George Papandreou Quotes

A good cult delivers on its promises. A good cult nourishes the needs of its members, has transparency and integrity, and creates provisions for challenging its leadership openly. A good cult expands the freedoms and well-being of its members rather than limits them.

I often ask people what I did wrong in the last meeting, because then others feel they have permission to own their mistakes, too.

Something as simple as transparency is really scalable because it quickly impacts the culture. And the culture is something everyone feels. If upper management is really transparent with everyone, that has this amplifying effect. Then you tend to attract players who operate that way, on the same wavelength, and coaches and fans.

Climbing has worked for me in a number of ways on Capitol Hill. I'm much more inclined to look at what people do, as opposed to what they say. Also, it's about working together - we're all on the rope together, and you don't get to cut the rope if you're not getting along with someone.

I find that when you open the door toward openness and transparency, a lot of people will follow you through.

I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts.

You've got to have confidence and trust in your cast. You have to have confidence and trust in your director, in your editor. It's such a team effort; I really think you have to pull yourself out of it and just trust. I think the number one thing you can do is just trust everyone around you.

I trust the people who are working with me. I delegate.

Truth is the glue that holds government together. Compromise is the oil that makes governments go.

You need to set a tone at the top that inspires trust - and encourages open and honest 2-way communication. So you hear the brutal facts, and you listen to the good news and the bad news - so that, in the spirit of continuous improvement, you can make changes.

Sometimes you just have to be willing to delegate and not feel like you're the only one with the answer.

Throughout his presidency, my grandfather made it clear that he alone could fix nothing; that he alone had no answers. He had the courage to plainly admit America's shortcomings, to then lay out bold plans to address those problems and to ask his fellow Americans for help in solving them.

Without trust, you cannot do anything.

Without trust, no organization can sustain innovation because without trust, no one is willing to take the risks that innovation requires.

Part of the role that I am fulfilling as Governor General is to highlight what communities can do together.

I think governance is about giving people an opportunity to engage with you on subjects that you are responsible for, believing in people's capacity to deliver, and allowing them that platform plus project their work.

We came together [with King Hussein of Jordan] because of a shared sense of idealism, of the value of service to a community far greater than ourselves, and the conviction that each and everyone of us can meaningfully contribute to solving even the most seemingly intractable problems.

Trust gives you the permission to give people direction, get everyone aligned, and give them the energy to go get the job done. Trust enables you to execute with excellence and produce extraordinary results. As you execute with excellence and deliver on your commitments, trust becomes easier to inspire, creating a flywheel of performance.

There are actually very few US politicians who have integrity and vision.

Good ideas are the backbone of good government.

Trust is a core currency of any relationship. Sometimes our need to control and micromanage everything erodes our confidence in ourselves and others. The truth: People are much more capable than we think. A hearty dose of trust is often what's needed to unlock the magic. Go ahead, have faith.

If the employees fundamentally trust the C.E.O., then communications will be vastly more efficient than if they don't. Telling things as they are is a critical part of building this trust.

We have got to stop worrying about being loved and start worrying about being respected. And that's exactly how I'll lead our country.

Honor bespeaks worth. Confidence begets trust. Service brings satisfaction. Cooperation proves the quality of leadership.

I've learned that people will seldom let you down if they understand that your destiny is in their hands, and vice versa.