“Experience isn’t the best teacher—evaluated experience is.”
―
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
“One of the quickest ways to gain credibility with an individual, a group, or an audience is to borrow it from someone who already has credibility with them.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“Henry Ford, who said, “Don’t find a fault; find a remedy.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“When it comes to identifying a real leader, that task can be much easier. Don't listen to the claims of the person professing to be the leader. Don't examine his credentials. Don't check his title. Check his influence. The proof of leadership is found in the followers.
―
John C. Maxwell
“Exercise, lose weight, test your blood sugar, or whatever. Do it without motivation and then guess what. After you start doing the thing, that’s when the motivation comes and makes it easy for you to keep on doing”
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John C. Maxwell
“When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“Have you ever had to communicate someone else’s vision? It’s very difficult to do, isn’t it?”
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John C. Maxwell
“The writer of Proverbs observed that sharp people sharpen one another, just as iron sharpens iron. If you want to be a sharp thinker, be around sharp people.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“One of the greatest problems people have with failure is that they are too quick to judge isolated situations in their lives and label them as failures. Instead, they need to keep the bigger picture in mind.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“The best way to become a person that others are drawn to is to develop qualities that we are attracted to in others.
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John C. Maxwell
“Every successful person is someone who failed, yet never regarded himself as a failure.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“Those who lack humility are dogmatic and egotistical. That masks a deep sense of insecurity.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“Many people view leadership the same way they view success, hoping to go as far as they can, to climb the ladder, to achieve the highest position possible for their talent. But contrary to conventional thinking, I believe the bottom line in leadership isn't how far we advance ourselves but how far we advance others. That is achieved by serving others and adding value to their lives.”
―
John C. Maxwell
