Max De Pree Quotes

A whale is as unique as a cactus. But don't ask a whale to survive Death Valley. We all have special gifts. Where we use them and how determines whether we actually complete something.

In the end, it is important to remember that we cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are.

The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality.

Leaders should be able to Stand Alone, Take the Heat, Bear the Pain, Tell the Truth, and Do What's Right

Trust grows when people see leaders translate their personal integrity into organizational fidelity. At the heart of fidelity lies truth-telling and promise-keeping.

The greatest thing is, at any moment, to be willing to give up who we are in order to become all that we can be.

We can teach ourselves to see things the way they ARE. Only with vision can we begin to see things the way they CAN BE.

The leader is the servant who removes the obstacles that prevent people from doing their jobs.

To be a leader means, especially, having the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those who permit leaders to lead.

Jazz, like leadership, combines the unpredictability of the future with the gifts of individuals.

We do not grow by knowing all of the answers, but rather by living with the questions.

Leadership is liberating people to do what is required of them in the most effective and humane way possible.

There may be no single thing more important in our efforts to achieve meaningful work and fulfilling relationships than to learn to practice the art of communication.

Integrity in all things precedes all else. The open demonstration of integrity is essential.

Change without continuity is chaos. Continuity without change is sloth-and very risky.

We talk about the quality of product and service. What about the quality of our relationships and the quality of our communications and the quality of our promises to each other?

By ourselves we suffer serious limitations. Together we can be something wonderful.

Leaders who keep promises and followers who respond in kind create an opportunity generate enormous energy around their commitment to serve others.

Leaders don't inflict pain - they share pain.

We are alone, absolutely alone on this chance planet; and amid all the forms of life that surround us, not one, excepting the dog has made an alliance with us.

We can choose to see life as a series of trials and tribulations, or we can choose to see life as an accumulation of treasures.

Above all, leadership is a position of servanthood.

Leadership is much more an art, a belief, a condition of the heart, than a set of things to do.

No question about it: potential is wrapped in great mystery. Like rainbows, which are really circles-we see only the upper halves, the horizon hides the rest-potential never reveals its entirety.

We can accomplish more together than we can alone.

Trust comes only with genuine effort, never with a lick and a promise.

We see a decline of civility, and, sadly, it’s often modeled by the very people from whom we have the least right to expect it.

We can go through anything because Jesus goes before us.

The simple act of recognizing diversity in corporate life helps us to connect the great variety of gifts that people bring to the work and service of the corporation.

In most vital organizations, there is a common bond of interdependence, mutual interest, interlocking contributions, and simple joy.

Understanding the diversity of our gifts enables us to begin taking the crucial step of trusting each other.

In some South Pacific cultures, a speaker holds a conch shell as a symbol of temporary position of authority. Leaders must understand who holds the conch-that is, who should be listened to and when.

A team of giants needs giant pitchers who throw good ideas but every pitcher needs an outstanding catcher. Without giant catchers, the ideas of the giant pitchers may eventually disappear.

The signs of outstanding leadership appear primarily among the followers.

From a leader's perspective, the most serious betrayal has to do with thwarting human potential, with quenching the spirit, with failing to deal equitably with each other as human beings.

Earning trust is not easy, nor is it cheap, nor does it happen quickly. Earning trust is hard and demanding work. Trust comes only with genuine effort, never with a lick and a promise.

Without forgiveness, there can be no real freedom to act within a group.

History can't be left to fend for itself. For when it comes to history and beliefs and values, we turn our future on the lathe of the past.

Trust cannot be bought or commanded, inherited or enforced. To maintain it, leaders must continually earn it.

Leadership is like third grade: it means repeating the significant things.

When trust permeates a ministry, great things are possible, not the least of which is an opportunity to reach the ministry's potential.

We cannot avoid growing old; but we can avoid growing cold.

Leaders should leave behind them assets and a legacy.

When things go awry, trust powers the generators until the problem is fixed.

Everyone in a successful organization must be willing and ready to risk. Risk is like change; it's not a choice.

Intimacy is at the heart of competence. It has to do with understanding, with believing, and with practice. It has to do with the relationship to one's work.

A friend of mine characterizes leaders simply like this: Leaders don't inflict pain. They bear pain.

We cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are.

The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.