Skip to main content

“Concentrate more on your duties than your dreams.”

A thought by John C. Maxwell from his book,  How to Lead When Your Boss Can't (or Won't)  (p. 42). HarperCollins Leadership. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

A good attitude at what you do is so important.  It really is!

John says, “Noted composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein was once asked which instrument he considered to be the most difficult to play. After a moment he responded, ‘Second fiddle. I can get plenty of first violinists, but to find one who can play second fiddle with enthusiasm—that’s a problem.’ We can often become so focused on our dreams and goals that we lose sight of the responsibilities right in front of us.

“People who maintain a great attitude pay more attention to production than to promotion. If you consistently ‘deliver the goods,’ as poet Walt Whitman put it, you may eventually be noticed. But more importantly, if you do good work, you will be content with the job you do even at those times when others don’t recognize your efforts.”

He goes on, “Not everyone will understand or appreciate the work you do, so it’s important that you do. Every position has value, but too often we don’t value that position. You make what you do important by valuing it yourself and doing your best. If you despise the position you have, it may be because of what I call ‘destination disease’ or the ‘greener grass syndrome.’ If you focus your attention on being some other place because you think it’s better, then you will neither enjoy where you are nor do what you must to be successful. Stay in the present.”

John then says, “In his book, Good to Great (Harper Business, 2001), Jim Collins writes about ‘level five’ leaders. He says that these leaders, who lead their organizations quietly and humbly, are much more effective than flashy, charismatic, high-profile leaders. One of the reasons I believe that’s true is that good leaders understand they don’t really deserve all the credit for the success of an organization. Success comes from the people who get the work done.

“When you do a job well, and you know the impact of the work you did, let that give you great satisfaction. Let it motivate you. The definition of high morale is: ‘I make a difference.’ When you know you’re making a significant contribution, you need less external motivation and less praise from a boss who may never give it.”

We want to be content and satisfied with what we do and to make a difference, don’t we? 

Yes, yes!
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"Lie 2: The more you worry about it, the better your odds of avoiding it."

A thought by Louie Giglio in his book,   Winning the War on Worry    (p. 5). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Here is another lie that the Enemy uses with us. And Louie says, "This is a tricky lie. Yes, we often have cause for concern and preparation. But the Enemy wants you to believe that if you worry or fret over a certain outcome long enough, you can keep something bad from happening." But this is so important to realize. He says, "The reality is worrying has never once prevented something negative from happening. Planning might. Prayer has. But worry never will." He continues, "The Enemy tells you that by worrying about a situation (or every situation) you can make your tomorrow better. Really, worry just robs you of today. Jesus implored us: 'I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body mor...
Post a Comment
Read more

“There’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.”

A thought by Bob Goff from his book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People ( p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)   Have you ever built a sand castle or maybe a Lego castle?   Have you? Bob says, “We actually build castles all the time, out of our jobs and our families and the things we’ve purchased. Sometimes we even make them out of each other. Some of these castles are impressive too. Lots of people come to admire what we’ve built over the course of our lives and tell us what great castles we have. But Jesus told His friends we weren’t supposed to spend our lives building castles. He said He wanted us to build a kingdom, and there’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.” Bob goes on, “You see, castles have moats to keep creepy people out, but kingdoms have bridges to let everyone in. Castles have dungeons for people who ha...
Post a Comment
Read more

"To put it simply, worry isn’t just a bad habit."

A thought by Louie Giglio in his book,   Winning the War on Worry    (p. 1). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Ok, that is interesting. Louie says, "Worry is an Enemy tactic—a strategy built on lies that are designed to rob you of peace and tear your mind to pieces. "That’s why it’s crucial that you are able to spot the lies worry tells." He goes on, "Not long ago while on safari in South Africa, Shelley and I were really wanting to see a leopard in the wild. Early and late on our game drives our eyes were set on every tree limb, bush, grassy hill, and river path in hopes of finding one of several leopards that were known to frequent this particular area. But here’s the thing: leopards aren’t bright orange with tall, sparkly antennae on their backs. They are designed to blend into the surroundings, like the bark of a baobab tree where they might be lounging on one of its mighty branches. "In the same way, ...
Post a Comment
Read more