Government is like an onion. To understand it, you have to peel through many different layers. Most outsiders never get beyond the first or second layer.
Warren G. BennisRead
Good leaders make people feel that they're at the very heart of things, not at the periphery. Everyone feels that he or she makes a difference to the success of the organization. When that happens people feel centered and that gives their work meaning.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Good leaders empower their team by making everyone feel essential and valued.
Warren G. Bennis highlights the importance of leaders in fostering an inclusive environment where every team member feels integral to the organization's success. When leaders ensure that everyone feels they contribute meaningfully, it cultivates a sense of purpose and belonging among employees, ultimately enhancing their motivation and engagement at work.
Themes
LeadershipEmpowermentTeamworkSuccessOrganization
In practice
Example use cases
In a leadership workshop, to illustrate the importance of making team members feel valued.
More from Warren G. Bennis
All quotes βLeaders must encourage their organizations to dance to forms of music yet to be heard.
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To be authentic is literally to be your own author... to discover your own native energies and desires, and then to find your own way of acting on them.
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The manager has a short-range view; the leader has a long-range perspective.
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Trust is the lubrication that makes it possible for organizations to work.
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People who cannot invent and reinvent themselves must be content with borrowed postures, secondhand ideas, fitting in instead of standing out.
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