# Quote — William H. McRaven, Wisdom of the Bullfrog

> Being a leader, whether you are the CEO, the admiral, the general, the chairperson, or the director for an office or two, is difficult. As a leader you must always appear to be in command, even on those days when you struggle with the pressures of the job. You must be confident. You must be decisive. You must smile. You must laugh. You must engage with your employees and be thankful for their work. You must have the look of a person in charge. You must instill in your men and women a sense of pride that their leader can handle any problem.
>
> As a leader you can't have a bad day. You must never look beaten, no matter the circumstance. If you sulk, if you hang your head, if you whine or complain about the leaders above you or the followers below you, then you will lose the respect of your men and women, and the attitude of despair will spread like wildfire.

- Author: [William H. McRaven](https://www.leafyquotes.com/william-h-mcraven.md)
- Book: [Wisdom of the Bullfrog](https://www.leafyquotes.com/william-h-mcraven/wisdom-of-the-bullfrog.md)
- Page: 31
- Source: [Wikiquote](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_H._McRaven#The_Wisdom_of_the_Bullfrog_(2023)) ([CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/))
- Quote page: https://www.leafyquotes.com/william-h-mcraven/wisdom-of-the-bullfrog/being-a-leader

## More from this book

> The day you longer believe you have something to prove, the day you no longer believe you must give it your all, the day you think you are entitled to special treatment, the day you think all your hard days are behind you, is the day you are no longer the right leader for the job. Leadership requires energy. It requires stamina. It requires resilience. It requires everything you have and then some. The men and women that work for you will feed off your energy. If you look unprepared to deal with the challenges of the day, they will see this. If you look beaten down because today was harder than yesterday, they will feel this. If you are not prepared to give it your all, they will know this. And if you think this is just about leaders in combat, you're mistaken. This is about every great leader who was given a difficult task and asked to inspire, motivate, and manage the people under their charge.

p. 52 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/william-h-mcraven/wisdom-of-the-bullfrog/the-day-you.md)

> But it doesn't mean that every day has to exhaust you. Being a great leader doesn't mean you have to have superhuman strength. It only means that you have to recognize that it will require effort, every day. And some days you just won't bring it. That's okay. That's normal. But then, bring it the next day. You will only fail as a leader when you think that today is going to be easier than yesterday.

p. 53 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/william-h-mcraven/wisdom-of-the-bullfrog/but-it-doesnt.md)

> I saw this level of initiative time and again during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps understood that the nature of the fight required the generals and admirals allow the junior officers and enlisted to make tough combat decisions. We had to delegate responsibility because there just weren't enough senior officers to oversee all the tactical operations. We had to trust the rank and file to do the right thing.
>
> It is always difficult for senior leaders to trust their subordinates with important decisions, decisions that invariably affect the reputation of the unit and that of the senior leader. But if you don't create a culture that allows the rank and file to act on their own, they will be mired in indecisiveness and that will stall any forward momentum. However, leadership is not always defined by the man or the woman at the top of the chain of command, and you don't have to be in command to lead.

p. 72 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/william-h-mcraven/wisdom-of-the-bullfrog/i-saw-this.md)