Learning Leadership

Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr Day.

Last year in honor of Dr. King I posted several of my favorite quotes from him. Today I would like to take a break from my blog series, "What I Learned in 2011" to share with you those quotes again. 

Here are the quotes along with a little bit of commentary.

Martin Luther King was a leader who didn't need a formal position to lead.  He led a movement of people passionate about a cause, and he did that with integrity and influence.

Photo credit, The US National Archives

This past year I read the book titled, Martin Luther King on Leadership by Donald Phillips.  It's a pretty good book that tells the biography of MLK while highlighting his leadership influence and principles. The most amazing thing I learned is that MLK was depressed at times. And several other times he considered quiting the Civil Rights Movement.

The stress, pressure, and unsafety he experienced really wore him down. Even though he was extremely passionate about the Civil Rights Movement, he almost gave it all up.  However, millions of people are grateful today that he didn't. And I believe our country is better because of what he did and the movement he led.

To honor Martin Luther King, Jr. on his birthday, I'd like to share with you some of my favorite leadership quotes from him. 

Enjoy. . . 

Even if the world ends tomorrow, I will plant my seed today.

A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.¹

All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.¹

At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love.¹

Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.¹

Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see.¹

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.<sup>2

1</sup> Adapted from brainyquote.com
² Adapted from inspirational-quotes.info 

Don't Let Others Take You Down

"If you can't pickup the people in your life, don't let them take you down." - Les Brown

Quotes from Greg Mortenson

Last year my girlfriend and I were extremely grateful to see Greg Mortenson speak in Modesto, CA.

There has been some controversy about Mr. Mortensons's charity activity and how it is structured. My view on those things is that anyone from the outside can make assumptions and publish an article. I am not sure if the assumptions are true and I honestly do not care. My experience working in charity is that everyone wants to serve and make a difference and Mr. Mortenson seems to be one of those people.

Greg Mortenson began his charity work with a heart to build schools for children. Since starting his work they have built hundreds of schools and raised millions of dollars. Anyone doing the amount of work Mr. Mortenson has accomplished must know and practice great leadership. In his talk I heard lots of great leadership quotes and a few pearls of wisdom. Some of the quotes were his own statements and some he was quoting from others. 

I am a studious note taker even in a dark auditorium, so while in his presentation I jotted down some key quotes he shared. 

"Listen more, be respectful."

"All of us have an innate desire to help people."

"All of us make mistakes and fail."

"When it is dark you can see the stars." - Chinese Proverb

"Do one good deed a day--make it a habit." - Mr. Mortenson's Grandmother

"To solve poverty, we have to touch poverty."

"We are only as strong as our weakest link."

"Even if the world ends tomorrow I will plant my seed today." - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Glean wisdom and knowledge from our elders."

Question: Have you read Mr. Mortenson's books or heard him speak? What has stood out to you? 

Quotes from my trip "Underground"

Back in July my girlfriend and I made a trip to Fresno, CA to visit the Foresiere Underground Gardens. The Underground Gardens were dug by Baldassare Forestiere (1879-1946) who created an amazing network of tunnels and underground living quarters.

While touring the facility, I jotted down some quotes that moved me.

As my Learning Leadership Blog readers, I believe you will also find them beneficial.

"To make something with a lot of money, that is easy, but to make something out of nothing; now that's something."

The visions in my mind overwhelm me."

"I saw the angel in the marble and carved it until I set it free." - Michelangelo

"The sweetest fruit is at the top of the tree."

Question: What is an important quote that means a lot to you? Please share in the comments section.

Quotes are Inspirational

If you are like me, you probably find great inspiration is quotes.

Not only do words inspire us, but when they are spoken from great men and women words carry deep meanings. This week I received a copy of a newly released book from Thomas Nelson titled, Billy Graham in Quotes. It's a great book that has many amazing quotes from Mr. Graham's lifetime of teaching and writing.

Here's my favorite thus far:

God wants to use you right where you are.
Every day you probably come in contact with people
who will never enter a church, or talk with a pastor, or open a Bible--
and God wants to use you to point them to Christ.
You may be the "bridge" God would use to bring them to Himself.

Question: What great person or specific quotes have made a significant difference in your life?

My Favorite Martin Luther King, Jr. Quotes

The past two years I have written blog posts to highlight Martin Luther King's birthday and his amazing leadership.

He was a leader who didn't need a formal position to lead.  He led a movement of people passionate about a cause, and he did that with integrity and influence.

This past year I read the book titled, Martin Luther King on Leadership by Donald Phillips.  It's a pretty good book that tells the biography of MLK while highlighting his leadership influence and principles.  The most amazing thing I learned is that MLK was depressed at times.  And several other times he considered quiting the Civil Rights Movement.

The stress, pressure, and unsafety he experienced really wore him down.  Even though he was extremely passionate about the Civil Rights Movement, he almost gave it all up.  However, millions of people are grateful today that he didn't.  And I believe our country is better because of what he did and the movement he led.

To honor Martin Luther King, Jr. on his birthday, I'd like to share with you some of my favorite leadership quotes from him.

Enjoy. . .

Even if the world ends tomorrow, I will plant my seed today.

