22 Quotes to Inspire Leaders in the New Year (Part 2)

By Linda Fisher Thornton

This series includes 22 quotes (linked to posts with leadership guidance) to inspire you and help you improve your leader development as we head into the new year. Part 1 included the first 11. Here are 11 more:

“Difference-making doesn’t just happen in big moments. It’s in the thousands of small impacts you have on individual people who learn from your perspective and then go on to influence their organizations, friends and families. Each encounter generates a positive ripple. All of the positive ripples you generate slowly build momentum over time.“

“At its best, leadership development is not an “event.” It’s a capacity-building endeavor. It’s a process of human growth and development.“

“To be most effective, ethical leader development should include these high-level connected elements: ethical awareness, ethical (global) mindset, ethical thinking and decision making, ethical interpersonal behavior, and applying ethics to daily leadership choices.“

“When we see a paradox, there’s often a piece of information that we don’t have that would explain it. If we latch on to one side or the other of the contradiction as “true,” we may fall into the kind of narrow thinking that contributes to conflict and confrontation.”

“Strategy that doesn’t align with ethical values is short-termism and today’s consumers know it when they see it.”

“Employers who are using stretch goals to motivate employees to higher levels of performance need to take note of the ethical risk. If the push for higher performance doesn’t come with an emphasis on ethical behavior, it may be encouraging cheating.”

“Reaching a desired destination according to an expected timetable isn’t what gives us a sense that we have a meaningful life. It’s the journey itself. Using our abilities in service to others. Chasing the elusive “best we can be” as the world expects more and we race to keep up.”

“The journey to authentic leadership is a long-term quest to grow into the best version of ourselves, and along the way we can use what we’ve learned to help others do the same.”

“What does it feel like to lead right now? It feels like walking across a tightrope between skyscrapers without a net, and the pandemic has added additional life and death decision-making to the mix.”

“Values shape your life, leadership, career and relationships. If you are currently going through life without knowing what your values are, you’re missing out on a powerful force for good that can offer a turbo-charged boost to propel you to where you want to go.”

“This ‘human attention power grab’ is a powerful force that is pulling our attention away from our intentions, our goals, and sometimes even our values.”

As 2022 approaches, this is the right time to have important conversations about values. A grounding in ethical values will help leaders successfully navigate the inevitable challenges the new year will bring.