The Leadership Project ®
Surround yourself with Serious People by Colin Powell
Organization doesn't really accomplish anything. Plans don't accomplish anything, either. Theories of management don't much matter. Endeavors succeed or fail because of the people involved. Only by attracting the best people will you accomplish great deeds. Look for intelligence and judgment and, most critically, a capacity to anticipate, to see around corners. Also look for loyalty, integrity, a high-energy drive, a balanced ego and the drive to get things done. Surround yourself with people who take their work seriously, but not themselves, those who work hard and play hard! Maintain a positive working attitude with your staff. Optimism is a force multiplier.
Believe In America by Senator John F. Kerry
Believe the courage of Americans can change this country. Believe the idealism of Americans can match our power to the world and to our principles and to our history as a nation. Believe the patriotism of Americans can show that the flag of United States does not belong to any President or party, it does not belong to any ideology, it belongs to all of us as Americans. Believe the genius of Americans can make us energy independent. Believe the conscience of Americans can guard our fundamental liberties and preserve them for generations to come. Believe the vision of Americans can save our environment, raise up our schools, and open health care to all. The conscience of Americans can guard our fundamental liberties and preserve them for generations to come. The resolve of Americans can make the difference. Your courage can help us to do what is right for America. Let's go out and get it done!
Defend Our Ideals by Senator Joseph Lieberman
The power of the promise America makes to all its people--that no matter who you are or where you start, if you work hard and play by the rules, you can go as far as your God-given talents will take you. We must put our country first to fix our economy and restore economic growth, because a strong middle class means a strong America. We must unite to defeat the threat of terrorism and make America safe again. We must never shrink from using American power to defend our ideals against evil in a time of war -- and we must never forget to use the power of our ideals as a force for good in the quest for peace. We must heal the racial divide and give a new generation of immigrants their fair chance to live the American Dream. We must stand up for our values here at home, because family, responsibility and faith matter more than power, partisanship, and privilege. We have great work to do to secure the hope of a better tomorrow for our beloved country. Let us begin here. Let us begin now. And let us begin together. Previous Index Next
Fight for a Cause by Senator John McCain
When I was a young man, I thought glory was the highest ambition and that all glory was self-glory. My parents tried to teach me otherwise, as did the Naval Academy. But I didn't understand the lesson until later in life, when I confronted challenges I never expected to face. In that confrontation, I discovered that I was dependent on others to a greater extent than I had ever realized, but that neither they nor the cause we served made any claims on my identity. On the contrary, they gave me a larger sense of myself than I had before. I discovered that nothing is more liberating than to fight for a cause larger than yourself, something that encompasses you, but is not defined by your existence alone... Let it be the most important part of your life's work to remind all of us that we are part of a great experiment; that people who are free to act in their own interests will conceive their interests in an enlightened way, and will gratefully accept the obligation of freedom to make of our wealth and power a civilization for the ages - a civilization in which all people share in the promise of freedom. Previous Index Next
Government Creates Opportunity by Congressman Richard Gephardt
Government can create opportunity through positive action: First, we need to promote prosperity for all Americans Second, we should be forward-looking, use innovative ideas, and choose priorities that pay long-term dividends in our people, our businesses, and our communities. Third, we should honor our commitments - particularly to our parents and grandparents. These three principles are not new - they have long animated the way Americans have looked at our government, and informed our most closely held values about how we, as a nation, widen the circle of opportunity, deepen the meaning of freedom and security, and strengthen the bonds of community. The more we are able to use these principles as a guide to address the long-cherished values of the American people, the answers will become much clearer to us. Opportunity, responsibility, and community isn't just a slogan - it defines who we are as Americans.
Courageously Defend Our Liberty by Jutice Antonin Scalia
Liberty is for the brave. From the Revolutionary War to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, our men and women at arms have responded to threats to our liberty with the courage that befits a great and free people. But preservation of our liberties requires not only the physical courage of our warriors. It demands as well moral courage or civic courage on the part of all our citizens: the courage to stand up against that tyranny most feared by the Framers of our Constitution, the tyranny of the majority. This is the courage of ordinary people like Rosa Parks, of great figures like Martin Luther King, Jr., and of all those who resist popular moves to abridge constitutionally established rights, or to subvert the structure of our democracy. Sometimes opponents of the popular will are wrong. Civic courage is not always conjoined with civic wisdom. But better civic courage that is sometimes misdirected than no civic courage at all. When that virtue disappears from our midst, the central liberty of our democracy on which all other liberties depend, the freedom of speech, will become in effect the freedom to agree with the prevailing view. Let us resolve always to be the home of the brave - that we may always remain the land of the free.
