“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way” is a frequently used saying about leadership. H. Reginald Buckler (1840-1927) wrote in 1889:
 
“And what is it to be a leader? Surely a leader is one who knows the way, who goes the way, and who shows the way.”
 
The saying has usually be credited to evangelical Christian author, speaker, and pastor John C. Maxwell (born in 1947), but Maxwell obviously could not have originated it.
 
   
Google Books
The Perfection of Man by Charity:
A Spiritual Treatise
By Henry Reginald Buckler
New York, NY: Catholic Publication Society Co.
1889
Pg. 107:
And what is it to be a leader? Surely a leader is one who knows the way, who goes the way, and who shows the way.
 
26 November 1959, Newark (OH) Advocate, “Three Minutes in Meditation” by James Keller, pg. 4, col. 1:
You Can Be a Leader
A leader is often described as one who (1) “knows the way,” (2) “shows the way,” and (3) “goes the way.”
 
Google News Archive
31 December 1960, Norwalk (CT) Hour, “Three Minutes a Day” with Fr. James Keller, pg. 3, col. 6:
You Can Be A Good Leader
A leader has been defined as one who “knows the way, goes the way and shows the way.”
 
Google Books
Leadership Matters:
The CEO Survival Manual, What It Takes to Reach the C-Suite and Stay There
By Mike Myatt
Outskirts Press, Inc. (http://www.outskirtspress.com)
2008
Pg. 7:
“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way.” - John Maxwell
 
Inspirational Quotes – Pictures – Motivational Thoughts
A leader is one who knows the way….
Posted on September 7, 2011 by Rishika
A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way.
 
Google Books
Something Went Wrong? / Right!
Real Studies of Leadership in Cross-Cultural Ministry
By Alan Robert Pence
Houston, TX: Strategic Book Publishing and Rights Co.
2012
Pg. XI:
Two months ago at the Graduate School of Business at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, I saw a poster mounted on the wall of the entry that read: “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way.” The quote was attributed to John C. Maxwell. The poster was one of about six on topics of leadership, innovation, and the like.