50 Jon Gordon Quotes to Motivate You to Be a Better Leader

These Jon Gordon quotes from the best-selling author and expert in business and leadership will inspire you to be a better leader and teammate.

Jon Gordon is an author and motivational speaker who specializes in helping teams become stronger, and, ultimately, more successful.

A study by Leadership IQ found that 46% of newly-hired employees will fail within their first 18 months on the job, and 89% of the time it’s for attitudinal reasons, not lack of skill.

This supports Jon Gordon’s quote, “Hire for attitude. Train for skill.”

He has worked with numerous big-name brands and some of his clients include major companies like Southwest Airlines, The Los Angeles Dodgers, Campbell’s Soup, and Northwestern Mutual.

Gordon is the author of 20 books, 8 of which became best sellers.

His most well-known book is The Energy Bus, published in 2007. 

The Energy Bus teaches readers how to face challenges in with a positive mindset in order to live a successful life.

We hope our list of Jon Gordon quotes helps motivate you to live a successful life.

Don’t forget to also check out these leadership quotes that will spark your fire.

Check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily inspiration. 

Our inspirational quote category page has even more inspirational and educational quotes.

Jon Gordon quotes about teamwork

According to a study by Harvard Business Review, teams that take breaks together are more productive, have better communication, and are happier.

This backs up Jon Gordon’s quote, “The best way to build a great team is to create a culture of positivity, caring, and connection.”

1. “Communication builds trust. Trust generates commitment. Commitment fosters teamwork. Teamwork delivers results.” — Jon Gordon

Everyday Application: Communication, trust, commitment, and teamwork are all parts of a successful work relationship. Whether that relationship is between employees and managers, or customers and the organization. Luckily, you can improve your communication skills with a little practice.

2. “Great team members hold each other accountable to the high standards and excellence their culture expects and demands.” — Jon Gordon

Everyday Application: Holding yourself and the people on your team accountable leads to your best work. High standards and excellence are great goals, but remember that perfection is unattainable.

You will also enjoy our article on actions speak louder than words quotes.

3. “Great teams care more. They care more about their effort, their work, and their team members.” — Jon Gordon

Everyday Application: Communication and trust make a good team even better. Team members have empathy for each other and their customers. The care they display leads to better work and effort, so invest in your collaboration skills and make you team the best it can be.

4. “Team beats talent when talent isn’t a team.” — Jon Gordon

Everyday Application: Talent is important and it is something people should be proud of. However, when talented people are not good team members, they don’t deliver to their full potential. Teams are a great way to get fresh ideas and provide a lot of benefits to their organizations.

5. “It’s all about teamwork. Sometimes you are the star and sometimes you help the star.” — Jon Gordon

Everyday Application: Humility is a wonderful thing. With that said, it is ok to be proud of your accomplishments and who you are. However, being able to step outside the limelight and let others shine is a sign of emotional intelligence and great leadership.

6. “If you want to be truly great you have to work as hard to be a great teammate as you do to be a great player.” — Jon Gordon

Everyday Application: Being truly great requires a lot of hard work. How do you work on being a good teammate though? It looks like investing in relationships, playing whatever role you are asked to, leading by example, having a positive attitude, and learning your strength and weaknesses!

7. “Teams rise and fall on culture, leadership, relationships, attitude and effort.” — Jon Gordon

Everyday Application: All of these aspects of a team are important. Organizational culture helps explain how people behave and perform at work. Leadership directly shapes the morale and confidence levels of a team. How connected we feel to others on the team translates to how willing we are to help them. Your attitude and effort can make everything on a team better—or worse!

8. “We > me.” — Jon Gordon

Everyday Application: There is strength in numbers. Every person has something to offer, and when “we” pool our knowledge, strengths, and skills together we can accomplish great things. Whether it is at work in a team setting or leveraging your support system, just know that we is greater than me!

9. “Your team doesn’t care if you are a superstar. They care if you are a super team member.” — Jon Gordon

Everyday Application: Be amazing and be the best you that you can be. But do it from a place of how that can help other people. Bring your ‘A game’ to your team and relationships. You are a superstar and that means you can be a super team member. Your efforts can play a part of the bigger picture, and that is what really matters!

