Maxwell Leadership Quotes

Leadership is not about titles, positions or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another.

Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them.

Relational skills are the most important abilities in leadership.

Real leadership is being the person others will gladly and confidently follow.

He that thinketh he leadeth and hath no one following him is only taking a walk.

It's said that a wise person learns from his mistakes. A wiser one learns from others' mistakes. But the wisest person of all learns from others's successes.

Tend to the people, and they will tend to the business.

People dont care what you know until they know what you care

You can't move people to action unless you first move them with emotion.... The heart comes before the head.

The bottom line in managing your emotions is that you should put others – not yourself – first in how you handle and process them. Whether you delay or display your emotions should not be for your own gratification. You should ask yourself, What does the team need? Not, What will make me feel better?

When you realize that people treat you according to how they see themselves rather than how you really are, you are less likely to be affected by their behavior.

Leaders Who Attract Followers . . . Need to Be Needed Leaders Who Develop Leaders . . . Want to Be Succeeded

To lead yourself, use your head; to lead others, use your heart.

Great leaders always seem to embody two seemingly disparate qualities. They are both highly visionary and highly practical.

Everyone is a leader because everyone influences someone.

Leadership is more disposition than position—influence others from wherever you are.

When people respect you as a person, they admire you. When they respect you as a friend, they love you. When they respect you as a leader, they follow you.

The goal of confrontation should be to help, not to humiliate.

He knows that in leadership cleverness is not as important as content, that charisma and dash are not as vital as character and doctrine.

President Abraham Lincoln said, “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.

Successful people do daily what unsuccessful people do occasionally. They practice daily disciplines. They implement systems for their personal growth. They make it a habit to maintain a positive attitude. At

The higher you want to climb, the more you need leadership. The greater the impact you want to make, the greater your influence needs to be.

anyone can steer the ship, but it takes a leader to chart the course. Leaders who are good navigators are capable of taking their people just about anywhere.

The bottom line in leadership isn't how far we advance ourselves but how far we advance others.

Good leaders ask great questions that inspire others to dream more, think more, learn more, do more, and become more.

If you don't contradict yourself on a regular basis, then you're not thinking.

Nobody achieves anything great by giving the minimum. No teams win championships without making sacrifices and giving their best.

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.

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.

First, when we are busy, we naturally believe that we are achieving. But busyness does not equal productivity. Activity is not necessarily accomplishment. Second, prioritizing requires leaders to continually think ahead, to know what's important, to know what's next, to see how everything relates to the overall vision. That's hard work. Third, prioritizing causes us to do things that are at the least uncomfortable and sometimes downright painful.

Being in power is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't." If

Be more concerned about making others feel good about themselves than you are in making them feel good about you.

Position is a poor substitute for influence.

The challenge of leadership is to create change and facilitate growth.

Leadership is influence—nothing more, nothing less. If you are being salt and light as Jesus commanded, then you have begun to obey God’s call to leadership.

How people treat you is their karma. How you react is yours.” —Wayne W. Dyer

Every message that people receive is filtered through the messenger who delivers it.

As Thomas Jefferson proclaimed, “In matters of fashion, swim with the current. In matters of conscience, stand like a rock.

As people gain more authority, they often develop a lack of patience in listening to those under them. A deaf ear is the first indication of a closed mind.

John Maxwell says a budget (for your money) is telling your money where to go instead of wondering where it went. Managing time is the same; you will either tell your day what to do or you will wonder where it went.

It's not the position that makes the leader; it's the leader that makes the position.

You cannot kindle afire in any other heart until it is burning within your -ELEANOR DOAN

القادة هم المسئولون عن الرؤية التابعين غالبا ً لا يستطيعون رؤية المستقبل كما يراه القائد .

Leadership is responsible. Losing is unacceptable. Passion is unquenchable. Creativity is essential. Quitting is unthinkable. Commitment is unquestionable. Victory is inevitable.

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.

The beauty of trust is that it erases worry and frees you to get on with other matters. Trust means confidence.” —Stephen M.R. Covey

Dentists encourage us to use dental floss daily to promote the health of our teeth; we need to use mental floss to get rid of old thinking and promote the health of our leadership.

Never complain about what you allow.

