“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.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“The reason most major goals are not achieved is that we spend our time doing second things first.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“To reach your potential you must grow. And to grow, you must be highly intentional about it.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“Leadership is not about titles, positions or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“Reward only finished work: It’s good to praise effort, but you should never reward it.
―
John C. Maxwell
“The reality is that you will never get much done unless you go ahead and do it before you are ready.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“He who seeks one thing, and but one, May hope to achieve it before life is done. But he who seeks all things wherever he goes Must reap around him in whatever he sows A harvest of barren regret.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“to put it as philosopher-poet Ralph Waldo Emerson did, “To be simple is to be great.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“A good leader is a person who takes a little more than his share of the blame and a little less than his share of the credit.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“Effective teams have teammates who are constantly talking to one another.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“Leadership isn't about winning. It's about bringing people with you to the finish line.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“Cuando los líderes aprenden buenos valores y los viven, ellos mismos se hacen más valiosos e incrementan el valor de las demás personas.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“Las personas no quieren ser manejadas. Quieren ser dirigidas. ¿Alguien ha oído de un administrador mundial? De un líder mundial, sí. De un líder educativo, sí. De un líder político, religioso, explorador, comunitario, laboral, empresarial. Sí, ellos dirigen, no administran. La zanahoria siempre logra más que el látigo. Pregúntele a su caballo. Usted puede dirigir su caballo hacia donde hay agua, pero no puede obligarlo a beberla. Si usted quiere manejar a alguien, manéjese a usted mismo. Haga eso bien y estará listo para dejar de manejar y comenzar a dirigir.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“You can’t change where you started, but you can change the direction you are going. It’s not what you are going to do, but it’s what you are doing now that counts.”
―
John C. Maxwell
