“Write down somewhere in the margins on this page your answer to this question: How have you changed . . . lately? In the last week, let’s say? Or in the last month? The last year? Can you be very specific? Or must your answer be incredibly vague? You say you’re growing. Okay . . . how? “Well,” you say, “In all kinds of ways.” Great! Name one. You see, effective teaching comes only through a changed person. The more you change, the more you become an instrument of change in the lives of others. If you want to become a change agent, you also must change.2 Change the leader—change the organization.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair, but manifestations of strength and resolution.”
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John C. Maxwell
“If you pair excellence with humility, people not only won’t run over you, they will respect you.”
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John C. Maxwell
“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it enough.”
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John C. Maxwell
“A person who has a dream knows what he is willing to give up in order to go up.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Forty-two percent of college graduates never read a book after college.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Inspirar a otros para hacer un mejor trabajo es el logro de un líder.”
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John C. Maxwell
“next time you feel ready to conform to popular thinking on an issue, stop and think.”
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John C. Maxwell
“A leader with confidence is a leader who brings out positive changes in people.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Every successful person is someone who failed, yet never regarded himself as a failure.”
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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
