I beg you take courage; the brave soul can mend even disaster.
Catherine The GreatRead
I may be kindly, I am ordinarily gentle, but in my line of business I am obliged to will terribly what I will at all.
Interpretation
This quote reflects the duality of kindness and the necessity of making tough decisions in leadership roles.
Catherine The Great's quote highlights the complex nature of leadership where one can embody kindness and gentleness yet must also confront the harsh realities that come with responsibility. It illustrates the balance leaders must find between being compassionate and being decisive, emphasizing that effective leadership sometimes requires making difficult choices that may seem cruel but are necessary for the greater good.
In practice
During a leadership conference, this quote can be used to discuss how to balance compassion with the need for tough decisions.
I beg you take courage; the brave soul can mend even disaster.
I praise loudly. I blame softly.
In politics a capable ruler must be guided by circumstances, conjectures and conjunctions.
A great wind is blowing, and that gives you either imagination or a headache.
I like to praise and reward loudly, to blame quietly.
Happiness and unhappiness are in the heart and spirit of each one of us: If you feel unhappy, then place yourself above that and act so that your happiness does not get to be dependent on anything.
There's really no precedent for someone like me gaining clout in the space that I'm in - a black woman directing films in Hollywood.
I worry that there are people who are put in positions of authority because they're good talkers, but they don't have good ideas. It's so easy to confuse schmoozing ability with talent. Someone seems like a good presenter, easy to get along with, and those traits are rewarded. Well, why is that? They're valuable traits, but we put too much of a premium on presenting and not enough on substance and critical thinking.
With regard to narrow passes, if you can occupy them first, let them be strongly garrisoned and await the advent of the enemy.
Leadership is about tapping the wellsprings of human motivation - and about fundamental relations with one's fellows.
Colleagues should take care of each other, have fun, celebrate success, learn by failure, look for reasons to praise not to criticize, communicate freely and respect each other.
You can't inspire people if you are going to be uninspiring.
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