As an author, the question, “May I quote you?” is a humbling request and a great compliment. For anyone who is in search of leadership excellence a good quote is fuel for your team and your journey. It’s amazing how a short, simple quotation can quickly provide perspective, inspiration, comfort, motivation or insight. What a wonderful return for our invested time--take 10 seconds each morning to read a new quote and our day, maybe even our world, is changed.

I wanted to share a few of my favorite leadership quotes:

•    “To add value to others, one must first value others.” - John Maxwell
•    “A company is stronger if it is bound by love rather than by fear.” - Herb Kelleher
•    “In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But, in practice, there is.” - Yogi Berra
•    "Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude." - Thomas Jefferson
•     “Those who let things happen usually lose to those who make things happen.” - Dave Weinbaum
•    “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”  - Winston Churchill
•    “In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.” - Theodore Roosevelt

And a few of my own leadership quotes to add...

•    Leadership is about others, not ourselves.
•    Leaders who give the best of themselves get the best from others.
•    If you do not take care of the little things over the long term, you won’t take care of the big things.
•    Leaders who underestimate the intelligence of their employees generally overestimate their own.
•    Great leaders appreciate their employees, not just their contributions.
•    Don’t worry about leaving your leadership legacy. Just live it.