Tommy Lasorda Quotes

I believe managing is like holding a dove in your hand. If you hold it too tightly you kill it, but if you hold it too loosely, you lose it.

I let the coach do his job.

The great irony of management is that the higher up you go, the less actual control you have. When you are but a humble coder, you make the computer do exactly what you want; when you're a manager, you only hope that people understand what you want, and then trust/pray that they do it both correctly and in a timely manner.

I believe in delegating power.

Leadership and partnership go together.

You are on the ground. You see the needs of the situation, and I shall back up whatever you do.

My manager has been my manager since I was 17, and he says that he's supposed to be smart for me when I can't do it for myself.

I'm a leader.

Big people take care of little people; we must live up to that trust.

Never delegate. Always empower.

Leadership is not about being in charge. Leadership is about taking care of those in your charge.

Love never offers to anyone wings so easy that he does not hold him back with his other hand.

Be the chief but never the lord.

Gotta watch out for directors.

David Bruce, I think, is one of the outstanding persons for whom I've ever worked. He had a sense of balance. He was interested in everything that went on in the Embassy. He delegated authority, but at the same time when you needed the Ambassador's help on anything, you could go to him, and he would immediately respond.

Being a leader doesn't mean you are the guy who runs things.

If you're a quarterback, you want everything on your shoulders. You want to be the one to make the decisions.

When you want a thing done, 'Don't do it yourself' is a good motto for Scoutmasters.

To be honest, the fact that people trust you gives you a lot of power over people. Having another person's trust is more powerful than all other management techniques put together.

A lot of us have jobs where we need to give people structure but that is different from controlling.

So I still seized the power, but I felt that if I officially made myself the boss, in black and white, it would be too intimidating for the other producers and the other men who worked on the show. In other words, I had the power, but I gave them the title.

You always hear about delegation, but people make the mistake of delegating and not following up. I give authority, but I stay in touch. Otherwise it doesn't work.

The eye of the master will do more work than both his hands.

People look for their leadership to lead.

Leadership is a matter of having people look at you and gain confidence, seeing how you react. If you're in control, they're in control.