“When you realize that people treat you according to how they see themselves rather than how you really are, you are less likely to be affected by their behavior. Your self-image will reflect who you are, not how you’re treated by others. You will not be riding an emotional roller roaster. This type of stability will have a tremendous effect on how you feel toward and deal with others. The key to successful relationships really gets down to responsibility. I am responsible for how I treat others. I may not be responsible for how they treat me, but I am responsible for my reaction to those who are difficult. I can’t choose how you’ll treat me, but I can choose how I will respond to you.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Do not take the agenda that someone else has mapped out for your life.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Stay focused instead of getting offended or off track by others.”
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John C. Maxwell
“I remember looking at myself in the mirror one morning and thinking, I am not a handsome guy. What am I going to do with a face like this? Then I smiled. And I thought, That helps.”
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John C. Maxwell
“The one thing you need to know about teamwork is that there is more than one thing you need to know about teamwork.”
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John C. Maxwell
“The difference between average people and achieving people is their perception of and response to failure.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Good ideas must be shared, improved upon with the help of other good thinkers, and then they must be implemented and acted upon.”
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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.”
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John C. Maxwell
“There is no future in any job. The future lies in the person who holds the job.”
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John C. Maxwell
“A sign of a great team leader is the proper placement of people.”
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John C. Maxwell
“The effectiveness of your work will never rise above your ability to lead and influence others. You cannot produce consistently on a level higher than your leadership. In other words, your leadership skills determine the level of your success-and the success of those who work around you.”
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John C. Maxwell
“Before you attempt to set things right, make sure you see things right.”
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John C. Maxwell
“The very essence of all power to influence lies in getting the other person to participate.” Influence is an invitation anyone can make to another person.”
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John C. Maxwell
“The Cost and Expectation of Leadership Leviticus 7:33–35 Aaron, like many leaders throughout history, received a divine calling. God chose Aaron and his sons to serve as Israel’s priests and charged them with carrying out rituals and sacrifices on behalf of all Israelites. Scripture gives meticulous detail to their ordination and calling. Their conduct was to be beyond reproach—and God made it crystal clear that failure to uphold His established guidelines would result in death. Numerous accounts in the Book of Leviticus demonstrate the high cost and expectation that goes with a holy calling to leadership positions. As the high priest, Aaron was the only one authorized to enter the Most Holy Place and appear before the very presence of God. The Lord set Aaron apart for his holy work. Despite his high calling, Aaron struggled with his authority and later caved in to the depraved wishes of the people. He failed at a crucial juncture and led Israel in a pagan worship service, an abomination that led to the deaths of many Israelites. Aaron had been set apart for God’s service, but he chose to live and lead otherwise. The failure of a leader usually results in consequences far more grave than the fall of a non-leader. On the day Aaron failed, “about three thousand men of the people fell [died]” (Ex. 32:28). When leaders fail, followers pay the price.”
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John C. Maxwell