“When we’re more interested in telling people what to do than in listening to what they are presently doing, we are off balance.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Most careers involve other people. You can have great academic intelligence and still lack social intelligence—the ability to be a good listener, to be sensitive toward others, to give and take criticism well.”
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John C. Maxwell
“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
“leader is great, not because of his or her power, but because of his or her ability to empower others. Success without a successor is failure. A worker’s main responsibility is developing others to do the work
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John C. Maxwell
“How do I identify the top 20 percent influencers/producers in my organization?” I suggest that you make a list of everyone in your company or department. Then ask yourself this question about each individual: “If this person takes a negative action against me or withdraws his or her support from me, what will the impact likely be?”
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John C. Maxwell
“Your ultimate goal as a leader should be to work hard enough and strategically enough that you have more than enough to give and share with others.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Jim Sundberg says, “Discover your uniqueness; then discipline yourself to develop it.”
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John C. Maxwell
“A sign of a great team leader is the proper placement of people.”
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John C. Maxwell
“If you’re going to grow, you have to be intentional.” —Curt Kampmeier”
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John C. Maxwell
“In general, there are no bad audiences; only bad speakers.”
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John C. Maxwell
“If your habits don't line up with your dream, then you need to either change your habits or change your dream”
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John C. Maxwell
“An infant is born with a clenched fist; a man dies with an open hand. Life has a way of prying free the things we think are so important.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Where success is concerned, people are not measured in inches, or pounds, or college degrees, or family background; they are measured by the size of their thinking.”
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John C. Maxwell
“No one can understand that mysterious thing we call influence . . . yet . . . everyone of us continually exerts influence, either to heal, to bless, to leave marks of beauty; or to wound, to hurt, to poison, to stain other lives.”
―
John C. Maxwell
