Martin Linsky

“We all need affirmation, but accepting accolades in an undisciplined way can lead to grandiosity, an inflated view of yourself and your…

— Martin Linsky

“the word “lead” has an Indo-European root that means “to go forth, die.”

— Martin Linsky

“You appear dangerous to people when you question their values, beliefs, or habits of a lifetime. You place yourself on the line…

— Martin Linsky

“Leadership is an improvisational art. You may have an overarching vision, clear, orienting values, and even a strategic plan, but what you…

— Martin Linsky

“trying to take satisfaction in life from the numbers you ring up is ultimately no more successful than making survival your goal.”

— Martin Linsky

“You have probably been attacked in one form or another. Perhaps you’ve been criticized for your style of communication: too abrasive or…

— Martin Linsky

“The deeper the change and the greater the amount of new learning required, the more resistance there will be and, thus, the…

— Martin Linsky

“In times of distress, when everyone looks to authorities to provide direction, protection, and order, this is an easy diagnostic mistake to…

— Martin Linsky

“The hope of leadership lies in the capacity to deliver disturbing news and raise difficult questions in a way that people can…

— Martin Linsky

“People do not resist change, per se. People resist loss. You appear dangerous to people when you question their values, beliefs, or…

— Martin Linsky

“being criticized by people you care about is almost always a part of exercising leadership.”

— Martin Linsky

“When exercising leadership, you risk getting marginalized, diverted, attacked, or seduced. Regardless of the form, however, the point is the same. When…

— Martin Linsky

“Children have generative power. They create meaning as they busily connect with whatever is happening. But grown-ups often forget that ability. They…

— Martin Linsky

“To survive and succeed in exercising leadership, you must work as closely with your opponents as you do with your supporters.”

— Martin Linsky

“The most difficult work of leadership involves learning to experience distress without numbing yourself. The virtue of a sacred heart lies in…

— Martin Linsky

“Because their fears were so deep, verbal acknowledgment would not suffice. He had to model the behavior.”

— Martin Linsky

“leadership requires disturbing people—but at a rate they can absorb.”

— Martin Linsky

“To lead is to live dangerously because when leadership counts, when you lead people through difficult change, you challenge what people hold…

— Martin Linsky

“Having purpose differs from having any particular purpose. You get meaning in life from the purposes that you join. But after working…

— Martin Linsky

“An adaptive change that is beneficial to the organization as a whole may clearly and tangibly hurt some of those who had…

— Martin Linsky

“the challenge of leadership when trying to generate adaptive change is to work with differences, passions, and conflicts in a way that…

— Martin Linsky

“No one learns only by staring in the mirror. We all learn—and are sometimes transformed—by encountering differences that challenge our own experience…

— Martin Linsky