If you want to do a few small things right, do them yourself. If you want to do great things and make a big impact, learn to delegate.

When people follow a leader because they have to, they will do only what they have to. People don’t give their best to leaders they like least. They give reluctant compliance, not commitment. They may give their hands but certainly not their heads or hearts.

To lead any way other than by example, we send a fuzzy picture of leadership to others. If we work on improving ourselves first and make that our primary mission, then others are more likely to follow.

You don’t really understand people until you hear their life story. If you know their stories, you grasp their history, their hurts, their hopes and aspirations. You put yourself in their shoes. And just by virtue of listening and remembering what’s important to them, you communicate that you care and desire to add value.

We need to decide how we want to be treated. Then we need to begin treating others in that manner.

Everything rises and falls on leadership.

You cannot always control what happens to you, but you can control what happens in you.

Eleanor Roosevelt commented, "Life is like a parachute jump; you've got to get it right the first time.

If you pair excellence with humility, people not only won’t run over you, they will respect you.

Your values are the soul of your leadership, and they drive your behavior.

When talented teams don’t win, examine the leadership.

Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.

Don’t worry about making friends; don’t worry about making enemies. Worry about winning, because if you win, your enemies can’t hurt you, and if you lose, your friends can’t stand you.

The book you don’t read can’t help you; the seminar you won’t attend can’t change your life. The business gets better when you get better. Never wish it were easier, wish you were better.

The effectiveness of your work will never rise above your ability to lead and influence others. You cannot produce consistently on a level higher than your leadership. In other words, your leadership skills determine the level of your success-and the success of those who work around you.

As a leader, you don’t earn any points for failing in a noble cause. You don’t get credit for being “right” as you bring the organization to a halt. Your success is measured by your ability to actually take the people where they need to go. But you can do that only if the people first buy into you as a leader.

Good leaders motivate others by their listening skills. We are to: avoid prejudicial first impressions; become less self-centered; withhold initial criticism; stay calm; listen with empathy; be active listeners; clarify what we hear; and recognize the healing power of listening. Then we are to act on what we hear

Asking and hearing people’s opinions has a greater effect on them than telling them, ‘Good job.’ ” —Sam Walton

When values, thoughts, feelings, and actions are in alignment, a person becomes focused and his character is strengthened. That allows a leader to lead himself successfully.

believe leadership is servanthood. It’s my responsibility to make sure my people have what they need to succeed and get their work done.

If a man hasn’t discovered something he will die for, he isn’t fit to live.” —Martin Luther King Jr.

People who wait for the one great opportunity often keep waiting.

The happiest people are those who have invested their time in others. The unhappiest people are those who wonder how the world is going to make them happy.

When you like people and treat them like individuals who have value, you begin to develop influence with them. You develop trust.

We overestimate the event and underestimate the process. Every fulfilled dream occurred because of dedication.

Predetermine a course of action. Lay out your goals. Adjust your priorities. Notify key personnel. Allow time for acceptance. Head into action. Expect problems. Always point to the successes.

True leadership cannot be awarded, appointed, or assigned. It comes only from influence, and that cannot be mandated. It must be earned. The only thing a title can buy is a little time—either to increase your level of influence with others or to undermine it.

When special people touch our lives then suddenly we see how beautiful and wonderful our world can really be. They show us that our special hopes and dreams can take us far by helping us look inward and believe in who we are. They bless us with their love and joy through everything they give. When special people touch our lives they teach us how to live.

Real leadership is not seeking the applause from followers; real leadership is applauding the followers who become leaders.

People who do not believe in themselves have trouble believing in others.

There are two types of people in the business community: those who produce results and those who give you reasons why they didn’t.

Champions don’t become champions in the ring—they are merely recognized there.

Good leadership isn’t about advancing yourself. It’s about advancing your team. The

Leadership is getting people to work for you when they are not obligated.” —Fred W. Smith

It takes humility to seek feedback. It takes wisdom to understand it, analyze it and appropriately act on it.” —Stephen Covey

Few things will pay you bigger dividends in life than the time and trouble you take to understand people and build relationships. As

The greatest problem with communication is the illusion that it has been accomplished.

Almost every man wastes part of his life in attempts to display qualities he does not possess.

A team is a group of people who may not be equal in experience, talent, or education but in commitment.

