John Maxwell is authored more than 100 books on the topics of leadership, capacity, teamwork, relationships, attitude, success, personal growth, and communication. The 15 invaluable laws of Growth, The 5 Levels of leadership, How to be Real Success, the 21 Irrefutable Laws of leadership, The 17 Indisputable laws of Teamwork, The 360º Leader , etc.
1. Your attitude and your potential go hand in hand.
2. When our attitude is positive and conducive to growth, the mind expands and the progress begins.
3. Leadership is inspiring others with a vision of what they can contribute.
4. Our attitude is the primary force that will determine whether we succeed or fail.
5. We are individually responsible for our view of life.
6. The promotions did not give that individual an outstanding attitude, but an outstanding attitude resulted in promotions.
7. Certainly aptitude is important to our success in life. Yet success or failure in any undertaking is caused more by mental attitude than by mere mental capacities.
8. Leadership is your heart speaking to the hearts of others.
9. Many times we have been guilty of viewing our future challenges as the sunset of life rather than the sunrise of a bright new opportunity.
For instance, there’s the story of two shoe salesmen who were sent to an island to sell shoes. The first salesman, upon arrival, was shocked to realize that no one wore shoes. Immediately he sent a telegram to his home office in Chicago saying, “Will return home tomorrow. No one wears shoes.”
The second salesman was thrilled by the same realization. Immediately he wired the home office in Chicago saying, “Please send me 10,000 shoes. Everyone here needs them.”
10. Leadership is the capacity to care, and in caring, to liberate the ideas, energy, and capacities of others.
11. In Awake, My Heart, J. Sidlow Baxter wrote, “What is the difference between an obstacle and an opportunity? Our attitude toward it. Every opportunity has a difficulty and every difficulty has an opportunity.”
12. No society has ever developed tough men during times of peace.
13. Leadership is being dissatisfied with the current reality.
14. Adversity is prosperity to those who possess a great attitude.
15. Few people knew Abraham Lincoln until the great weight of the Civil War showed his character.
16. Leadership is taking responsibility while others are making excuses.
17. When God wants to educate someone, He does not send him to the school of graces but to the school of necessities.
18. An uncommonly positive perspective is able to help us accomplish some uncommon goals
19. Leadership is the willingness to put oneself at risk.
20. In ancient Israel when Goliath came up against the Hebrews, the soldiers all thought, He’s so big we can never kill him. David looked at the same giant and thought, He’s so big I can’t miss.
21. Leadership is the passion to make a difference with others.
22. Leadership is the readiness to stand out in a crowd.
23. The future not only looks bright when the attitude is right, but also the present is much more enjoyable. The positive person understands that the journey of success is as enjoyable as the destination.
24. Effective leaders who reach their potential spend more time focusing on what they do well than on what they do wrong.
25. Asked which of his works he would select as his masterpiece, architect Frank Lloyd Wright, at the age of eighty-three, replied, “My next one.”
26. Leadership is seeing the possibilities in a situation while others are seeing the limitations.
27. Becoming a better leader pays dividends, but it takes great effort. Leadership requires a lot from a person. It is demanding and complex.
28. Leadership is the ability to submerge your ego for the sake of what is best.
29. Discernment can be described as the ability to find the root of the matter, and it relies on intuition as well as rational thought.
30. Don’t try to conquer the world until you’ve taken care of things in your own backyard.
31. Leadership is evoking in others the capacity to dream.
32. Growth equals change. If you want to get better, you have to keep changing and improving.
33. Don’t forget: in leadership, if you’re through growing, you’re through.