A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.¹

All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.¹

At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love.¹

Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.¹

Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see.¹

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.<sup>2

1</sup> Adapted from brainyquote.com
² Adapted from inspirational-quotes.info

The beatings will continue until moral improves

A ship captain once uttered, "The beatings will continue until moral improves."  A friend of mine who owns a local car dealership shared this quote with me. 

Both of us are leaders working with people on a daily basis, so we found it to be pretty comical.  We found it comical because we know it's totally untrue, but often tried by leaders (and we've probably been guilty of it in the past too).

Sometimes leaders are pushing so hard to achieve that goal or see our vision be realized, that we will do anything to get there.  And when the people on our team (or in this case, sailors of a ship), don't come through, we have a tendency to beat them over the head a little bit more, thinking it will help them perform better.

When leading people, if you need to improve moral or improve productivity, the necessary steps doesn't include beating people over the head.  You've got to slow down, listen to the needs and cries of your people, then take action to support and serve them.

So when you're sailing ahead towards your vision or whatever else you're working on, don't continue the beatings until moral improves, take time to listen and act!

Two Leadership Quotes from Tiger Woods

We all have problems and issues.

Things we've done or are doing that we're not proud of. Every single one of us has problems, some are more severe than others.

I know there is a lot of talk going around about Tiger Woods right now. Too much in my opinion. The guy has a problem, did some terrible things (haven't we all did things we're not proud of), and he is now paying the price for those terrible things.

I wrote a worthy post about him a couple years ago which you can read here. Much of what I said there still holds true.

I listened to Tiger's statements today and found two key quotes in what he said:

"It's not what you achieve in life that matters, it's what you overcome."

Some things in life come easy. So it's not what you do, but it's the problems and obstacles that we must overcome to achieve them.

"I am the one who needs to change."

He took responsibility for his actions.

I realize there might not be a whole lot of substance and authority behind these statements, but I believe there is some truth to them both for leaders and golfers.

Quotes from my desk (part 4)

This is the final post in a four part series entitled, Quotes from my desk. I've shared with you four quotes that I see daily on my desk.

If you missed the other parts of this series, here's the links:

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3

Now,

For the final quote!

"As a leader, you'll find yourself doing what others have not done and going where others have not gone. In exchange, you must understand that you will make mistakes no one else can and feel pains no one else has." - Craig Groeschel

Wow, heavy stuff Craig.

Just to give you a background on Craig, he's the pastor of LifeChurch.tv. LifeChurch.tv is a new innovative way of doing ministry that's been a little controversial and challenged by many "traditional" church people.

So if anyone knows how it feels to "make mistakes no one else can and feel pains no one else has" it's Craig.

Sometimes as leaders we feel like we're the odd person out. Because of the vision we have for the future and what we want to do to serve, help people, or create, we are sometimes seen as "different."

The difficult part is often we're trying to lead people somewhere that they've never been before, but we've never been there either. So we're building the plane while it's in the air!

Especially if you're a leader working to do things that no one else has. You're embarking on something that very few people have done before.

Do you know what the reward is for paving a path that no one has gone down before? Now others can drive down that path.

Now that you've paved a path that no one else have previously ridden, others can easily follow your path.

Examples: United Way proved that fundraising could be done in an easy and effective way asking for a small amount of money from a lot of people. And they proved it by becoming the largest fundraiser in the country. Since then several other charities have realized they can do similar fundraising methods and be successful.

Billy Graham has paved a path for other evangelists to follow in his footsteps. He showed an entire generation of future evangelists what is possible and what can be done, now it's on them to walk the path.

As a leader you'll make mistakes no one else is making and feel pain no one else is feeling. But remember those mistakes and pain are a result of paving a new path that other future leaders can now follow.

Quotes from my desk (part 3)

Here's part 3 of my writing about the four quotes I keep on my desk. You can read the the first quote here and the second quote here.

Every woman at some level wants:

• To be fought for
• An adventure to share
• A beauty to unveil

John Eldredge in Wild at Heart

OK,

So this isn't exactly a leadership quote. But it's one that I keep on my desk and review. This quote is a little more difficult to describe because it doesn't exactly deal with leadership. But it does deal with male masculinity and strength that leaders need.

Like most men, I sucked at dating when I started trying it!

There were several things I had to work on in myself to become a man who would attract the woman I wanted in my life. So this quote really stuck with me and resonated with me because I couldn't really provide these three things to a woman and remain who I was. If I was going to provide these three things, I was going to have to change and improve myself.

If I was going to fight for my woman, have an adventure to share with her, and allow her to unveil her beauty, I was going to have to become "even more of a man."

And in the process of becoming "even more of a man," that "manness" has transferred over to my leadership ability. The fact that I'm working hard on myself displays a growth focus that every leader needs.

Every leader has to be focused on continually growing and improving everyday. Cause if he's not, then the organization isn't going to grow either. The organization will only grow if the leader does.

Interesting Quote

“There are many people who are not addicted to anything, and there are many poor people who are obsessed with getting everything.” – John G. Blumberg

I believe that those poor people are poor because they are obsessed with ‘getting.’  They never give, therefore they never get.  What if they were addicted to giving and helping other people in need?  What if they volunteered an extra 2 hours a week to helping someone in need?  They would realize that life is not about ‘getting,’ therefore they would start to do the things that would fulfill them more.