God, when I am wrong, make me willing to change. When I am right, make me easy to live with. So strengthen me that the power of my example will far exceed the authority of my rank.

H. Nelson Jackson said, “I do not believe you can do today’s job with yesterday’s methods and be in business tomorrow.

Each day is an unrepeatable miracle. Today will never happen again, so we must make it count.

Leaders who leadershift must be like water. They have to be fluid. Water finds a way, then makes a way.

The happiest day of your life will be the day when you realize “we” really is the most important word in the English language.

Management is about persuading people to do things they do not want to do, while leadership is about inspiring people to do things they never thought they could.” —STEVE JOBS

As the renowned leadership expert John Maxwell says, “Successful and unsuccessful people do not vary greatly in their abilities. They vary in their desires to reach their potential.

Leaders see everything with a leadership bias. Their focus is on mobilizing people and leveraging resources to achieve their goals rather than on using their own individual efforts. Leaders who want to succeed maximize every asset and resource they have for the benefit of their organization. For that reason, they are continually aware of what they have at their disposal.

Leadership is often misunderstood. When people hear that someone has an impressive title or an assigned leadership position, they assume that individual to be a leader. Sometimes that’s true. But titles don’t have much value when it comes to leading.

If you lead a team, start asking questions and really listening. Start valuing the contributions of your teammates ahead of your own. And remember that when the best idea wins, so does the entire team.

Most of us think wonderful things about people, but they never know it. Too many of us tend to be tight-fisted with our praise. It’s of no value if all you do is think it; it becomes valuable when you impart it.

What do the people closest to you value? Make a list of the most important people in your life-from home, work, church, hobbies, and so on. After making the list, write what each person values most. Then rate yourself on a scale of 1 (poorly) to 10 (excellently) on how well you relate to that person's values. If you can't articulate what someone values or you score lower than an 8 in relating to that person, spend more time with him or her to improve.

5. Each person’s leadership is best exercised in his or her area of giftedness (v. 31). When we discover our gifts, we will naturally lead in those areas where we are most productive, intuitive, comfortable, influential, and satisfied.

Leadership is often misunderstood. When people hear that someone has an impressive title or an assigned leadership position, they assume that individual to be a leader. Sometimes that’s true. But titles don’t have much value when it comes to leading. True leadership cannot be awarded, appointed, or assigned. It comes only from influence, and that cannot be mandated. It must be earned. The only thing a title can buy is a little time—either to increase your level of influence with others or to undermine it.

Whom to Invite to Your Table As you bring people to your table to share ideas, be selective about whom you pick. Choose people who Understand the value of questions Desire the success of others Add value to others’ thoughts Are not threatened by others’ strengths Can emotionally handle quick changes in the conversation Understand their place of value at the table Bring out the best thinking in the people around them Have experienced success in the area under discussion Leave the table with a “we” attitude, not a “me” attitude

if you have a positive, joyous outlook, the joy you share will be returned to you.

Blessed are those who can give without remembering and take without forgetting.”149 That’s at the core of not keeping score. If

Uniformity is not the key to successful teamwork. The glue that holds a team together is unity of purpose.

What’s the key to relating to others? It’s putting yourself in someone else’s place instead of putting them in their place.

The measure of a leader is not the number of people who serve him but the number of people he serves.

how we view a person is reflected by how we treat a person.

if you don’t have peace, it isn’t because someone took it from you; you gave it away. You cannot always control what happens to you, but you can control what happens in you.

A deaf ear is the first indication of a closed mind.

Everything rises and falls on leadership. —John Maxwell

distinct vision, a precise plan, plenty of resources, and incredible leadership, but if you don’t have the right people, you’re not going to get anywhere.

Confidence equals contentment with self; contentment is knowing you have all you need for the present circumstances.

This is true. What a man is survives him. It can

Disappointment comes when reality falls short of our expectations. But nothing falls short of God’s expectations because He knows everything.

people who do not forgive are hurting themselves much more than they’re hurting others.

Leadership has less to do with position than it does disposition.

Don’t let your mandate come from the grumbling of the crowd. Get your cues from God and the mission He has given you.

When I teach and mentor leaders, I remind them that if they stop learning, they stop leading

The two most important words: Thank you

Think the best, believe the best, and express the best in others.

