John C. Maxwell's Blog, page 9

Possibility Thinking, Part One

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What would you do if you knew you wouldn’t fail?

I read this question long ago in Robert Schuller’s book, Move Ahead with Possibility Thinking. It resonated with me in way I couldn’t define. You see, growing up, I was surrounded by a culture that thought about avoiding failure—a community concerned with finding the safe routes to a safe life.

While I had my father and other mentors to help me think and dream bigger, the safe thinking of my community still...

Mark Cole: It’s Simple, But It Works!

Compliment people in front of people.

John Maxwell gave me this advice a long time ago. But what he didn’t realize was he gave me this advice through his actions long before he gave it to me through his words.

Complimenting people publicly, especially those that are on his team, is second nature to John. He does it constantly! No matter who it is—or what role they have on the team—John is always looking for a chance to compliment them.

Recently I was with Charlie Wetzel, who has been John’...

How Leaders Make Failure Their Friend

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What’s your definition of the word “failure”?

For some people, failure is a mistake of any kind. For others, failure is missing a set goal. For still others, failure is a constant state of being, a way of thinking about themselves and the world.

For leaders, failure is different.

J. Wallace Hamilton wrote, “The increase in [self-sabotaging behaviors] is evidence that many people are training for success when they should be training for failure. Failure is far...

Mark Cole: Change Is Necessary

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Remember the Peanuts cartoon with Snoopy, Charlie Brown and all his friends?

American cartoonist Charles M. Schulz wrote and illustrated the famous series which featured a group of young children and one memorable dog. In the strips, there were rarely any adults seen or heard, but the life lessons were no less power-packed!

In one of my favorite comic strips, Charlie Brown says to his friend Linus: “Perhaps you can give me an answer, Linus. What would you do...

Three Steps to Increase Your Capacity for Action

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I wish I could do more.

I hear that statement a lot from leaders around the world. The demands on their time, their skills, and their presence are always escalating, always making it seem like there’s never enough of the leader to go around.

Usually, the emphasis is on the more in that sentence: I wish I could do more. More meetings, more coaching, more decisions, more vision-casting. The escalation is in outputs, checked-off boxes that make those around us f...

Mark Cole: Growth is Worth It

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Earlier this week, John Maxwell wrote a blog post on A Leader’s Silent Investment. I was captivated by this thought and wanted to spend some time unpacking this further with you.

I fully affirm John’s belief that personal growth is a leaders greatest silent investment. Let’s break this down…

What makes personal growth silent? Well, just as John said, “it doesn’t speak up, it shows up!” Personal growth always shows up in your actions.

Why is personal growt...

A Leader’s Silent Investment

If you’re a young leader—whether that’s by age or experience—then I want to talk to you today. I don’t want to take up too much of your time, so I’ll cut to the chase:

Personal growth is a leader’s greatest silent investment.

By that I mean, it doesn’t speak up, it shows up.

When we’re growing, then the result of that choice is obvious in our actions. It shows up in our habits, our decisions, our responses to the challenges we face as a leader.

When we’re not growing, the result of that choi...

Mark Cole: You Need To Focus

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It’s true.

You need to focus–and so do I!

I chose to write on this topic this week because I have discovered that the more opportunities I’m involved with, the more difficult it is to engage in focused thinking.

We must face this hard truth about success: you will not achieve it if you are not willing to dedicate focus toward it.

In other words, there is no success without focus!

Here are a few observations on how being focused can make you successful.

Focu...

Mister Rogers: Leadership with Lasting Impact

What do you think of when you hear the word, “neighbor”?

Depending on your age, you’re likely to think of Fred Rogers.

Or, more accurately, Mister Rogers.

That’s because Mister Rogers is one of the most iconic television personalities in American history. A mild-mannered Pennsylvania man with a passion for encouraging children, Mister Rogers became synonymous with his public television show, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, where he delivered gentle wisdom to generations of kids.

Mister Rogers...

Mark Cole: Turn Mistakes into Success

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If you’re human, you are going to make mistakes. I love Denis Waitley’s perspective: “Mistakes are painful when they happen, but years later a collection of mistakes is what is called experience.”

John Maxwell says there are two kinds of people in regards to setbacks: splatters, who hit the bottom, fall apart and stay on the bottom; and bouncers, who hit rock bottom, pull themselves together, and bounce back up.

Here are a few thoughts that will help you turn...