John C. Maxwell's Blog, page 20

Creating Your Own Luck

This week, for a new project, I had the opportunity to sit down and talk leadership with Rick Hendrick at his headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was a wonderful day, and I came away with something that I want to share with you, because I think it will be of tremendous value.Now, if you don’t know Rick, that’s okay. He’s a good friend, and in addition to being a successful businessman, he also happens to be a phenomenal leader. In fact, Rick is such a great leader that he’s able to...

The View from the Top of the Hill

Everything worthwhile is uphill.I’ve been saying that a lot lately. Because it’s a fact. Almost everything that has value, almost everything that has purpose, requires work on our part to attain it. We have to put in the effort to get what to where we want to go.Think about it – you want a good marriage? You have to work at it. You want a good career? You have to work at it. You want to change your life, achieve a goal, do something you’ve never done before? You have to work at it.Nothing tha...

Celebrating Your Freedoms

This past weekend, millions of Americans celebrated the 4th of July. The holiday, often referred to as America’s birthday, is usually filled with cookouts, fireworks and flags, all in the name of celebrating freedom. Because America is founded on the idea of freedom.Freedom is so ingrained in America’s DNA that it’s woven into our very laws as a country. In fact, in the first amendment of the Constitution alone, all American citizens are guaranteed the freedom to practice their religion, to s...

Taking Your Leadership Out of the Office

Over the past few weeks, I’ve written to you about the concepts of leading up, leading across, and leading down. I hope you’ll explore the whole series, if you haven’t already. All of these ideas are explored in my book The 360 Leader, and I’ve been blown away by so many of the comments left on the posts. So much so that I wanted to encourage you as a 360 leader one more time.And I’m especially excited about this week’s post because I think it has the potential to help you transform your life...

A Quick Checkup on Leading Down

An elderly man sat nervously on the bench in his doctor’s waiting room. A younger fellow came in and took a seat next to him, and couldn’t help but notice the older man’s poor posture. When the nurse called the old man back, the younger man noticed he stooped over, his legs shook, and he seemed on the verge of falling over.“Man,” the young fellow mused, “that old man is in rough shape.”A few minutes later, the door to the doctor’s office opened up and the old man emerged. Only now he was stan...

Learning to Lead Your Peers

What would you do to win?Not too long after I graduated from college, I was invited back to my high school to play in an alumni basketball game. I was thrilled to be asked back, and as we were warming up before the game, I noticed that the player I’d been assigned to guard was a very quick point guard. As he zipped around with the ball, I realized he was faster than me – and I developed a simple, but less than ideal, strategy for victory.The first time he tried to drive the ball to the hoop,...

Facing the Challenge of Leading Up

Imagine yourself inside a crowded movie theater. You’ve got your popcorn and soft drink, and you’ve settled into your seat to enjoy a new thriller. After the movie starts, you munch happily away as the story takes off and begins to build. Then, about halfway through the movie, the tension mounts. The main character keeps making all kinds of silly mistakes that no one with common sense would make.Suddenly, as the hero reaches for a door you know he shouldn’t open, you can’t handle it anymore....

Bounce Back from Your Setback

Do you know any rubber-band people?Chances are you do. They’re the people who, no matter what happens to them, always seem to bounce back. They may experience an illness, a family tragedy, or a run of bad luck, but it never seems to keep them down. Life can stretch them to their breaking point, but – like a rubber band – they always find a way back to their original shape.Would you like to know their secret?Resilience.Resilience is the ability of an object to return to form after it’s been be...

The Power of Sacrifice

Everything worthwhile is uphill. I’ve been saying this for a while now, but the more I think about it, the more I know it’s true. Whether you’re talking about personal growth, personal health, business or some other aspect of life, nothing of value is easy. The precious things in life require something in exchange.It reminds me of a quote from missionary Jim Elliott: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”Leaders are well aware of the need to sacrifice. The...

Four Questions to Ask Before Moving On

Have you ever felt like you were out of place? That where you are, isn’t where you’re supposed to be?I was talking with someone the other day, and he made a statement that really connected with me. He’s got a successful and fulfilling career. But that day he confessed that lately he’d had the sense that something was missing. He said to me, “I just feel like there’s something more for me to do. Not exactly that I’m meant for more, but like I’ve got more to give.” Then he asked, “How do I know...