Bill Kurtis Quotes

Leaders get out in front and stay there by raising the standards by which they judge themselves - and by which they are willing to be judged.

The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves.

If you draw [red] lines and then don't respect them, you diminish your credibility.

Trust is a big word for a manager. You expect certain standards and attitudes and they know if they lower those standards, I'll jump on them.

When you find yourself in a position of leadership, people follow your every move … When the leader talks, people listen. When the leader acts, people watch. So you have to be careful about everything you say and everything you do

The pressure of time, is the overwhelming challenge for policymakers who must act on assessments that cannot be proved at the time and whose mistakes are irretrievable.

If I'm the MVP of the NFL, and I lose a game and go to a press conference and walk out of it, that's not the example I want to set for people.

You're under tremendous pressure, and everyone needs you to be perfect all the time, and that often creates a perverse incentive to not tell the truth. Please remember - when you get caught not telling the truth, it's over.

You need to perform consistently, and if you're raising the standard, you have to stand by it. You have to keep on doing well.

Never ask your employees to do something you wouldn't be willing to do yourself.

I try to be the best that I can be and the best to the people that work for me.

Words must be matched by action if change is to become lasting.

That's the true meaning of being a leader: being able to deal with the consequences and take the responsibility for it. That's who I want to be.

I've played for managers who said one thing and did another and players find you out like that. You've got to trust them and they've got to trust you.

Just in terms of the demeanor and the approach and just making sure that I'm consistent in the way I do things - that is the biggest thing for me.

I am humble enough to understand there are many people who know much more than I do on many subjects, so I listen to them. Integrity is also critical to leadership, so I believe there must always be alignment between what you think, say, and do.

When I met Mourinho, I was still very young, but mentally and tactically, he worked on me. He was really demanding: you could not take a step below your level.

Captains need to lead well and play within the laws of the game. There cannot be any compromise on that count.

For me it was just about staying the course, staying true to who I believe that I am, being open, being honest, being transparent with the players, being firm with the players but at the same time listening to the players.

He is so true to himself, and so good to other people. Even during tough conversations, I have never worried about him. Because I know Dwane Casey is going to come back tomorrow to try to be better, and I feel the same way. I try to be better, and so I try to be like him that way.

If your best players are taking a shortcut, they're going to have problems holding everyone else accountable and responsible.

That's something I've prided myself on: doing exactly what I tell people when I'm running.

A leader can't pick and choose when he wants to lead.

I have to just come to work every single day. That's not just on the field but off the field, because you have little kids looking up to you; your face is the face of this franchise and this university. You have to understand that every decision that you make is going to be criticized.

There was one director who crossed the line. I scolded him so much that he later never tried anything.