Jon Gordon quotes about leadership

A study by the University of Warwick found that happy workers are 12% more productive than their unhappy counterparts.

This supports Jon Gordon’s quote, “When you’re positive, you’re more productive, and when you’re more productive, you’re more positive.”

10. “A leader brings out the best within others by sharing the best within themselves.” — Jon Gordon

Everyday Application: You can inspire others to shine bright and reach their potential in many ways. You set the pace and expectations of your team. When you do your best that elevates the whole ability of the team. They will want to follow you and give their best, because they see you doing it everyday!

11. “As a leader, it is so important that your words equal your actions.” — Jon Gordon

Everyday Application: This is also known as integrity. Integrity is one of the most important skills a leader can possess. When you words and actions are aligned, people will see you as genuine and authentic. They will be willing to follow you. Your actions will always speak louder than your words, so make sure they match up!

12. “Great leaders know that success is a process, not a destination.” — Jon Gordon

Everyday Application: There are many valuable lessons to be learned on the journey to success. It is not some arbitrary ending point, but rather a continual process of learning and growth. You do not just magically become a different person because of success, the changes happen during every win and loss along the way.

13. “Leaders inspire and teach their people to focus on solutions, not complaints.” — Jon Gordon

Everyday Application: Complaining will not move you any closer to where you are trying to be. By focusing on solutions to problems and challenges, you can create change that gets you closer to your goals. Part of focusing on the solution means learning when to act and when to take a step back. It also means being open to feedback, which is another critical trait for a leader.

14. “Leadership is not just about what you do but what you can inspire, encourage and empower others to do.” — Jon Gordon

15. “People follow the leader first and the leader’s vision second.” — Jon Gordon

16. “Transformational coaches invest in the root and, over time, it produces a lot of fruit.” — Jon Gordon

17. “Trust is the force that connects people to the leader and his/her vision.” — Jon Gordon

Everyday Application: There are several ways that a leader can build trust with their people. First, make sure you mean what you say and say what you mean. Integrity matters. Next, listen and empathize with your team members. Be approachable and kind. When your people trust you, the job of a leader is much easier, and the benefits are immense.

Jon Gordon quotes about overcoming challenges

18. “No challenge can stop you if you have the courage to keep moving forward in the face of your greatest fears and biggest challenges. Be courageous.” — Jon Gordon

Everyday Application: Courage and bravery do not mean that you do not feel fear. It just means that your desire to get somewhere or do something is bigger than your fear. If you can face your fears and break past the limits you have placed in your mind then you will be unstoppable.

19. “Remember, life gives us warnings for a reason. Learn from this. Do things differently.” — Jon Gordon

Everyday Application: Life gives us many warnings when we are on the wrong path. Some of them are easier to appreciate than others. For instance, if you look at all your decisions and realize that someone else has made them for you, then it is pretty easy to ascertain that you might be on the wrong path. Conversely, if you keep getting stuck in similar situations (such as failed relationship after failed relationship) then life might be trying to tell you that there is something you need to learn. You can not make other people do things differently as you can only control yourself. Making different choices, speaking differently, trying different things, and behaving in different ways are the keys to moving past these lessons and onto the next.

20. “Don’t look at your challenges; look up and look out into the future.” — Jon Gordon

21. “Don’t focus on your circumstances. Focus on the right beliefs that will help you build your success.” — Jon Gordon

22. “You and your team face a fork in the road each day. You can settle for average and choose the path of mediocrity or you can take the road less traveled and chase greatness.” — Jon Gordon

23. “Adversity is not a dead-end but a detour to a better outcome than you can imagine!” — Jon Gordon

24. “You haven’t failed until you stop trying.” — Jon Gordon

Everyday Application: These are simple words, but that doesn’t make them less true. Every failed attempt is an opportunity to learn something new about the process, the theory, or the people involved. The only time you fail is when you abandon your goals and limit yourself. It is ok to rest, and even regroup and change your goals. However, don’t just stop trying!

