Sample Proverbs

Here are some samples from Leadership Proverbs which contains over 900 original proverbs plus a number of appendicies with added resources.

 

  • Proverb 1:28  The strength of leaders is not in how much power they possess but how many leaders they have empowered. It’s not power gained but power given that makes a long term impact.
  • Proverb 2:24  Visionary leaders have over-the-horizon radar. They predict what others think is unpredictable.
  • Proverb 2:6  Know where you want to go; figure how to get there; take others with you. 
  • Proverb 2:11  Set goals. Set policy fences, and set your team loose inside the latter to accomplish the former.
  • Proverb 2:12  If you grip the controls too tightly, you will drive right over creativity and right by opportunity.
  • Proverb 2:14  Be predictable in your attitude, discipline and expectations. Be unpredictable in the ways you care for your staff and express appreciation.
  • Proverb 2:18  You can’t cure disloyalty. It is a gangrene that will kill your team. It has to be amputated.
  • Proverb 3:11  If you don’t read, you’re unlikely to succeed. You’re either getting smarter or you’re getting dumber.
  • Proverb 3:13  Convince your staff that they are going to be the best and you won’t have to worry about driving them, just keeping up.
  • Proverb 3:14  Money is like food: too much or too little of it is dangerous to your team’s health.
  • Proverb 4:17  Give the credit away and you will become credit worthy.
  • Proverb 5:11   Lead through influence not by intimidation. You can force people to obey but you can’t force them to stay.
  • Proverb 6:12  Tough stuff just gets tougher the longer you delay.
  • Proverb 6:13  Managers tweak the system. Leaders transform the system.
  • Proverb 6:14  Lead to serve; serve to lead.
  • Proverb 8:14  Evaluate everything. Determine how you can improve it, maintain it, or remove it.
  • Proverb 9:11  If you not a little scared at least some of the time, you aren’t taking enough risks.
  • Proverb 9:17  If you leave the leadership light on too bright for too long, it is prone to sudden burnout.
  • Proverb 10:27  Be winsome, especially when you win.
  • Proverb 13:29  If you push people too hard, you will run right over them; but they will thrive if you get out in front and pull them with your example, charisma, and vision.
  • Proverb 17:2  Take some time to let your mind unwind. Even the best clocks fail if the spring is wound too tight.
  • Proverb 21:7  Getting the best out of people requires putting your best into them.
  • Proverb 25:24  Humor is a big gun leadership tool, especially when you aim at yourself.
  • Proverb 27:25  A leader is very contagious. When they catch a vision, they inoculate others with the same infection.
  • Proverb 28:1  If you have people around you that want you to fail, you have lead soles on your
    running shoes.
  • Prover 30:31  It’s not how you start but how you finish that counts and will be remembered
  • Appendix C  NEVER ASSUME that your team will “buy in” to a decision if they did not have a chance to “weigh into” the decision.
  • Appendix C  NEVER ASSUME that because you “fixed a problem” that it will not require your attention down the road.
  • Appendix D  A good leader is like a great orchestra conductor. He can draw a virtuoso performance out of every player and still maintain harmony.
  • Appendix D  A good leader is like a quarterback. He knows that if he doesn’t hand off or pass well, others can’t contribute their talents to the game.
  • Appendix E  A Servant Leader is willing to demonstrate by example without drawing attention to himself.
  • Appendix E  A Servant Leader is willing to shoulder a significant portion of the load without carrying a chip on his shoulder.