Skip to main content


Repost Message
will copy the article into draft mode and enable you to edit/change dates and information.
Do not change the dates
of this posting because it will affect the original.

MCC Daily Tribune

Quotes That Inspire

This week's quote comes to us from one of our longest-serving colleagues, Vince Pratt who provides graphic design services within our Printing Services Department. While Vince's preference is to "stay behind the scenes" while supporting the success of our students and College, we are grateful he took this opportunity to share the following inspiring quote:

"Consensus negates leadership..." -- Margaret Thatcher, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Vince describes this quote as his mantra. He shares, "As a past chief of two different fire departments, I learned a long time ago that a leader must lead--not follow. There are times when a leader must make decisions that are not popular, and buck the thoughts and advice of the many. You do so by using the skill sets that you developed that put you in that leadership position in the first place. Being a leader is a not always a popularity contest, it's about doing the right things.

"As a fire chief you have the lives of the public which you serve in your hands, but more importantly, you also have the lives of the firefighters that you command. Making independent, split second decisions that may have tragic outcomes is part of the job. This is true in both personal and business life. When things go right, it's because of your personnel, when they go wrong, it's your fault. Far too often today's leaders try to build or get consensus for every decision that they make. That's not how it's done. A simple saying that firefighters live by, "lead, follow, or get out of the way." Doing the right thing is not always easy, but that's what a true leader does--they lead."

Thanks for calling 'em as you see 'em, Vince. And, thank you for the many important ways your serve and protect our community.

Is there a quote that provides perspective on your work and/or inspires you to develop your leadership skills? If so, submit it along with a brief narrative about why the quote resonates for you to PresOffice@monroecc.edu. "Quotes That Inspire" are shared with colleagues on Fridays in the MCC Daily Tribune.

Katherine Douglas
Office of the President
08/21/2020