Every year O.C. Tanner brings together leading thought leaders. This collection of their insights will inspire you in your own leadership practices.

1. LEADERS
TO MA K E A D I F F E R ENCE
LEADERSHIP QUOTES AND INSIGHTS
PRESENTED BY THE O.C . TANNER INSTITUTE

2. EVERY Y E A R , O.C . TANNER BRINGS
TOGETHER LEADING THOUGHT LEADERS.
WE HOPE THIS COLLECTION OF THEIR
INSIGHTS AND QUOT E S I N S P I R E S YOU IN
YOUR OWN LEADERSHIP PRAC T I C E S .

3. “Get passionate about how what we do helps our organizations succeed in
the marketplace. Continually ask how do we build a mindset in culture that
allows us to be agile and move to new markets? That allows us to be focused
more on customers than products. How do we drive collaboration?”
—DAV E U L R I C H ,
BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF OUTS I D E I N

4. “By studying the lives
of others, we hope that
we, the living, can learn
from their struggles
and their triumphs.”
—DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN,
PULITZ E R P R I Z E -WINNING AUTHOR

5. “Recognizing and celebrating
human talent is probably the
most important strategic step
we can take for the health
of organizations. Human
organizations are like organisms.
They grow on feeling and spirit
and strength and optimism and
hope. If you get the energy right,
you can achieve anything.”
—SIR KEN ROBINSON,
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR
AND CELEBRATED TED TALKS SPEAKER

6. “What we tried to create was
a sense of teamwork, a sense
of camaraderie, a sense
of esprit de corp. This all led
to unity of purpose, where we
stopped focusing on our divisions,
and started focusing on the
things that united us.”
—MIKE ABRASHOFF,
BESTSELLING AUTHOR
O F I T ’ S YOUR SHIP

7. “Authentic leadership starts with knowing what your most deeply
held beliefs, values, and principles are. What do you really believe
about people? What has motivated you? What is your true north—the
internal compass that guides you through all your decisions?”
—BILL GEORGE,
BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF TRUE NORTH

8. “Understanding and
mapping your
culture is at the core
of successful
onboarding. If you do
not understand your
culture, you will not
know how to make
the right tradeoffs
between raw ability
and cultural fit.”
—DR. MICHAEL WAT K I N S ,
BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF
T H E F I R ST 9 0 DAYS

9. “Commitment is reciprocal. If you want your employees to be engaged
and committed, you have to be engaged and committed with them.”
JEFFREY PFEFFER,
BESTSELLING AUTHOR & PROFESSOR AT STANFORD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

10. “An organization’s primary goal should be to build
leadership, not leaders. The ultimate test of a leader is
whether they can build a culture that outlasts even them.”
—DAV E U L R I C H ,
BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE WHY OF WORK

11. “As leaders, the first
task that we have is to
find our voice, to make
sure that we are clear
about what it is that we
stand for and believe in.”
—JIM KOUZES,
BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF
THE LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE

12. FROM FOUNDING THE RENOWNED TANNER
LECTURE SERIES TO THE WORK BEING DONE
TODAY BY THE O.C . TANNER INST I T U T E , W E ’ R E
COMMITTED TO RESEARCH AND INSIGHTS
THAT HELP ORGANIZATIONS INSPIRE AND
APPRECIATE GREAT WORK.
DISCOVER MORE AT OCTANNER.COM/INSTITUTE.