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.

to act on what you learn is all that really matters.

The future belongs to the curious. The ones who are not afraid to try it, explore it, poke at it, question it, and turn it inside out.

As a leader, you should not be trying to carry everything yourself. To be successful, you must share the load. But you must have highly capable people to hand things off to.

True leadership cannot be awarded, appointed, or assigned.

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. I

The only thing that walks back from the tomb with the mourners and refuses to be buried is the character of a man. This is true. What a man is survives him. It can never be buried. " -J. R. MILLER

Clearly, if leaders have a strong set of ethical values and live them out, then people will respect them, not just their position. Immature leaders try to use their position to drive high performance.

Humility is not denying your strengths. Humility is being honest about your weaknesses. All of us are a bundle of both great strengths and great weaknesses and humility is being able to be honest about both.

People who lead for selfish reasons seek… Power: They love control and will continue to add value to themselves by reducing the value of others. Position: Titles are their ego food. They continually make sure that others feel their authority and know their rights as a leader. Money: They will use people and sell themselves for financial gain. Prestige: Their looking good is more important to them than their being and doing good.

Too many leaders are like bad travel agents. They send people places they have never been. Instead, they should be more like tour guides, taking people places they have gone and sharing the wisdom of their own experiences.

the leader’s prayer written by Pauline H. Peters: “God, when I am wrong, make me willing to change. When I am right, make me easy to live with. So strengthen me that the power of my example will far exceed the authority of my rank.

Leadership is a moving target, and it always will be. If you desire to become a better leader, get comfortable with change. And if you want to lead up, learn to think like a leader. Think people, think progress, and think intangibles.

God had to break Jacob to make him useful. In the breaking process, Jacob—the deceiving “heel-catcher”—became Israel, a “prince with God” who purposed to serve God rather than himself. Natural leaders often need to be broken. Consider your natural ability to lead a gift from God, but your character a gift to present back to God. Remember: Every time you stand up under the weight of adversity, you are being prepared, as Jacob was, to better serve God and lead people.

1. Experience: People who have been down the road of life and understand it. 2. Heart for God: People who place God first and uphold His values. 3. Objectivity: People who see the pros and cons of the issues. 4. Love for people: People who love others and value them more than things. 5. Complementary gifts: People who bring diverse gifts to the relationship. 6. Loyalty to the leader: People who truly love and are concerned for the leader. The Maxwell Leadership Bible

Walt Disney’s brother tells an amusing story about Walt’s budding genius as a fifth grader. The teacher assigned the students to color a flower garden. As she walked among the rows examining the student’s work she stopped by young Walt’s desk. Noting that his drawing was quite unusual, she remarked, “Walt, that’s not right. Flowers don’t have faces on them.” Confidently he replied, “Mine do!” and continued his work. And they still do; flowers at Disneyland and Disney World all have faces. An

if you are aware of a problem, it’s your responsibility to make a concerted effort to create a positive change. Quit pointing your finger and making excuses, and try being a catalyst by demonstrating and initiating the appropriate behavior. Determine not to be a reactor but an initiator.

Achievement comes to someone when he is able to do great things for himself. Success comes when he develops leaders to do great things for him. But a legacy is created only when a person puts his organization into the position to do great things without him. John C. Maxwell, The Twenty-one Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.

Contentment is taking your present situation—whatever obstacles you are facing, whatever limitation you are living with, whatever chronic condition wears you down, whatever has smashed your dreams, whatever factors and circumstances in life tend to push you under—and admitting you don’t like it but never saying, “I can’t cope with it.

The desires to innovate, to improve, to create, and to find a better way are all leadership characteristics.

Behavior that is rewarded is behavior that will continue.

if you want people to act right toward you, you act right toward them. And many times you’ll change them.

Prioritizing requires leaders to continually think ahead, to know what's important, to know what's next, to see how everything relates to the overall vision.

LEADERSHIP REQUIRES THE ABILITY TO DO MORE THAN ONE THING WELL

Questions + Listening = Quality Conversation. Quality Conversation = Quality Leadership.

If you're in the habit of listening only to the facts and not the person who expresses them, change your focus - and really listen.

you get the kind of behavior you reward. You don’t get what you hope for, ask for, wish for, or beg for. You get what you reward.

