Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by John C. Maxwell from his book,   How to Lead When Your Boss Can't (or Won't)    (p. 59). HarperCollins Leadership. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) This is good for all our relationships. Especially our difficult ones. John says, “When you take time to invest in relational chemistry with your leader, the eventual result will be trust—in other words, relational currency… When you do things that add to the relationship, you increase the change in your pocket. When you do negative things, you spend that change. If you keep doing things that your boss perceives as negative—whether they really are or not—you harm the relationship, and you can eventually spend all your change and bankrupt the relationship. “People with a lot of history who have invested in relational chemistry build up a lot of change in their pocket. As a result, the relationship can weather many problems or mistakes. Andy Stanley...

A thought by John C. Maxwell from his book, How to Lead When Your Boss Can't (or Won't) (p. 50). HarperCollins Leadership. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) And that’s not what we want, is it? John says, “The first natural reaction most people have when working for a bad boss is often to withdraw from him or her and build relational barriers. It comes from the urge to protect themselves. You need to fight that urge… If you allow yourself to develop contempt for the person, you’re hurting both of you. “Instead, build a relational bridge. Try to get to know him or her. Find common ground. Build a solid professional relationship… Your boss’s inability to lead doesn’t mean you have to make him or her your enemy.” John goes on, “Everybody has strengths—even an ineffective leader. Strive to find them in the person you work for. Maybe it won’t be easy. Maybe her strengths aren’t qualities you value or admire. That doe...

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 y...