“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.”
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John C. Maxwell
“You learn resiliency and tenacity during tough assignments, not easy ones. When tough choices have to be made and results are difficult to achieve, leaders are forged.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Your attitude is like the minds paintbrush. It can paint everything in bright, vibrant colors-creating a masterspiece.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Influencing others is a matter of disposition, not position.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Successful leaders are like icebergs. When you look at an iceberg, you see only about 10 percent of it, and the rest of it is hidden under the water. When you look at successful leaders, you see only a fraction of their lives. You see the part that looks really good, but there’s usually a lot that remains hidden that’s neither exciting nor glamorous.”
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John C. Maxwell
“If a man hasn’t discovered something he will die for, he isn’t fit to live.” —Martin Luther King Jr.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Starting a business is like jumping out of an airplane without a parachute. In mid air, the entrepreneur begins building a parachute and hopes it opens before hitting the ground.”
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John C. Maxwell
“I strongly encourage you to find a place to think and to discipline yourself to pause and use it, because it has the potential to change your life. It can help you to figure out what’s really important and what isn’t. As writer and Catholic priest Henri J. M. Nouwen observed, “When you are able to create a lonely place in the middle of your actions and concerns, your successes and failures slowly can lose some of their power over you.”
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John C. Maxwell
“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” -John C. Maxwell”
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John C. Maxwell
“And you will have greater credibility with your leader if you admit your shortcomings and refrain from making excuses.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Eleanor Roosevelt commented, "Life is like a parachute jump; you've got to get it right the first time.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Leadership is the capacity and will to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character which inspires confidence. —Bernard Montgomery,”
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John C. Maxwell