Opportunity doesn't come to the door knocking. You've got to go out and look for it.

Do you know how to die victoriously? Quit keeping score of the injustices that have happened to you.

No matter what you teach the child, he insists on behaving like his parents.

We teach what we know, but we reproduce what we are.

When you value all people, everybody wins.

While personal maturity may mean being able to see beyond yourself, leadership maturity means considering others before yourself.

Without the wise counsel and insightful answers I’ve received to questions over those decades, I wonder where I would be today.

It's not the position that makes the leader; it's the leader that makes the position. " -STANLEY HUFFTY

If you want to be the best leader you can possibly be, no matter how much or how little natural leadership talent you possess, you need to become a serving leader.

John W. Gardner observed, “If I had to name a single all-purpose instrument of leadership, it would be communication.

Leadership is influence.

The key to working smarter is knowing the difference between motion and direction. In the final analysis, results are what matter; attendance and activity don’t.

Realize that the guys who criticize will minimize the guys whose enterprise rises above the guys who criticize and minimize.

people who are busy rowing seldom have time to rock the boat.

The best way to become a person that others are drawn to is to develop qualities that we are attracted to in others.

The number-one reason most people lose arguments is not because they’re wrong; it’s because they don’t know when to quit.

If you really want to be an uncommon leader, you’re going to have to find a way to get much of your vision seen, implemented, and added to by others.

leaders who are effective are leaders who are disciplined in their daily lives.

When we’re more interested in telling people what to do than in listening to what they are presently doing, we are off balance.

It’s a simple thing to offer encouragement, but it can have a tremendous effect on someone’s life.

Success for the leader is a single victory. However, when the protégé experiences success, it becomes a double win.

Before you attempt to set things right, make sure you see things right.

The ability to ask the right question is more than half the battle of finding the answer.

How does a person become productive? Find your strength and then find someone who needs your strength.

If you are to become more sensitive, you must be willing to take a risk. Take the initiative to find a need and take action.

A leader with confidence is a leader who brings out positive changes in people.

The best way to develop rational, well-balanced confidence is to go after a few victories immediately following a failure.

Remember that success is just 15 percent product knowledge and it’s 85 percent people knowledge.

When you develop confidence, those around you—friends, family, and associates—will increase in their own confidence levels. Confidence breeds confidence.

2. God commanded both male and female to have dominion (v. 27). Both men and women have been given the ability and authority to lead. Leadership is not gender specific.

I will choose and display the right attitudes. I will determine and act upon important priorities. I will know and follow healthy guidelines. I will communicate with and care for my family. I will practice and develop good thinking. I will make and keep proper commitments. I will earn and properly manage finances. I will deepen and live out my faith. I will accept and show responsibility. I will initiate and invest in solid relationships. I will plan for and model generosity. I will embrace and practice good values. I will seek and experience improvements.

The respect that leadership must have requires that one’s ethics be without question. A leader not only stays above the line between right and wrong, he stays well clear of the ‘gray areas.

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.

Transformation is within reach of anyone who is willing to change themselves, live good values value people, and collaborate with others to bring about lasting positive change. p182 Change Your World

Integrity: The leader’s life and words match. Justice: The leader rejects dishonest gain. Convictions: The leader’s values won’t allow him or her to accept bribes. Positive focus: The leader refuses to dwell on destructive issues. Pure: The leader disciplines his or her mind to remain clean and pure. Secure: The leader is firm, stable in his identity and source of strength. The Maxwell Leadership Bible

People must have affirmation and praise in order to maintain a high level of performance. Withholding negative or critical comments is not nearly as important as giving positive input through compliments and praise.

If you don't already have a mentor, go out and find one. If you can't get someone to help you in person, begin the process by reading books. That's where I got started. The main thing is to get the process under way.

My friend John Maxwell says a budget (for your money) is telling your money where to go instead of wondering where it went. Managing time is the same; you will either tell your day what to do or you will wonder where it went. The weird thing is that the more efficient, on task, on goal you are with your time, the more energy you have. Working with no traction, or for that matter simply wasting away a day, does not relax you, it drains you. Have you ever taken a day off, slept late, wandered around with no plan or thought for the day, watched some stupid rerun of a bad movie as you surfed the TV, and at the end of your great day off found yourself absolutely exhausted? Strange as it may seem, when you work a daily plan in pursuit of your written goals that flow from your mission statement born of your vision for living your dreams, you are energized after a tough long day.

