“In my first leadership position, I mistakenly thought that being named the leader meant that I was the leader. Back then I defined leading as a noun—as the position I was appointed to—not a verb—as what I was doing. Though I had been hired as the senior pastor, I quickly discovered the real leader of the church was a down-to-earth farmer named Claude, who had been earning his leadership influence through many positive actions over many years. He later explained it to me, saying, “John, all the letters”
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John C. Maxwell
“The first key to greatness,” Socrates reminds us, “is to be in reality what we appear to be.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Novelist Victor Hugo believed, "He who every morning plans the transactions of the day and follows out that plan carries a thread that will guide him through the labyrinth of the most busy life . . . But where no plan is laid, where the disposal of time is surrendered merely to the chance of incident, chaos will soon reign.”
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John C. Maxwell
“To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; to be credible we must be truthful.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Those who lack humility are dogmatic and egotistical. That masks a deep sense of insecurity.”
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John C. Maxwell
“knowledge alone is not power. Knowledge has value only in the hands of someone who has the ability to think well. People must learn how to think well to achieve their dreams and to reach their potential.”
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John C. Maxwell
“1. Watch the news together. Select one crisis and answer the question: If I was in charge of this what would I do? List solution-steps they could take. 2. Groom the optimist in them. Have them read and listen to positive books and tapes. Feed them with big ideas from great people. 3. Have them write out their dreams. Then, have them list their skills and talents. Do any match? Ask them what they would do if they had no fear of failure. 4. Go with them to interview a visionary leader. Ask that leader how they think about problems. How do they perceive opportunities? 5. Discuss current events each week. Ask them to identify one burden or problem”
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John C. Maxwell
“To lead yourself, use your head; to lead others, use your heart.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Helen Keller, author, speaker, and advocate for disabled persons, asserted,"Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.”
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John C. Maxwell
“as the challenge escalates, the need for teamwork elevates.”
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John C. Maxwell
“If you are a leader, the true measure of your success is not getting people to work. It’s not getting people to work hard. It is getting people to work hard together. That takes commitment.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Care without candor creates dysfunctional relationships. Candor without care creates distant relationships.”
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John C. Maxwell
