Max De Pree is a well known American businessman and writer. The son of the founder to Herman Miller Office Furniture Company, De Pree and his brother assumed leadership in the early 1960’s. Herman Miller went on to become one of the most profitable Fortune 500 companies and making it into the top 10 in terms of total return to investors between 1975 to 1986. As a successful businessman and leader, De Pree has shared much advice in his time. Here is a look at some of the best Max De pree quotes.
“A team of giants needs giant pitchers who throw good ideas but every pitcher needs an outstanding catcher. Without giant catchers, the ideas of the giant pitchers may eventually disappear.”
“By ourselves we suffer serious limitations. Together we can be something wonderful.”
“Change without continuity is chaos. Continuity without change is sloth-and very risky.”
"We cannot become what we want by remaining what we are." – Max Depree pic.twitter.com/EyDtZIc8l2
— Lee Collins (@LeeCollins) December 3, 2015
“Earning trust is not easy, nor is it cheap, nor does it happen quickly. Earning trust is hard and demanding work. Trust comes only with genuine effort, never with a lick and a promise.”
“I don’t come with the wheelchair. The wheelchair comes with me.”
“In most vital organizations, there is a common bond of interdependence, mutual interest, interlocking contributions, and simple joy.”
“In some South Pacific cultures, a speaker holds a conch shell as a symbol of temporary position of authority. Leaders must understand who holds the conch that is, who should be listened to and when.”
“In the end, it is important to remember that we cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are.”
“Integrity in all things precedes all else. The open demonstration of integrity is essential.”
“Jazz, like leadership, combines the unpredictability of the future with the gifts of individuals.”
“Leaders don’t inflict pain – they share pain.”
“Leaders should be able to Stand Alone, Take the Heat, Bear the Pain, Tell the Truth, and Do What’s Right”
“Leadership is liberating people to do what is required of them in the most effective and humane way possible.”
“Leadership is like third grade: it means repeating the significant things.”
“No question about it: potential is wrapped in great mystery. Like rainbows, which are really circles-we see only the upper halves, the horizon hides the rest-potential never reveals its entirety.”
“Only a group of people who share a body of knowledge and continually learn together can stay vital and viable.”
“Productive Workers + Innovative Products = Industry Leadership, no?”
The needs of the team are best met when we meet the needs of individual persons – Max De Pree #MondayMotivator pic.twitter.com/YuoEvy1YCA
— Colonel Greg Chaney (@ColonelChaney) July 13, 2015
“The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.”
“The greatest thing is, at any moment, to be willing to give up who we are in order to become all that we can be.”
“The key elements in the art of working together are how to deal with change, how to deal with conflict, and how to reach our potential…the needs of the team are best met when we meet the needs of individual persons.”
“The signs of outstanding leadership appear primarily among the followers.”
“To be a leader means, especially, having the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those who permit leaders to lead.”
“Understanding and accepting diversity enables us to see that each of us is needed.. It also enables us to begin to think about being abandoned to the strengths of others, of admitting that we cannot know or do everything.”
“We are alone, absolutely alone on this chance planet; and amid all the forms of life that surround us, not one, excepting the dog has made an alliance with us.”
“We can accomplish more together than we can alone.”
“We can choose to see life as a series of trials and tribulations, or we can choose to see life as an accumulation of treasures.”
"The signs of outstanding leadership appear primarily among the followers." – Max De Pree #DeMossBookClub pic.twitter.com/Y4CoL8abdi
— Chandler Epp (@chandlerepp) February 18, 2015
“We can go through anything because Jesus goes before us.”
“We can teach ourselves to see things the way they ARE. Only with vision can we begin to see things the way they CAN BE.”
“We cannot avoid growing old; but we can avoid growing cold.”
“We cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are.”
“We do not grow by knowing all of the answers, but rather by living with the questions.”
“We need to give each other the space to grow, to be ourselves, to exercise our diversity. We need to give each other space so that we may both give and receive such beautiful things as ideas, openness, dignity, joy, healing, and inclusion.”
“When trust permeates a ministry, great things are possible, not the least of which is an opportunity to reach the ministry’s potential.”
Jim Kouzes, the bestselling author and speaker takes some time to review the value of connecting your actions with your personal values. His point is greatly illustrated with a story from Max De Pree. Check out this great video to get motivated today.
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