As you interact with people, you certainly want to pay attention to the factual content of the conversation. But don't ignore the emotional content. Sometimes you can learn more about what's really going on by reading between the lines.

Some people want to put restrictions on themselves according to their talent, intelligence, or experience. Others worry about their age. But with God, one person can always make a difference, regardless of circumstances or situation. And age means nothing to Him. When Jesus fed the five thousand, a boy provided the loaves and fishes (John 6:1-13). And in the case of Noah, when it began to rain and he entered the ark, he was six hundred years old! You’re never too old—or too young—to make a difference for God.

There are, essentially, two compelling reasons why I believe the reading public should care about Fred and his work: First, he recognized the critical importance of learning during the earliest years. No one better understood how essential it is for proper social, emotional, cognitive, and language development to take place in the first few years of life. And no one did more to convince a mass audience in America of the value of early education. Second, he provided, and continues to provide, exemplary moral leadership. Fred Rogers advanced humanistic values because of his belief in Christianity, but his spirituality was completely eclectic; he found merit in all faiths and philosophies. His signature value was human kindness; he lived it and he preached it, to children, to their parents, to their teachers, to all of us everywhere who could take the time to listen.

Everyone of us has her/his own niche in life. There are lot of people I look up to, they inspire me and they will always influence my life. Here are some of those inspirational figures and their niches: . Kenneth Hagin- A man of faith . Myles Munroe- A man of Kingdom of God . Mike Murdock- A man of wisdom . Casey Treat- A man that has a heart for orphans . Oscar Nkosi- A grounded teacher of God's word . Matthew Ashimolowo- A man who raises champions . John Maxwell- A man of leadership . Reinhard Bonnke- A man of winning souls . Mark Chironna- A man that delivers the fresh word from above.

Integrity is your best friend. And it’s also one of the best friends that your friends will ever have. When the people around you know that you’re a person of integrity, they know that you want to influence them because of the opportunity to add value to their lives. They don’t have to worry about your motives.

We had better want the consequences of what we believe or disbelieve, because the consequences will come! . . . But how can a society set priorities if there are no basic standards? Are we to make our calculations using only the arithmetic of appetite? . . . The basic strands which have bound us together socially have begun to fray, and some of them have snapped. Even more pressure is then placed upon the remaining strands. The fact that the giving way is gradual will not prevent it from becoming total. . . . Given the tremendous asset that the family is, we must do all we can within constitutional constraints to protect it from predatory things like homosexuality and pornography. . . . Our whole republic rests upon the notion of “obedience to the unenforceable,” upon a tremendous emphasis on inner controls through self-discipline. . . . Different beliefs do make for different behaviors; what we think does affect our actions; concepts do have consequences. . . . Once society loses its capacity to declare that some things are wrong per se, then it finds itself forever building temporary defenses, revising rationales, drawing new lines—but forever falling back and losing its nerve. A society which permits anything will eventually lose everything! Take away a consciousness of eternity and see how differently time is spent. Take away an acknowledgement of divine design in the structure of life and then watch the mindless scurrying to redesign human systems to make life pain-free and pleasure-filled. Take away regard for the divinity in one’s neighbor, and watch the drop in our regard for his property. Take away basic moral standards and observe how quickly tolerance changes into permissiveness. Take away the sacred sense of belonging to a family or community, and observe how quickly citizens cease to care for big cities. Those of us who are business-oriented are quick to look for the bottom line in our endeavors. In the case of a value-free society, the bottom line is clear—the costs are prohibitive! A value-free society eventually imprisons its inhabitants. It also ends up doing indirectly what most of its inhabitants would never have agreed to do directly—at least initially. Can we turn such trends around? There is still a wealth of wisdom in the people of this good land, even though such wisdom is often mute and in search of leadership. People can often feel in their bones the wrongness of things, long before pollsters pick up such attitudes or before such attitudes are expressed in the ballot box. But it will take leadership and articulate assertion of basic values in all places and in personal behavior to back up such assertions. Even then, time and the tides are against us, so that courage will be a key ingredient. It will take the same kind of spunk the Spartans displayed at Thermopylae when they tenaciously held a small mountain pass against overwhelming numbers of Persians. The Persians could not dislodge the Spartans and sent emissaries forward to threaten what would happen if the Spartans did not surrender. The Spartans were told that if they did not give up, the Persians had so many archers in their army that they would darken the skies with their arrows. The Spartans said simply: “So much the better, we will fight in the shade!

