Quotable quotes from John Maxwell on his book Developing the leader within You

• Leadership is developed, not discovered. The truly "born leader" will always emerge; but to stay on top, natural leadership characteristics must be developed.
• Management is the process of assuring that the program and objectives of the organization are implemented. Leadership, on the other hand, has to do with casting of vision and motivating people.
• He who thinketh he leadeth and hath no one following him is only taking a walk... Leadership is the ability to obtain followers.
• Real leadership is more than having authority; it is more than having the technical training and following tha proper procedures. Real leadership is being the person others will gladly and confidently follow.
• When the leader lacks confidence, the followers will lack commitment.
• People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. Leadership begins with the heart, not the head.
• You can love people without without leading them, but you cannot lead people without leading them.
• A leader is great, not beacuse of his or her power, but beacuse of his or her ability to empower others. Success without a successor is a failure.
• The measure of a man's real character is what he would do if he would never be found out. - Thomas Macauley
• We cannot lead anyone else further than we have been ourselves.
• You play like you practice.
• there is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct or more uncertain in its success than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things. - Niccolo Machiavelli
• The more you change, the more you become an instrument oif change in the lives of others. If you want to become a change agent, you also must change.
• Not all change is improvement but without change there can be no improvement.
• We all have problems... People need to change their perspectives, not their problems.
• Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.
• ...Man are developed the same way gold is mined. When the gold is mined, several tones of dirt must be moved to get an ounce of gold, but doesn't go into the mine looking for dirt. One goes in looking for gold.
• Keep in mind the difference between a winner's and loser's mentality. Winners focus on winning big - not just how to win but how to win big. Losers, however, don't focus on losing; they just focus on getting by.
• My definition of success is Knowing God and his desire foir me; Growing to my maximum potential and sowing seeds that benefit others.
• In reading the lives of great men, I found that the first victory they won was over themselves... Self-discipline with all of them came first.
• Be responsible for what you have received. "Everyone to whom is given, much is required." (Luke 12:48)
• The unexamined life is not worth living. -Plato
• Success depends not merely on how well you do things you enjoy, but how consistently you perform those duties you don't.
• Outstanding leaders go out of the way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it's amazing what they ca accomplish.
• Eagles don't flock. You have to find them one at a time.
• Hire a person if it looks good and feels good.
• team building involves getting the members to feel a sense of ownership in what they are doing as a group. When the group has done well, it is important to praise the entire effort without singling out individuals.
• Continued success is a result of continued improvement.
• The growth and develpoment of people is the highest calling of leadership.