---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: By contrast, those with leadership…"
description: "\"“By contrast, those with leadership potential are motivated by a deeply embedded desire to achieve for the sake of achievement.”\" — Harvard Business Sc..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2f/harvard-business-school-press_desire_by-contrast-those-with-leadership-potent_721208.jpg"
---

#  By contrast, those with leadership potential are motivated…

![“By contrast, those with leadership potential are motivated by a deeply embedded desire to achieve for the sake of achievement.” quote by Harvard Business School Press](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2f/harvard-business-school-press_desire_by-contrast-those-with-leadership-potent_721208.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2f/harvard-business-school-press_desire_by-contrast-those-with-leadership-potent_721208.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2f/harvard-business-school-press_desire_by-contrast-those-with-leadership-potent_721208.jpg)

> ““By contrast, those with leadership potential are motivated by a deeply embedded desire to achieve for the sake of achievement.””

Harvard Business School Press

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

People with leadership potential are driven by an intrinsic desire to achieve for its own sake, not external rewards.

**In simple terms:** Leaders seek achievement itself.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate intrinsic motivation.

Themes

leadership motivation achievement

Mood

analytical inspirational

Type

philosophical advice

When to use this quote

- career advancement
- team building
- personal growth
- goal setting

Key Concepts

self‑determination theory intrinsic drive

Questions to Reflect On

- What drives you beyond external rewards?
- How can you nurture intrinsic drive in others?

A Different Perspective

External incentives may still be needed to sustain effort.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Desire to achieve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire-to-achieve/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Leadership potential](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership-potential/) [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/)

## Related quotes

> [“A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-ayres/a-creative-man-is-motivated-by-the-desire-to-achieve/)

[Alex Ayres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-ayres/)

> [Just a strong desire to achieve isnt enough to get it, one need to put strong efforts too. All those who became famous out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/just-a-strong-desire-to-achieve-isnt-enough-to-get-it-one-need-to-put/)

Senoraroy

> [“I'm very privileged. I've always had a very good life. But everything that I've gotten out of life was obtained through dedication and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayrton-senna/i-m-very-privileged-i-ve-always-had-a-very-good-life-but-everything/)

[Ayrton Senna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayrton-senna/)

> [I have a burning desire to achieve and that leads to a high amount of work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-howe/i-have-a-burning-desire-to-achieve-and-that-leads-to-a-high-amount-of/)

[Eddie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-howe/)

> [Here's what you must do. It's pretty simple, really, but I didn't say easy. It's what sets those who succeed apart from those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-schwarzenegger/here-s-what-you-must-do-it-s-pretty-simple-really-but-i-didn-t-say/)

[Arnold Schwarzenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-schwarzenegger/)

> [“Success comes to us when we have a burning desire to achieve and we focus our full power on achieving that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sakshi-chetana/success-comes-to-us-when-we-have-a-burning-desire-to-achieve-and-we/)

[Sakshi Chetana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sakshi-chetana/)

> [“You must have a sincere and burning desire to achieve what you dream, dedicate yourself to making progress, and take control of your circumstances…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-swarzenegger/you-must-have-a-sincere-and-burning-desire-to-achieve-what-you-dream/)

Arnold Swarzenegger

> [One who has lot of drive, determination, motivation &amp; desire to achieve succeeds in his endeavour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dranil-kr-sinha/one-who-has-lot-of-drive-determination-motivation-desire-to-achieve/)

[DrAnil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dranil-kr-sinha/)

> [Your thoughts are the most important asset you have in your desire to achieve your dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senora-roy/your-thoughts-are-the-most-important-asset-you-have-in-your-desire-to/)

[Senora Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senora-roy/)

> [If you've got a desire to achieve something, then keep going until you achieve it. It's not always possible and things might change -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-derbyshire/if-you-ve-got-a-desire-to-achieve-something-then-keep-going-until-you/)

Victoria Derbyshire

> [If you meet someone in whose presence you feel a desire to achieve, such person is worthy of your love, and is awakening love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-meet-someone-in-whose-presence-you-feel-a-desire-to-achieve/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [A person of value has skill, a vision and a deep desire to achieve what they dream for. Happiness comes to them in many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anil-sinha/a-person-of-value-has-skill-a-vision-and-a-deep-desire-to-achieve/)

[Anil Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anil-sinha/)

> [Research indicates that the desire to achieve the skills associated with success is more highly correlated with achievement than the desire for success itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-goldsmith/research-indicates-that-the-desire-to-achieve-the-skills-associated/)

[Marshall Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-goldsmith/)

> [Success is focusing the full power of all you are on what you have a burning desire to achieve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/success-is-focusing-the-full-power-of-all-you-are-on-what-you-have-a/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Nothing can stop you from achieving your goals in life if you have the hunger and desire to achieve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/nothing-can-stop-you-from-achieving-your-goals-in-life-if-you-have/)

[Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/)

## More by Harvard Business School Press

> [“Executives are doers; they execute. Knowledge is useless to executives until it has been translated into deeds. But before springing into action, the executive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvard-business-school-press/executives-are-doers-they-execute-knowledge-is-useless-to-executives/)

Harvard Business School Press

> [“The use of “war games” is a powerful antidote to the lack of thinking about competitors’ reactions to proposed moves. 11.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvard-business-school-press/the-use-of-war-games-is-a-powerful-antidote-to-the-lack-of-thinking/)

