Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by John C. Maxwell, from her book,  Leading in Tough Times  (p. 22). Center Street, Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) This is so important to see. John says, "Just because you have the right to do something as a leader doesn’t mean that it is the right thing to do. Changing your focus from rights to responsibilities is often a sign of maturity in a leader. Many of us are excited in early leadership years by the authority we have and what we can do with it. That power can be exhilarating, if not downright intoxicating. But each of us must strive to grow up and grow into a leadership role without relying on our rights. If we can mature in that way, we will start to change our focus from enjoying authority for its own sake to using authority to serve others." He goes on, "Inevitably, leaders who focus on their rights develop a sense of entitlement. They expect their people to serve them, rather than looking for ways to ser...

A thought by John C. Maxwell, from her book,  Leading in Tough Times  (p. 14). Center Street, Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) And we want to be successful. So, take that first step! Earlier John said, "The first step you must take as you approach tough times is to prepare yourself as a leader. You need to make yourself ready for the challenge of leading others through adversity. Of course, you must lead yourself well and make good choices. But you should also think about what kind of leader you want to be as you lead your team forward. Knowing yourself as a leader, what works best and is most effective for you and your team, is important at any time. But when you face new challenges or significant change that impacts the work environment and your goals, you need to really think through who you are going to be to your team and make sure that you remain true to your values, no matter how difficult the journey gets or how much pres...

A thought by John C. Maxwell, from her book,  Leading in Tough Times  (p. 11). Center Street, Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Having hope is so powerful. John says, "John W. Gardner, former secretary of health, education, and welfare, said, 'The first and last task of a leader is to keep hope alive—the hope that we can finally find our way through to a better world—despite the day’s action, despite our own inertness and shallowness and wavering resolve.' Hope is the foundation of change. If we continue to hold hope high, and we help others to do the same, there is always a chance to move forward and succeed." He goes on, "Productive organizations led by strong leaders are hard to beat. Their effectiveness is high, and so is their morale. Former general George C. Marshall said, 'Morale is the state of mind. It is steadfastness and courage and hope. It is confidence and zeal and loyalty.… It is staying power, the spir...

  A thought by John C. Maxwell, from her book,  Leading in Tough Times  (p. 8). Center Street, Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) So true, so true. John says, "One of the most challenging tasks any leader faces is being a change agent and leading people through tough times. But it can also be one of the most rewarding. Economist John Kenneth Galbraith asserted, 'All of the great leaders have had one characteristic in common: it was the willingness to confront unequivocally the major anxiety of their people in their time.' He goes on, "In tough times the people we lead find out who we are, and we also find out what we’re made of. As author Jack Kinder says, 'You’re not made in a crisis—you’re revealed. When you squeeze an orange—you get orange juice. When you squeeze a lemon—you get lemon juice. When a human being gets squeezed—you get what is inside—positive or negative.' "The best way to approach tough times is to...

A thought by John C. Maxwell, from her book,  Leading in Tough Times  (p. 5). Center Street, Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) It is a choice that will make a difference. John says, "The difference in the way they approach it depends on how they see it. Performance psychologist Jim Loehr says, 'Champions have taught us how to take an experience and essentially write the story of its effect. If you see a failure as an opportunity to learn and get better, it will be. If you perceive it as a mortal blow, it will be. In that way, the power of the story is more important than the experience itself.' " He goes on, "If you respond right to adversity, you see it as something that can help you to become better than you were before. I read a poem years ago by James Casey called 'Climb the Steep.' The first stanza says,  "For every hill I’ve had to climb  For every rock that bruised my feet  For all the blood and sweat ...

A thought by John C. Maxwell, from her book,  Leading in Tough Times  (p. 3). Center Street, Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) It sure does. John says, "It causes us to stop and look at our situation. And at ourselves if we have the courage. Adversity creates an opportunity for self-discovery. As the great Egyptian leader Anwar el-Sadat said, 'Great suffering builds up a human being and puts him within the reach of self-knowledge.' This I believe is true—if we embrace it." "One of my favorite books is As a Man Thinketh by James Allen. My father required me to read it when I was in my early teens. One of the ideas that left the strongest impression on me as a youth was this: 'Circumstance does not make the man; it reveals him to himself.' " John goes on, "Adversity comes to us as a teaching tool. You’ve probably heard the saying 'When the pupil is ready, the teacher will come.' That is not necess...

A thought by John C. Maxwell, from her book, Leading in Tough Times (p. 1). Center Street, Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Well, it is, isn't it? John says, "This is particularly a problem in America today. We expect a smooth and easy road to success. We expect our lives to be hassle-free. We expect the government to solve our problems. We expect to get the prize without having to pay the price. That is not reality! Life is hard." "He goes on, " In Life’s Greatest Lessons , Hal Urban writes,  "Once we accept the fact that life is hard, we begin to grow. We begin to understand that every problem is also an opportunity. It is then that we dig down and discover what we’re made of. We begin to accept the challenges of life. Instead of letting our hardships defeat us, we welcome them as a test of character. We use them as a means of rising to the occasion." John continues, "This reality is especially importa...