“In my first leadership position, I mistakenly thought that being named the leader meant that I was the leader. Back then I defined leading as a noun—as the position I was appointed to—not a verb—as what I was doing. Though I had been hired as the senior pastor, I quickly discovered the real leader of the church was a down-to-earth farmer named Claude, who had been earning his leadership influence through many positive actions over many years. He later explained it to me, saying, “John, all the letters”
―
John C. Maxwell
“The younger you are, the more likely you will give your attention to many things. That’s good because if you’re young you’re still getting to know yourself, your strengths and weaknesses. If you focus your thinking on only one thing and your aspirations change, then you’ve wasted your best mental energy. As you get older and more experienced, the need to focus becomes more critical. The farther and higher you go, the more focused you can be—and need to be.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“The more tuned in you are to your purpose, and the more dedicated you are to growing toward it, the better your chances of reaching your potential, expanding your possibilities, and doing something significant.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“Humility means knowing and using your strength for the benefit of others, on behalf of a higher purpose.” —ALAN ROSS”
―
John C. Maxwell
“I want to make a difference with people who want to make a difference, doing something that makes a difference.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“The unexamined life is not worth leading.” I would add that the unexamined leader is not worth following.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“part of the parenting process is helping children understand that they are not the center of the universe.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“When the leader lacks confidence, the followers lack commitment.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“you have to experience a lot of failure to achieve success. And the more failure you go through, the higher your success."
―
John C. Maxwell
“Enlightenment writer and philosopher Voltaire likened life to a game of cards. Players must accept the cards dealt to them. However, once they have those cards in hand, they alone choose how they will play them. They decide what risks and actions to take.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“to put it as philosopher-poet Ralph Waldo Emerson did, “To be simple is to be great.”
―
John C. Maxwell
“Recently I had breakfast with Dan Cathy, the president of Chick-fil-A, a fast food chain headquartered in the Atlanta area. I told him that I was working on this book and I asked him if he made thinking time a high priority. Not only did he say yes, but he told me about what he calls his “thinking schedule.” It helps him to fight the hectic pace of life that discourages intentional thinking. Dan says he sets aside time just to think for half a day every two weeks, for one whole day every month, and for two or three full days every year. Dan explains, “This helps me ‘keep the main thing, the main thing,’ since I am so easily distracted.” You may want to do something similar, or you can develop a schedule and method of your own. No matter what you choose to do, go to your thinking place, take paper and pen, and make sure you capture your ideas in writing.”
―
John C. Maxwell
