Creatures Quote by John Baldoni
“Leaders are creatures of their environment, but unlike most creatures, they are also movers of it. As movers of and within the organization, they push it forward, at the same time shaping it as much as it shapes them.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Leadership in Turbulent Times, John Baldoni, 2018
Leaders both shape and are shaped by their environment, influencing and being influenced.
In simple terms: Leaders interact with their surroundings.
Key Takeaway
Recognize mutual influence in leadership.
Themes
leadership
environment
influence
growth
Mood
reflective
strategic
Type
advice
inspirational
When to use this quote
- organizational change
- team building
- strategic planning
- culture development
Key Concepts
Systems thinking
agency
Questions to Reflect On
- In what ways does your organization shape you?
- How can you proactively shape your environment?
A Different Perspective
Leaders may overestimate control; external forces limit impact.
![“Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this [step by step, from humans to apes to monkeys to lemurs] - leading us insensibly from the crown and summit of the animal creation down to creatures, from which there is but a step, as it seems, to the…” quote by Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f0b/thomas-huxley-1183_animal_perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us_3051.jpg)
