“A young concert violinist was asked the secret of her success. She replied, “Planned neglect.” Then she explained, “When I was in school, there were many things that demanded my time. When I went to my room after breakfast, I made my bed, straightened the room, dusted the floor, and did whatever else came to my attention. Then I hurried to my violin practice. I found I wasn’t progressing as I thought I should, so I reversed things. Until my practice period was completed, I deliberately neglected everything else. That program of planned neglect, I believe, accounts for my success.”
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John C. Maxwell
“John Callen: “La habilidad más buscada, desde director general hasta el menor puesto, es la habilidad de comunicarse con la gente. La persona que pueda hacerlo en los negocios siempre será solicitada”
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John C. Maxwell
“Great minds have purposes; others have wishes. Little minds are subdued by misfortunes; but great minds rise above them.”
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John C. Maxwell
“It takes humility to seek feedback. It takes wisdom to understand it, analyze it and appropriately act on it.”
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John C. Maxwell
“How does a person become productive? Find your strength and then find someone who needs your strength.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Don’t settle for poor performers. Keep in mind that one great person will always out-produce and out-perform two mediocre people.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Nobody is a whole team . . . We need each other. You need someone and someone needs you. Isolated islands we’re not. To make this thing called life work, we gotta lean and support. And relate and respond. And give and take. And confess and forgive. And reach out and embrace and rely . . . Since none of us is a whole, independent, self-sufficient, super-capable, all-powerful hotshot, let’s quit acting like we are. Life’s lonely enough without our playing that silly role. The game is over. Let’s link up.”
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John C. Maxwell
“LEADERS Initiate Lead; pick up phone and make contact Spend time planning anticipate problems Invest time with people Fill the calendar by priorities FOLLOWERS React Listen; wait for phone to ring Spend time living day-to-day; react to problems Spend time with people Fill the calendar by requests”
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John C. Maxwell
“You cannot separate your identity from your perspective. All that you are and every experience you’ve had color how you see things. It is your lens.”
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John C. Maxwell
“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”
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John C. Maxwell
“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.
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John C. Maxwell
“My friend Olan Hendrix remarked, “Strategic thinking is like showering, you have to keep doing it.” If you expect to solve any major problem once, you’re in for disappointment. Little things can be won easily through systems and personal discipline. But major issues need major strategic thinking time. What Thane Yost said is really true: “The will to win is worthless if you do not have the will to prepare.” If you want to be an effective strategic thinker, then you need to become a continuous strategic thinker.”
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John C. Maxwell
“The way I like to measure greatness is . . . How many people can you make want to be better?” —WILL SMITH”
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John C. Maxwell