Be A Little Deaf by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Sometimes people say unkind or thoughtless things, and when they do, it is best to be a little hard of hearing - to tune out and not snap back in anger or impatience. Anger, resentment, envy, and self-pity are wasteful reactions. They greatly drain one's time. They sap energy better devoted to productive endeavors. Of course it is important to be a good listener - to pay attention to teachers, coworkers, and spouses. But is also pays, sometimes, to be a little deaf.
Aim High by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
The habit of always doing your best regardless of how unimportant the task is a habit of the successful. As Abraham Lincoln once said: "I always prepared myself for the opportunity I knew would come my way." As his career attests, devotion to excellence in all things, even when it seems that the world will little note nor long remember the small tasks in which you find yourself engaged, can have its rewards. The individual can and does make a difference, even in this populous, complex world of ours. The individual can make things happen. It's the individual who can bring a tear to our eyes and cause us to take pen in hand. It is the individual who has acted or tried to act who will not only force a decision, but have a hand in shaping it. Whether the individual acts in the legal, governmental, or private realm, one concerned and dedicated person can meaningfully affect what some say is an uncaring world. So be a full participant in life's opportunities. Aim high. If you strive for excellence you can and should have a substantial impact on the world in which you live.
Read To Your Children by Senator Susan Collins
"I cannot live without books," Thomas Jefferson once said, and his enthusiasm was hardly overstated. I share President Jefferson's love of a good book and a comfortable stretch of time in which to read it. But reading is also a pleasure that has to be cultivated, and it is vital for parents to expose their children to books at an early age. Taking just 30 minutes a day to read to children is not only a worthwhile investment but also a wonderful experience. Children whose parents read to them three or more times a week are almost twice as likely to be able to identify every letter of the alphabet. They are also more likely to be able to count to 20, write their own names, and read or pretend to read. When a child enters kindergarten already recognizing letters and familiar with books, she or he is better prepared to learn and less likely to encounter difficulty in learning to read. Capturing the spirit of the day can be done through one simple act: provide a loving lap for a child and spend some time opening his or her world through a book. I applaud all schoolteachers, librarians, and most of all, our parents, for their commitment to teaching America's children the joys of reading.
Follow These Rules To Success by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
Paying attention to detail pays off - "Sweat the small stuff. If it's worth doing, it's worth becoming an expert at it. And experts are always in demand." Don't compromise your principles - "These are cynical times. There's a sense that it's OK to cut corners, that everything is relative and negotiable. Not so. Honor and truth remain cherished principles because only they work in the long-run." Remember your friends and alma mater - "Friends found in college can help you stay grounded amidst life's ups and downs." Breathe life into the American dream by not fearing failure - "Failure stops only those who choose to stop. Learn from failure, drive on and your successes will enrich your life and the American dream."
Be The Messenger by Senator Elizabeth Dole
God's gift to all of his children is liberty - and also justice and equality, tolerance and opportunity. These belong to all people - no matter where they live. Our free society and global economy require an environment that respects liberty and individual rights. The road ahead beckons. It leads to a world of limitless possibility. Travel as much as you can. Engage your fellow man, globally. Work to understand other cultures. And, above all, listen. You are our messengers. To those abroad, show them that we have no sinister motives, share with them our ideals of freedom and tolerance. Show them that we only wish to share freedom and liberty with all of mankind. Within your chest beats the most powerful antidote to despair that the world has ever known. When you find the sense of mission that summons you to selflessness, you will find the contribution only you can make to life. And no pain or suffering, no affliction or challenge can stand against the combined hearts of people committed to action. One individual can make a world of difference, even a different world.
What America Stands For by Senator Barbara Mikulski
My family was a family of bakers and grocers. My father worked at his family bakery, my mother worked at her family grocery store. Whether it was in the baker shop or all of our grocery stores, the neighborhood was our extended family. Our chief characteristic was our sense of obligation to others. It meant making sure that we delivered food when someone couldn't get to the store. It meant extending credit when times were tough. It meant that no one would go hungry as long as we had a baker shop or a grocery store. America stands for a commitment to service. Our nation has never been a melting pot. It is a mosaic. And each of us is part of the glue holding that mosaic together. Neighbor helping neighbor, serving their community. You don't have to be Polish, or French, or anything else to be an American, because what holds the American mosaic together are the values we share. Patriotism, which is loving the United States. Opportunity, which serves the United States. And the extended family, which is the United States. My parents and my grandparents loved and served their community through their stores, and today I serve an even wider community through the Senate. My great-grandmother came to the United States when women couldn't even vote, and now her great-granddaughter serves that same country on the floor of the Senate. She wouldn't have believed it, but that is what America stands for. It stands for service, and it stands for the obligation and the opportunity to serve.