Harvard Business School Press

> [“If thinking is an intellectual response to a problem, then the absence of a problem leads to the absence of thinking.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvard-business-school-press/if-thinking-is-an-intellectual-response-to-a-problem-then-the-absence/)

Harvard Business School Press

> [“Business-unit managers should remain involved in corporate-level strategy planning that affects their units. But a focus on issues rather than business units better aligns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvard-business-school-press/business-unit-managers-should-remain-involved-in-corporate-level/)

Harvard Business School Press

> [“More than anything else, this disconnect—between the way planning works and the way decision making happens—explains the frustration, if not outright antipathy, most executives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvard-business-school-press/more-than-anything-else-this-disconnect-between-the-way-planning/)

Harvard Business School Press

> [“Uhlaner put in place a Growth and Performance Planning Process that starts with agreement by Ballmer’s leadership team on a set of strategic themes—major…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvard-business-school-press/uhlaner-put-in-place-a-growth-and-performance-planning-process-that/)

Harvard Business School Press

> [“Stockdale Paradox This finding is named after Admiral James Stockdale, winner of the Medal of Honor, who survived seven years in a Vietcong POW…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvard-business-school-press/stockdale-paradox-this-finding-is-named-after-admiral-james-stockdale/)

Harvard Business School Press

> [“Management must think of itself not as producing products but as providing customer-creating value satisfactions. It must push this idea (and everything it means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvard-business-school-press/management-must-think-of-itself-not-as-producing-products-but-as/)

Harvard Business School Press

> [“Worried that you’re not a born leader? That you lack charisma, the right talents, or some other secret ingredient? No need: leadership isn’t about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvard-business-school-press/worried-that-you-re-not-a-born-leader-that-you-lack-charisma-the/)

Harvard Business School Press

> [“Is that not what consumer research is for—to find out before the fact what is going to happen? The answer is that Detroit never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvard-business-school-press/is-that-not-what-consumer-research-is-for-to-find-out-before-the-fact/)

Harvard Business School Press

> [“By embracing decision-focused planning, companies will almost certainly find that the quantity and quality of their decisions will improve.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvard-business-school-press/by-embracing-decision-focused-planning-companies-will-almost/)

Harvard Business School Press

> [“they’ve also changed the nature of top management’s discussions about strategy—from “review and approve” to “debate and decide,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvard-business-school-press/they-ve-also-changed-the-nature-of-top-management-s-discussions-about/)

Harvard Business School Press

> [“When is the urgency rate high enough? From what I have seen, the answer is when about 75% of a company’s management is honestly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvard-business-school-press/when-is-the-urgency-rate-high-enough-from-what-i-have-seen-the-answer/)

Harvard Business School Press

> [“In short, a customer feedback program should be viewed not as “market research” but as an operating management tool.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvard-business-school-press/in-short-a-customer-feedback-program-should-be-viewed-not-as-market/)

Harvard Business School Press

> [“Executives also owe it to the organization and to their fellow workers not to tolerate nonperforming individuals in important jobs. It may not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvard-business-school-press/executives-also-owe-it-to-the-organization-and-to-their-fellow/)

Harvard Business School Press

Explore all 67 Harvard Business School Press quotes

## More Desire quotes

> [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/)

Ted Martinez

> [Passion is what you need to be good, an unforgiving passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-easton/passion-is-what-you-need-to-be-good-an-unforgiving-passion/)

[David Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-easton/)

> [I want the municipality to be a helping hand to the man with a desire of sympathy, to help the fallen when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burns/i-want-the-municipality-to-be-a-helping-hand-to-the-man-with-a-desire/)

[John Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burns/)

> [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/)

[John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/)

> [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [“THE ESSENCE OF YOUR DESIRE IS A FEELING”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-laporte/the-essence-of-your-desire-is-a-feeling/)

[Danielle LaPorte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-laporte/)

> [On the brink of being satiated, desire still appears infinite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/on-the-brink-of-being-satiated-desire-still-appears-infinite/)

[Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [“The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to be important.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-deepest-urge-in-human-nature-is-the-desire-to-be-important/)

[John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/)

> [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. All my life, people have scolded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/in-discovering-books-you-became-free-to-explore-the-full-range-of/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

> [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/)

[Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/)

> [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/)

[Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/)

> [“from THE DEVIL YOU KNOW : She wanted him too. He could see it in the rapid rise of her breasts. He could smell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emery-lee/from-the-devil-you-know-she-wanted-him-too-he-could-see-it-in-the/)

[Emery Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emery-lee/)

[Browse all 15,155 Desire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“By contrast, those with leadership potential are motivated by a deeply embedded desire to achieve for the sake of achievement.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Harvard Business School Press"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvard-business-school-press/by-contrast-those-with-leadership-potential-are-motivated-by-a-deeply/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Desire"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvard-business-school-press/by-contrast-those-with-leadership-potential-are-motivated-by-a-deeply/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2f/harvard-business-school-press_desire_by-contrast-those-with-leadership-potent_721208.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2f/harvard-business-school-press_desire_by-contrast-those-with-leadership-potent_721208.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2f/harvard-business-school-press_desire_by-contrast-those-with-leadership-potent_721208.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“By contrast, those with leadership potential are motivated by a deeply embedded desire to achieve for the…” — Harvard Business School Press",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Harvard Business School Press",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvard-business-school-press/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“By contrast, those with leadership potential...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvard-business-school-press/by-contrast-those-with-leadership-potential-are-motivated-by-a-deeply/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvard-business-school-press/by-contrast-those-with-leadership-potential-are-motivated-by-a-deeply/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
