This week we’re featuring a different type of leader. A man that was a legend as a professional baseball catcher/hitter, for his roles as coach and manager, and for his widely known (and often quoted) quips – Lawrence Peter (Yogi) Berra

Yogi’s wit was often viewed with humor, and his sayings are actually thought provoking and useful for leadership.

Yogi-isms For Leaders

Here are some of his most commonly quoted quips with additional thoughts that we added:

“If you don’t know where you’re going, you wind up someplace else.”

Do you have a shared strategy? Do all behaviors support yours (or that of your organizations) vision, mission, and goals? Is there a development plan/road map in place that addresses gaps and obstacles?

“It ain’t over till it’s over.”

Things don’t always go as planned. What could you change? Persist and persevere until you obtain your desired results.

“The future ain’t what it used to be.”

Expect and plan for change. What will inspire and increase results? Are you innovative? Are you keeping up with or better yet ahead of your competitors?

“You can observe a lot by watching.”

Pay attention to what’s going on around you. What’s happening in your organization? In your industry? How’s your staff? What about your customers, vendors, and co-workers?

“When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”

Make a decision and move forward. Indecisiveness will stifle progress and create complacency and stagnation.

“There are some people who, if they don’t already know, you can’t tell ’em.”

Not everyone is receptive to feedback and willing to learn new things. Pay attention to the resistors; tough decisions may need to be made.

Yogi was admitted to the Baseball Hall Of Fame in 1972, holds numerous World Series records, and ended his baseball career in 1992. While attending the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center in New Jersey he said “It was fun. If I had to do it over, I’d do it again.”

Quite a character, quite the leader. RIP.

QwikTip and QwikCoach

QwikTips Powered by e-Coach – Frustrated by an unproductive team?

And for those with a QwikCoach license, refresh your existing skills and acquire new skills by visiting the QwikTips library for leadership ideas and techniques.

If you don’t have QwikCoach, it’s an excellent resource for growing your leadership skills remotely that you should consider.

Learn More About QwikCoach

Help turn your leadership knowledge into leadership action!