All great leaders constantly seek new information and new ways of thinking.

Effective leaders make a full commitment to be a learner, to keep increasing and nourishing their knowledge and wisdom.

The American Heritage Dictionary defines crucible as "a place, time, or situation characterized by the confluence of powerful intellectual, social, economic, or political forces; a severe test of patience or belief; a vessel for melting material at high temperatures." A crucible was the vessel in which medieval alchemists attempted to turn base metals into gold. That the alchemists inevitably failed in their audacious attempts doesn't denigrate the power of the crucible as a metaphor for the circumstances that cause an individual to be utterly transformed.

Ineffective leaders often act on the advice and counsel of the last person they talked to.

Good leaders make people feel that they're at the very heart of things, not at the periphery.

Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.

The manager does things right; the leader does the right thing.