James Hunter Quotations

Most people's objection was that I was in my 40s. There was nothing I could really do about that.

I'd just call it modern music done in a retro way, that's all.

I have an old picture of Sonny Til and the second tenor from the Orioles outside the Earle Theatre. It was such an atmospheric picture, I dragged my girlfriend around town on a bit of a pilgrimage until I finally found it. That was one of my coolest moments so far.

If it gets really maudlin, it helps. And I think soul can get as maudlin as you like. It really is just the same stuff. The words sort of come to me out of nowhere. The better ones do tend to take on a life of their own. All you do is hold the pencil.

Over here, at its peak, it was the mainstream thing, whereas at home it was always a bit of an underground secret. People here don't seem to be in awe of it like we are, still.

People often think that every artist in that realm had the same qualities. If I want emotional intensity, I'll listen to Little Willie John, but if I want some pyrotechnics, I'll go to Jackie Wilson. It's not all the same emotional level, that stuff, which people make the mistake of thinking it is.

Those comparisons are so ludicrously flattering that they are difficult to object to.

The sole purpose of the company was getting me recorded. It was extraordinarily nice of them.

It seemed like my career was always on the edge of something. Twenty years of bubbling under and not quite erupting kept up the excitement for me, I guess.

It's real disappointing. We had just hit a 3-pointer ourselves to tie the game, and then they came down and hit one to win it.

I didn't learn as much from him on the road as I did in 10 minutes in the studio. He did some vocals, and I learned about microphone technique watching him in the studio.

A rut... is little more than a coffin with the ends kicked out.

It is a shame that so many leaders spend their time pondering their rights as leaders instead of their awesome responsibilities as leaders.

A seagull manager is one who periodically flies into the area, makes a lot of noise, dumps on the people, maybe eats their lunch, and flies away.

Authority is always built on service and sacrifice.

Power people are generally threatened by authority people...

Slaves do what others want. Servants do what others need.

You can get a few seasons out of power, even accomplish some things, but over time power can be very damaging to relationships.

INTENTIONS + ACTION = WILL

INTENTIONS - ACTION = SQUAT

(A manager) once confided in me she liked to picture in her mind's eye that every employee was wearing one of those sandwich billboard signs. On the front side, the sign would read 'Appreciate Me' and on the back side 'Make Me Feel Important.'

Those who follow the crowd will never be followed by the crowd.

we must never forget that people buy into the leader before they buy into a mission statement.

Serving others breaks you free from the shackles of self and self-absorption that choke out the joy of living.

To have a healthy and thriving business, there must be healthy relationships with the C.E.O.S. in the organization and I'm not referring to the Chief Executive Offficers. I am talking about the Customers, the Employees, the Owner (or stockholders), and the Suppliers.

Our top-down pyramid style of management is a very old concept borrowed from centuries of war and monarchies.

...while everyone's focusing on keeping the boss happy, who's focusing on keeping the customer happy?

Forgiving behavior is dealing with situations as they arise in an assertive manner and then letting go of any lingering resentment. As the leader, if you are not able to let go of the resentment, it will consume you and render you ineffective.

Authority: The skill of getting people to willingly do your will, because of your personal influence.

There is great joy in leading with authority, which is serving others by meeting their legitimate needs.

...leaders who do not hold their people accountable to a set standard are, in effect, thieves and liars. Thieves because they are stealing from the stockholder who pays them to hold people accountable, and liars because they pretend that everything is OK with their people when in fact everything is not OK.

Who then is the greatest leader? The one who has served the most.

Authority cannot be bought or sold, given or taken away.

Power: The ability to force or coerce someone to do your will, even if they would choose not to, because of your position or your might.

Leadership is not about personality, possessions, or charisma, but all about who you are as a person. I used to believe that leadership was about style but now I know that leadership is about substance, namely character.

As leaders we do not create growth. The best we can do is create an environment that is conducive to growth. It is like planting a garden. You do not cause the seeds to grow. To grow is their natural purpose in life.

Leadership: The skill of influencing people to work enthusiastically toward goals identified as being for the common good.

Thoughts become actions, actions become habits, habits become our character, and our character becomes our destiny.