Initiative is something I write on often.  In fact, my last blog was on initiative, the concept of Ready, Fire, Aim. I continue to write on this subject, because it is something that seems to be lacking in the workforce and leaders in general.  And honestly, it is an area I seem to struggle in.

By definition, leaders cannot wait.  If they do, they are not leaders, but merely followers. I think initiative takes a little bit of faith bathed in risk.  Many times, you must take initiative on something with limited knowledge or insight and rely mostly on your intuition , or “gut felling”.

For those who want to be successful and effective leaders, one must take initiative.  If we never try, we will never know.  In fact, one will always be wondering, “what if”.

The hardest thing about taking initiative, is well, taking initiative.  To help motivate and encourage you to take more initiative, here are 30 quotes that will encourage you to take initiative.

1. “Genius is initiative on fire”, Holbrook Jackson
2. “Initiative is doing the right things without being told”, Elbert Hubbard
3. “Without initiative, leaders are simply workers in leadership positions”, Bo Bennett
4. “Employers and business leaders need people who can think for themselves – who can take initiative and be the solution to problems”, Stephen Covey
5. Never relinquish the initiative, Charles de Gaulle
6. “Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit”, Conrad Hilton
7. Be willing to make decisions. That’s the most important quality in a good leader. Don’t fall victim to what I call the ready-aim-aim-aim-aim syndrome. You must be willing to fire, T. Boone Pickens
8. “I would rather regret the things I have done than the things I have not”, Lucille Ball
9. “If you don’t make dust, you eat dust”, Motto of Jack A. MacAllister
10. “Eagles don’t flock”,Ross Perot
11. Even if you’re on the right track you’ll get run over if you just sit there, Will Rogers
12. “An idea is worthless unless you use it”, John Maxwell
13. “Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved”, William Jennings Bryan
14. “If your ship doesn’t come in, swim out to meet it”, Jonathan Winters
15. “Everyone who’s ever taken a shower has an idea. It’s the person who gets out of the shower, dries off and does something about it who makes a difference”, Nolan Bushnell
16. If opportunity doesn’t knock- build a door”-Milton Berle
17. “You don’t drown by falling in the water; you drown by staying there”, Edwin Louis Cole
18. “When eagles are silent, parrots begin to chatter”, Winston Churchill
19. “Initiative is to success what a lighted match is to a candle”, Orlando Battista
20. “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing”, Walt Disney
21. “The few who do are the envy of the many who only watch”, Jim Rohn
22. “Most people spend their entire lives on a fantasy island called ‘Someday I’ll”, Denis Waitley
23. “Chance favors those in motion”, James Austin
24. “Just begin and the mind grows heated; continue, and the task will be completed!”, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
25. “Two sure ways to fail: Think and never do, or do and never think”, Zig Ziglar
26. “You can’t do everything at once, but you can do something at once”, Zig Ziglar
27. “If you want to accomplish anything in life, you can’t just sit back and hope it will happen. You’ve got to make it happen”, Chuck Norris
28. “You don’t have to be great to get started, but you have to get started to be great”, Les Brown
29. “Implement now, perfect later”, Larry Winget
30. The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones”, William Faulkner