“If I wanted to make a difference… Wishing for things to change wouldn’t make them change. Hoping for improvements wouldn’t bring them. Dreaming wouldn’t provide all the answers I needed. Vision wouldn’t be enough to bring transformation to me or others. Only by managing my thinking and shifting my thoughts from desire to deeds would I be able to bring about positive change. I needed to go from wanting to doing.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“greatest enemy to tomorrow’s success is sometimes today’s success.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“You could use the 80/20 rule. Give 80 percent of your effort to the top 20 percent (most important) activities. Another way is to focus on exceptional opportunities that promise a huge return. It comes down to this: give your attention to the areas that bear fruit.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality.” That can happen only when the leader is willing to hear and face the truth.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“Goethe recommended, “Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them become what they are capable of becoming.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“The longest distance between two points is a shortcut.” That’s really true. For everything of value in life, you pay a price.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“You cannot always control what happens to you, but you can control what happens in you.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“If you want to be a leader, the good news is that you can do it. Everyone has the potential, but it isn't accomplished overnight. It requires perseverance.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“Earlier in my life, I have to admit, I was often guilty of this error. I wanted to take an idea from seed thought to solution before sharing it with anyone, even the people it would most impact. I did this both at work and at home. But over the years, I have learned that you can go much farther with a team than you can go alone.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“The rewards leaders give are counterbalanced by the results that their people give in return.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“It's not the position that makes the leader; it's the leader that makes the position. "
―
John C. Maxwell
“Contrary to popular belief, I consider failure a necessity in business. If you're not failing at least five times a day, you're probably not doing enough. The more you do, the more you fail. The more you fail, the more you learn. The more you learn, the better you get. The operative word here is learn. If you repeat the same mistake two or three times, you are not learning from it. You must learn from your own mistakes and from the mistakes of others before you."
―
John C. Maxwell
“Leadership is responsible.
Losing is unacceptable.
Passion is unquenchable.
Creativity is essential.
Quitting is unthinkable.
Commitment is unquestionable.
Victory is inevitable.”
―
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.”
―
John C. Maxwell
