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Showing posts with the label No Limits

“Who we are inside is much more important than how others see us.”

A thought by John C. Maxwell (2017-03-07) from his book, No Limits: Blow the CAP Off Your Capacity (p. 189). Center Street. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) I know, I know, this is not a very exciting thought but it is a make a difference in who you really are thought. John shares, “Abraham Lincoln said, ‘Character was like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree was the real thing.’ Character represents who you really are on the inside: the moral and mental qualities that make you, you. And that is what speaks to people. It speaks more loudly than your words or the words others say about you. Your character represents you to the world.” John goes on, “Recently I had dinner with my friend Linda Kaplan Thaler, the advertising executive who invented the AFLAC duck. Linda told me a story about her son, Michael, who is a highly skilled chess player. When he was six years old, he was competing

“When it comes to expectations, leaders can never think, Set it and forget it.”

A thought by John C. Maxwell (2017-03-07) from his book, No Limits: Blow the CAP Off Your Capacity (p. 160). Center Street. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) As a Pastor, it was easy for me to get up and share a very good principle and then believe that was all I needed to do.   If I said it then things would change.   John said, “Recently I was teaching the Expectation Principle to a group of executives. I placed my hand on one executive’s back and held it there while I taught. I wanted people to have a visual image of how leaders need to maintain their connection with the people they lead. They must always feel the gentle pressure of the leader reminding them to keep moving forward. Why? Because the moment we remove our leadership hand off most people’s backs, their tendency is to settle. When it comes to expectations, leaders can never think, Set it and forget it. People rarely lead themselves forward or correct themselves when they

“If questions unlock the door, listening keeps the door open.”

A thought by John C. Maxwell (2017-03-07) from his book, No Limits: Blow the CAP Off Your Capacity (p. 156). Center Street. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) This is such practical advice, isn’t it? John says, “Questions start the conversation, but listening encourages it to continue. Listening shows that I want to understand someone before I try to be understood by them. Questions + Listening = Quality Conversation. Quality Conversation = Quality Leadership.” He goes on, “I had to learn how to listen because I was too intent on talking. Today, I usually ask the other person to talk first and share with me everything they want me to know. I listen intently, keeping my eyes focused on them. I don’t interrupt, and I try to give them all the time they need. Why? I want them to feel understood. When they stop, I’ll even ask, ‘Is that everything you wanted to say? If there’s anything else, go ahead and share. I have time.’ Only after th