“One of my favorite stories is about a newly hired traveling salesman who sent his first sales report to the home office. It stunned the brass in the sales department because it was obvious that the new salesman was ignorant! This is what he wrote: “I seen this outfit which they ain’t never bot a dim’s worth of nothin from us and I sole them some goods. I’m now goin to Chicawgo.” Before the man could be given the heave-ho by the sales manager, along came this letter from Chicago: “I cum hear and sole them haff a millyon.” Fearful if he did, and afraid if he didn’t fire the ignorant salesman, the sales manager dumped the problem in the lap of the president. The following morning, the ivory-towered sales department members were amazed to see posted on the bulletin board above the two letters written by the ignorant salesman this memo from the president: “We ben spendin two much time trying to spel instead of trying to sel. Let’s watch those sails. I want everybody should read these letters from Gooch who is on the rode doin a grate job for us and you should go out and do like he done.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Successful people think differently than unsuccessful people.”
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John C. Maxwell
“We don’t get to pick our talents or IQ. But we do choose our character. In fact, we create it every time we make choices—to cop out or dig out of a hard situation, to bend the truth or stand under the weight of it, to take the easy money or pay the price.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Advice is what we ask for when we already knew the answer but wish we didn't.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Great leaders always seem to embody two seemingly disparate qualities. They are both highly visionary and highly practical.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Any man worth his salt will stick up for what he believes right, but it takes a slightly bigger man to acknowledge instantly and without reservation that he is in error.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Your attitude, more than your aptitude, will determine your altitude.”
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John C. Maxwell
“A Jeff Danziger cartoon shows a company president announcing to his staff, “Gentlemen, this year the trick is honesty.” From one side of the conference table, a vice president gasps, “Brilliant.” Across the table, another VP mutters, “But so risky.”
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John C. Maxwell
“there are five nonnegotiable characteristics that every effective leader must have: a sense of calling, an ability to communicate, creativity in problem solving, generosity, and consistency.”
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John C. Maxwell
“If you know something without having lived it, your audience experiences a credibility gap.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Nothing of significance was ever achieved without people working together.”
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John C. Maxwell
“A great dream with a bad team is nothing more than a nightmare.”
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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
“A realist believes that what is done or left undone in the short run determines the long run.”
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John C. Maxwell
