John C. Maxwell's Blog, page 30

How Do I Change My Mindset from that of a Producer to that of a Leader?

I wrote my new book, Good Leaders Ask Great Questions because I believe that questions are the key to opening many doors in our lives. In addition to teaching about why and how to ask questions, I devoted a large part of the book to a kind of Q and A session between me and many of you.The questions that I address came from readers of this blog and my social media posts. My team and I took the most-asked questions out of hundreds of submissions and pared them down to the best seventy. They’re...

A Leader’s Bucket List

In 2007, The Bucket List starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman popularized the idea of writing down your life dreams—things you aspire to do before you “kick the bucket”—and finding a way to make them happen. This lesson introduces a different sort of “bucket list,” one that’s intended to help you gain wisdom rather than to fulfill wishes.Everyone we meet has the potential to teach us something. Of all the sources of knowledge available to us in the Digital Age, the richest repository of...

Asking for Change

People rarely do things for your reasons. They are motivated by their own hopes, aims, and aspirations. A leader’s goal is not to sell her vision to the team, expecting them to buy into something external to them. Rather, the responsibility of the leader is to show how her vision connects with the needs and desires inside of each teammate. In this way, the vision is not so much sold as shared.Instead of putting others in their place, we need to put ourselves in their place, exchanging our per...

How Would You Work With A Difficult Leader Who Doesn’t Like You?

From Good Leaders Ask Great QuestionsIt’s difficult to work with someone you think doesn’t like you, especially when it’s your leader. Most people don’t respond to it well. They often do one of the following: Hide from the person: Many people go into avoidance mode. The good news is that there isn’t direct conflict. The bad news is that when we spend our energy hiding, we lose momentum. Hinder the person: Another common response is to become passive-aggressive. We don’t do anything directly d...

How Can You Be A Leader Right Where You Are, Even If You’re At The Bottom?

from Good Leaders Ask Great QuestionsI often hear this question from younger aspiring leaders. They want to apply my teaching to their current situation, but they don’t know how.The good news is that you can be a leader no matter where you are. You don’t need a title. You don’t need a position. You don’t need a formal education. All you need to begin is the desire to lead and the willingness to learn. The key is influence.Leadership Is InfluenceYou might have heard me say this before. But it’...

Man in the Mirror

I'm starting with the man in the mirrorI'm asking him to change his waysAnd no message could have been any clearerIf you wanna make the world a better placeTake a look at yourself, and then make a change~ Michael Jackson “Man in the Mirror”In leadership, the first person we must examine is ourselves. That’s the Mirror Principle. If our self-perception is distorted, then our attempts to influence others will be misguided or even manipulative.The first person I must know is myself; this brings...

Stopping the Dream from Slipping Through Your Grasp

Having a dream is like holding a glass figurine—it’s fragile and will shatter as soon as you let go of it. As poet Langston Hughes advised, we must “Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.” What does it mean to cling tenaciously to a dream?For starters, we keep hold of our dream by refusing to let adverse circumstances dissuade us from following it. Quitting is more about who we are than where we are. Most people give up on their dream far too qui...

Standard of Living, Self-Actualization, or Significance…What Are You Shooting For?

Truly great men and women are not acclaimed because of what they own and earn. Nor are they admired merely on account of their talents or level of professional performance. Rather, they’re respected because of their willingness to give themselves to people and purposes that will live beyond them.Some people don’t even dare to dream. The unstated goal of their daily routine is simply to stay afloat. Everyone goes through seasons during which they fight just to keep their heads above water. How...

The Cost Question: Are You Willing to Pay the Price for Your Dream?

Thirty years ago, Mary Lou Retton vaulted into stardom at the 1984 Olympic Games, becoming the first American to win gold in the women’s all-around gymnastics competition. She wowed the world with her amazing mix of grace, power, and dexterity. Her Olympic triumph, combined with her buoyant, bubbly personality made her an instant media sensation.The speed with which Retton attained celebrity masked the years of sacrifice, dedication, and determined effort during which the little girl from Wes...

Give Your Dream a Team

If you’re dreaming big, then the size of your vision will surpass your present abilities. Not only that, but your dream will even dwarf your potential abilities. No matter how much you grow and develop, you won’t ever be able to accomplish the dream alone. One is too small a number to achieve greatness.Every dream needs a team in order to come true. The questions are who to include on the team and how to convince them to join.Who should I include on my dream team?Life is especially hard on dr...