Prepare, Pursue and Perform by Congressman Kweisi Mfume
Don't be stymied by the agony of failure or deceived by the ecstasy of success because both can be illusions that vanish with the setting of the sun. Instead, let your failures become springboards toward greater achievement and let your successes render you sober so they can sustain you through the torment of howling winds, winds that chill us with the cold reminders of the societal challenges that we must face. Never let your place be with the timid. Never lose the spirit that fired your first desire to learn. Never fear to risk your political or professional lives in the service of those causes that fate has sent you to champion and to win. Go forward today emboldened with courage, fired with idealism, and tempered by wisdom to do the work that God and the people of this nation have called on us as citizens to do. Let us all dare to move forward with new directions into a world and into a future where men and women shall have learned to live by freedom and not by compulsion. The promise of America is real. This land is your land. Prepare, pursue, perform, and you will prevail.
Believe in The American Dream by Nancy Pelosi
Progress and optimism are hallmarks of America, and throughout our history they have been complemented by the faith of millions of Americans. Americans are a faith-filled people, and the personally held faith of millions leads to great acts of conscience, charity, and community. The America we believe in today is one in which each person can practice his or her own faith in his or her own way; one in which we are free from discrimination; one in which the hopes and dreams of every child are met with an education system that gives them the knowledge and opportunity to achieve them; one in which we make the stunning advances in health and medicine available to all who need them; one in which the environment is protected, poverty is eradicated, and the strength of our economy grants all who are willing to work an opportunity to succeed; and one in which a lifetime of work provides a retirement of dignity and independence. That is the America we believe in. That is the America we aspire to achieve. Through our imagination, our commitment to progress, and our faith in the future, we are not afraid to believe in the beauty of your dreams. And that is a source of hope for all of us.
Cast Your Ballet by Senator Mary Landrieu
No matter what your political views, no matter which candidates you support, cast your vote, and let your voice be heard. In our country, it is easy to forget the significance of this simple act. The battles that had to be fought to ensure our freedom to vote are part of our distant past. From the Revolutionary War to the Civil Rights movement, these battles took place in the last century, and the century before that. Look around you at the things that affect your world: the schools your children go to, the roads you drive on, the medical bills you or your parents pay, the rate at which you are taxed, the jobs available in your community. You have a voice in shaping these issues and countless others. Voting is your chance to speak out and be heard. And voting does take some effort. You have to register. You have to either mail your ballot in on time or get to the polls on Election Day. No one ever said democracy is convenient. But it's important, to you, to your family, to the world in which we live. Raise your voice. Cast your ballot. Perhaps the most important reason to vote is simply because you can.
Remember To Give Thanks by Clarence Thomas
Always remember those who helped you when you couldn't help yourselves or when you were most in need. It's an interesting thing about life; when you have prosperity, your friends find you. When things are bad, you have to find your friends. Remember those who were with you when life wasn't so good. Remember your parents, your relatives, your friends. Remember your ministers, remember those who counseled you when there was no alternative. We should all look back on our lives and thank all those people who made Little League, teacher's meeting, who were there through this experience of learning. Thank them, appreciate them, hold on to them. In the final analysis when all the chips are down, they are your source of strength -- your faith, your family, your friends. Remember that you didn't get this far on your own and you won't go very far on your own and you won't go very far alone. Be true to your faith and to your beliefs. Hold on to hope. Treat others as you would like to be treated and help others as you have been helped.
Meet The Challenges by Stephen Breyer
As a whole, the Constitution gives us the freedom to choose; it does not tell us what to choose. Rather it forces us, as a community, to choose democratically how we will solve our nation's problems. It therefore requires our participation, for without that, our Constitution and our country cannot work. You do face inner cities where the greatest threat to children's lives is homicide; where drugs and crime are prevalent but education, jobs and hope are scarce. You do face the ever-shrinking world, with its growing populations and rapid development, with threats of terrorism and ethnic wars. You do face the cutting down of forests, the heating up of climate, the overfishing of the sea, which threaten our Earth's environment. You do face the challenge of building a multiracial society. The challenges are there. And they are clear. Society changes; notions of right and wrong may change to a degree, but only at the edges. We do know right from wrong; you do know right from wrong. Personal integrity - that rock - at the core remains the same. Let each choose a life of passion, action, integrity and participation.
