency." - Arnold Glasow
“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.” - Rosalynn Carter
"Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality." - Warren G. Bennis
“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” - Steve Jobs
“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.” - Douglas MacArthur
“Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision.” - Peter F. Drucker
"The price of greatness is responsibility." - Winston Churchill
“Effective leadership is putting first things first. Effective management is discipline, carrying it out.” - Stephen Covey
The best way to make good use of these quotes is to place your favourite ones somewhere where you can always see them – to remind you every day of why you’re on this path in the first place and push you forward to achieving your goals.
Share with us some of the quotes that have helped you keep going on your entrepreneurial journey.