Thomas Kolditz > Quotes

“The leader’s job is to create the fate that others experience: leaders are not gods themselves, but they are fatemakers in the sense that their purpose and function are to continue to value the lives of others who are at the point of death.”
― Thomas A. Kolditz, In Extremis Leadership: Leading As If Your Life Depended On It

“In extremis leadership always comes with a tangible moral obligation. When lives are at risk, an undeniable moral responsibility fosters unconscientious and total commitment. Responsibility for life fosters an intense focus. Leading under such circumstances is less about power over subordinates and more about an obligation toward their well-being and survival. In extremis circumstances provide a crucible for the development of positive leadership habits.”
― Thomas A. Kolditz, In Extremis Leadership: Leading As If Your Life Depended On It

“The authentic qualities and stark reality inherent in extremis leadership place a much greater emphasis on experience as a way that values become embedded in character - they are “caught not taught.” And true character always comes out in the worst of circumstances. One could argue, then, that in extremis leadership is the sine qua non of leadership aligned with values.”
― Thomas A. Kolditz, In Extremis Leadership: Leading As If Your Life Depended On It