When you realize that people treat you according to how they see themselves rather than how you really are, you are less likely to be affected by their behavior. Your self-image will reflect who you are, not how you’re treated by others. You will not be riding an emotional roller roaster. This type of stability will have a tremendous effect on how you feel toward and deal with others. The key to successful relationships really gets down to responsibility. I am responsible for how I treat others. I may not be responsible for how they treat me, but I am responsible for my reaction to those who are difficult. I can’t choose how you’ll treat me, but I can choose how I will respond to you.

One of the most important things you can do as a leader is make sure you and your organization are delivering what you promised. The question I ask to make an assessment of this is “Did we exceed expectations?” This ensures my future success and that of my organization. The future is dim professionally for anyone who doesn’t exceed the expectations of customers or clients.

Only a leader who has followed well knows how to lead others well. Good leadership requires an understanding of the world that followers live in. Connecting with your people becomes possible because you have walked in their shoes. You know what it means to be under authority and thus have a better sense of how authority should be exercised. In contrast, leaders who have never followed well or submitted to authority tend to be prideful, unrealistic, rigid, and autocratic. “Civilization

Courageous Leadership Simply Means I’ve Developed: 1. Convictions that are stronger than my fears. 2. Vision that is clearer than my doubts. 3. Spiritual sensitivity that is louder than popular opinion. 4. Self-esteem that is deeper than self-protection. 5. Appreciation for discipline that is greater than my desire for leisure. 6. Dissatisfaction that is more forceful than the status quo. 7. Poise that is more unshakeable than panic. 8. Risk taking that is stronger than safety seeking. 9. Right actions that are more robust than rationalization. 10. A desire to see potential reached more than to see people appeased. You don’t have to be great to become a person of courage. You just need to want to reach your potential and to be willing to trade what seems good in the moment for what’s best for your potential. That’s something you can do regardless of your level of natural talent. —Talent Is Never Enough MAKE A SMALL DECISION TODAY THAT WILL INCREASE YOUR CONFIDENCE AND LEADERSHIP COURAGE.

One of the ways Coach Wooden used to do that was to ask his players to acknowledge the skills and contributions of others. He told each player that if a teammate made a great pass or set a pick that allowed him to score, he should acknowledge the teammate on the way back down the court. One time a player asked, “Coach, if we do that, what if the teammate that made the assist isn’t looking?” Coach Wooden replied, “He will always be looking.” Coach knew that people look for and thrive on acknowledgment and appreciation.

Insecure leaders are dangerous - to themselves, their followers, and the organizations they lead. That's because a leadership position becomes an amplifier of personal flaws. Whatever negative baggage you have in life only gets heavier when you're trying to lead others. Unsure leaders have several common traits: 1. They don't provide security for others - To become an effective leader, you need to make your followers feel good about themselves. 2. They take more from people than they give - Insecure people are on a continual quest for validation, acknowledgment, and love. Because of that, their focus is on finding security, not instilling it in others. 3. They continually limit their best people - Show me an insecure leader, and I'll show you someone who cannot genuinely celebrate victories. The leader might even take credit personally for the best work of the team. 4. They continually limit their organization - When followers are undermined and receive no recognition, they become discouraged and eventually stop performing at their potential. And when that happens, the entire organization suffers.

ahead with others unless they are willing to get behind others. How can we do that? How can we become more likable? By doing the following: Make a choice to care about others. Liking people and caring about people is a choice within your control. If you haven’t already, make that choice. Look for something that is likable about every person you meet. It’s there. Make it your job to find it. Discover what is likable about yourself and do whatever you can to share that with every person you meet. Make the effort every day to express what you like about every person in your life.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep 10“Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven. 11“For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.a 12“What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? 13“And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. 14“Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.