“Recently I took my daughter Elizabeth out to a restaurant for lunch. The waitress, whose job it was to take care of people, made us feel that we were really inconveniencing her. She was grumpy, negative, and unhelpful. All of her customers were aware of the fact that she was having a bad day. Elizabeth looked up at me and said, “Dad, she’s a grump, isn’t she?” I could only agree with a look of disdain. Halfway through our experience I tried to change this woman’s negative attitude. Pulling out a $10 bill, I said, “Could you do me a favor? I’d like some change for this $10 bill because I want to give you a good tip today.” She looked at me, did a double take, and then ran to the cash register. After changing the money, she spent the next fifteen minutes hovering over us. I thanked her for her service, told her how important and helpful she was, and left a good tip. As we left, Elizabeth said, “Daddy, did you see how that lady changed?” Seizing this golden opportunity, I said, “Elizabeth, if you want people to act right toward you, you act right toward them. And many times you’ll change them.”
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John C. Maxwell
“As people gain more authority, they often develop a lack of patience in listening to those under them. A deaf ear is the first indication of a closed mind.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.”
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John C. Maxwell
“What we do on some great occasion will depend on what we are; and what we are will be the result of previous years of self-discipline.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Former US president Woodrow Wilson said, “If you want to make enemies, change something.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Leadership is not about titles, positions or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another.”
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John C. Maxwell
“I strongly encourage you to find a place to think and to discipline yourself to pause and use it, because it has the potential to change your life. It can help you to figure out what’s really important and what isn’t. As writer and Catholic priest Henri J. M. Nouwen observed, “When you are able to create a lonely place in the middle of your actions and concerns, your successes and failures slowly can lose some of their power over you.”
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John C. Maxwell
“If you think you are the entire picture, you will never see the big picture.”
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John C. Maxwell
“The difference between average people and achieving people is their perception of and response to failure.”
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John C. Maxwell
“If you want to be productive, you should try to learn to get joy from what gives the greatest return and discipline yourself to do those things.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Vision isn’t enough—it must be combined with venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps; we must step up the stairs.”
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John C. Maxwell
“The Situation Principle: Never let the situation mean more than the relationship.”
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John C. Maxwell
“A person who has a dream knows what he is willing to give up in order to go up.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Stay focused instead of getting offended or off track by others.”
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John C. Maxwell
