Ossie Davis Quotes

Dad was an outstanding leader. He'd bring in top thinkers from a wide array of fields - how to fix the Detroit schools, for example. I watched him in these meetings. He listened and probed.

I'm all for ambition and stretch goals. I set them for myself. But leadership isn't the same as cheerleading. Believing in something is a necessary but absolutely insufficient condition for making it come true.

Effective management always means asking the right question.

I work strategically with my management team to make all decisions.

Well, what the hell is the Presidency for?

Legislation is a matter of more or less intelligent improvisation aiming at palliating conditions by means of patchwork policies.

Governing is about making tough decisions, but it's also about figuring out a better way to do things.

The essence of leadership is essentially taking the responsibility of trying to interpret the future to the present.

You have to have an idea of what you need to do, what needs to be fixed, what can be improved, what we should now imagine together which we didn't previously imagine. And having thought of it, decide to go it. And that's the government's role.

Leaders have to see past problems to solutions, and my mother excelled at just that.

If you ever have a question or a problem, if you approach Triple H, he might say the most-obvious thing, but it was the last thing you were thinking. As soon as he says it, you're thinking, 'Oh my, why didn't I think of that?' He's very smart, and we're very lucky to have him at our disposal in NXT.

Without wanting to sound pompous or clever it is down to me to make decisions on behalf of the side to give it the best chance of being successful.

As a mayor, my instinct is to really think about how to get something done and not to make the promise unless you have some view of the pathway. You don't have to have it all figured out, but you have to have a pathway there.

I have to put my team in a good situation.

Let us not confuse objectives with methods. Too many so-called leaders of the nation fail to see the forest because of the trees. Too many of them fail to recognize the vital necessity of planning for definite objectives. True leadership calls for the setting forth of the objectives and the rallying of public opinion in support of these objectives.

A good leader remains focused. Controlling your destination is better than being controlled by it

Leadership is solving problems.

Leaders make decisions that create the future they desire.

A team of giants needs giant pitchers who throw good ideas but every pitcher needs an outstanding catcher. Without giant catchers, the ideas of the giant pitchers may eventually disappear.

Where there is no uncertainty, there is no longer the need for leadership. The greater the uncertainty, the greater the need for leadership. Your capacity as a leader will be determined by how well you learn to deal with uncertainty.

Great leaders don't rush to blame. They instinctively look for solutions.

I've been fortunate to work with some really smart people. Larry Page is an extremely smart guy, most probably one of the smartest people I've worked with.

The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why.

There is no real magic to being a good leader. But at the end of every week, you have to spend your time around the things that are really important: setting priorities, measuring outcomes, and rewarding them.

One of the things Mr. Kennedy taught me was that in laying out a new project, you shouldn't try to cope with every little problem.