25. “Often the difference between success and failure is belief.” — Jon Gordon

Everyday Application: Your brain will believe what you tell it. Are you telling yourself that this your time is now, and doing what you need to do to achieve your goals? Or, are you coming up with limits and excuses? It is ok to know when you need a break, or when something needs to be adjusted. However, if you are telling yourself things like “It’s impossible” or “There is no point in trying,” then you are setting your own limits.

Jon Gordon quotes about attitude

26. “3 things you can control every day: 1. Attitude 2. Effort 3. Actions to be a great teammate.” — Jon Gordon

27. “Being positive won’t guarantee you’ll succeed. But being negative will guarantee you won’t.” — Jon Gordon

Everyday Application: You will need more than positivity to succeed. No one is denying that it will take work, sacrifice, a little help from your support system, and being able to identify and take the right risks. It is a a process! However, being negative is about the quickest way to ensure that you will fail. It makes everything so much harder. What does it really mean to be positive?

28. “Don’t tell the world your mission statement. Show the world you are on a mission.” — Jon Gordon

29. “How you see the world determines the world you see.” — Jon Gordon

30. “Lead with optimism, enthusiasm and positive energy, guard against pessimism and weed out negativity.” — Jon Gordon

31. “My life is a gift not an obligation and I Get To make the most of it.” — Jon Gordon

32. “Your optimism today will determine your level of success tomorrow.” — Jon Gordon

33. “One negative person can create a miserable office environment for everyone else.” — Jon Gor

34. “One person can’t make a team but one person can break a team. Stay positive!” — Jon Gordon

35. “Positivity is like a boomerang. The more we put it out there, the more it comes back to us.” — Jon Gordon

36. “There is certainly a lot of negativity in the world and choosing positive energy helps us deal with the negative people and negative situations that can knock us off course.” — Jon Gordon

Jon Gordon quotes on mental toughness

37. “What you believe will become what is true.” — Jon Gordon

38. “When you believe, the impossible becomes possible.” — Jon Gordon

39. “Thoughts are magnetic. What we think about we attract.” — Jon Gordon

40. “It’s about mental toughness. Mental toughness is everything.” — Jon Gordon

41. “Positive energy and positive people create positive results.” — Jon Gordon

42. “Throughout the day, anytime you find yourself feeling stressed or wanting to complain, stop for 10 seconds, and breathe. Count your breaths and your blessings.” — Jon Gordon

43. “The goal in life is to live young, have fun, and arrive at your final destination—as late as possible—with a smile on your face because this would mean that you truly enjoyed the ride.” — Jon Gordon

More inspiring Jon Gordon quotes

44. “You must do what you say and say what you do.” — Jon Gordon

45. “I believe you become great when you help others become great.” — Jon Gordon

46. “It’s easy to be average. It’s hard to be great. But it’s well worth the effort.” — Jon Gordon

47. “The key to success is to be a lifelong learner who continuously works hard to improve.” — Jon Gordon

48. “Successful people do ordinary things with extraordinary consistency, commitment and focus.” — Jon Gordon

49. “We don’t get burned out because of what we do. We get burned out because we forget why we do it. Purpose keeps you fresh.” — Jon Gordon

50. “It is imperative that you make sure that you go through a self-evaluation process on an almost daily basis to make sure that your actions are in line with your words.” — Jon Gordon

Everyday Application: Working toward your purpose will help you live a fuller life. Living in alignment with your mission and purpose helps us be more satisfied and grateful with where we are in life. It can be hard to figure out what your purpose is sometimes, but this article can help.

How tough is your mental state?

Our mindset affects every area of our life, from our money to our relationships to our happiness.

When you face a challenge, is your first instinct to get mad, frustrated, or upset?

Or are you solution-oriented?

Do you keep a positive perspective?

Through his books, his relations with his clients, and the audiences that he has spoken in front of, Jon Gordon has helped millions of people around the world keep a positive perspective in order to help them find success in life.

Our perspective is everything.

If you go through life with a negative attitude, you are unlikely to find success.

You will also likely end up as a bad teammate and an even worse leader.

Keeping a positive mindset is the first step on the way to bettering your life.

Did you enjoy these Jon Gordon quotes and sayings?

Which quote was your favorite?

Let us know in the comments below.