Rush Limbaugh died a few days ago and it is a sad time for Republicans who are still mourning a great loss. He was a lion of the conservative movement. For many years, especially before the internet, he WAS the other side of the argument in the media. The left controlled major TV news coverage. But this upstart David took on his Goliath through AM Radio.
On my podcast, I discussed his impact. But the purpose of the podcast was to emphasize how he operated as a leader. I used his own words to illustrate what led to his success.
Before you read Rush’s own words below, consider how he thought about the following:
- Knowing himself
- Staying in his lane
- Speaking to his audience
- Not worrying about others’ opinions
- Enjoying what he does
- Taking responsibility
- Doing work with excellence
- Maximizing time
- Staying on message
Rush was not just a conservative icon, but a role model for anyone who seeks to lead others. Thank you, Rush, for your example of leadership.
Rush in His Own Words:
“Enraging liberals is simply one of the more enjoyable side effects of my wisdom.”
“By government giveaway programs, individuals are often hurt far more than they are helped. The recipients of these programs become dependent on the government and their dignity is destroyed. Is it compassionate to enslave more and more people by making them a part of the government dependency cycle? I think compassion should be measured by how many people no longer need it. Helping people to become self-sufficient is much more compassionate than drugging them with the narcotic of welfare.”
“Racist — a person who wins an argument with a liberal.”
“We are born to action, and whatever is capable of suggesting and guiding action has power over us from the first.”
“I want the largest audience I can get, because that’s how I can charge the highest advertising rate. Which means what else do I want? Money. I am trying to earn a profit. It’s capitalism.”
“Being stuck is a position few of us like. We want something new but cannot let go of the old – old ideas, beliefs, habits, even thoughts. We are out of contact with our own genius. Sometimes we know we are stuck; sometimes we don’t. In both cases we have to DO something.”
“We want everybody to succeed. You know why? We want the country to succeed, and for the country to succeed, its people – its individuals – must succeed.”
“I’m not afraid of having an agenda. I do have an agenda. It’s a positive agenda.”
“There’s nobody who cares more about you than you, and there’s nobody better equipped to take care of you than you.”
“I say what I mean. I don’t speak in code. That’s why I am a star and ace communicator.”
“Life is busy. There are daily concerns and obligations that have to be met and to take time to think about how precious and special a human life is that you only get one and that every wasted minute is lost. You can’t get it back.”
“Events sometimes are the biggest teachers, as opposed to words, lectures, and that kind of thing.”
“It’s impossible to go through life, not offending people. All you have to do is basically have an opinion on anything, and you’re gonna offend people.”
“If I sound like I’m enjoying myself, it’s not artificial. It’s real.”
“Character matters; leadership descends from character.”
“People are pursuing happiness, but they’re pursuing things that will never, ever make them happy, and they don’t know that. They’ve got a distorted view of what will make them happy, what happiness is, and it’s based on what they see on television.”
“I want anyone who believes in life, liberty, pursuit of happiness to succeed. And I want any force, any person, any element of an overarching Big Government that would stop your success, I want that organization, that element or that person to fail. I want you to succeed.”
“I have a practice of really not talking about the competition. I’m from the old school.”
“And one of the things that makes me happiest and proudest is that the talk radio venue, the whole market has expanded. There are all kinds of people doing it.”
“Psychologically, when I sit down at noon, I’m it. I’m the only thing on. Nobody else does what I do. Nobody else has the opportunity. That’s the psychological mindset. It’s not an ego thing; it’s just the way I’ve always approached it.”
“If people are speaking about something passionately and if they have a level of intelligence about it and if they’re sufficiently informed, it’s going to be like a magnet to people.”
“The First Amendment doesn’t give anybody the right to be heard. People don’t have to listen to you.”
“I’m amazed at the Democrats and the media who do not know what’s going on in my world. I know what’s going on in theirs. I study ’em. I watch ’em every day.”
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Dr. Darin Gerdes is a tenured Professor of Management in the College of Business at Charleston Southern University.
All ideas expressed on www.daringerdes.com are his own.
This post was originally created for Great Business Networking (GBN), a networking organization for business professionals where Dr. Gerdes is the Director of Education.
FTC Disclosure: When I refer to a book, I often add a link to Amazon (#ad) so you can purchase it easily. I may earn a few cents if you buy it, but I never recommend any books unless they are worth reading.
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