In The Leadership Handbook, author John C. Maxwell presents 26 insights intended to help build the leader within not only those aspiring to new positions of leadership but also those veterans who aim to improve upon the steps that led them to the front of the line.
IF IT’S LONELY AT THE TOP, YOU’RE NOT DOING SOMETHING RIGHT
Taking people to the top is what good leaders do. Lifting people to a new level is a requirement for effective leadership. That’s hard to do if you get too far from your people—because you can no longer sense their needs, know their dreams, or feel their heartbeat. Besides, if things aren’t getting better for people as a result of their leader’s efforts, then they need a different leader.
To gain credibility, you must consistently demonstrate three things:
1. Initiative: You have to get up to go up.
2. Sacrifice: You have to give up to go up. 3. Maturity: You have to grow up to go up
3. Maturity: You have to grow up to go up.
A great leader never sets himself above his followers except in carrying responsibilities. – Jules Ormont
THE TOUGHEST PERSON TO LEAD IS ALWAYS YOURSELF
We Are Harder on Others Than We Are on Ourselves
Most people use two totally different sets of criteria for judging themselves versus others. We tend to judge others according to their actions. It’s very cut-and-dried. However, we judge ourselves by our intentions. Even if we do the wrong thing, if we believe our motives were good, we let ourselves off the hook. And we are often willing to do that over and over before requiring ourselves to change.
Civilization is always in danger when those who have never learned to obey are given the right to command. – Bishop Fulton J. Sheen
DEFINING MOMENTS DEFINE YOUR LEADERSHIP
For leaders, defining moments tell the people following them many of the things they really want to know: who their leaders are, what they stand for, and why they are leading. Handled well, a defining moment can cement a relationship and bond leaders and followers for life.
Defining moments put the spotlight on us. . . . Our character isn’t made during these times—it is displayed!
WHEN YOU GET KICKED IN THE REAR, YOU KNOW YOU’RE OUT IN FRONT
One of the prices of leadership is criticism
If you want to be a leader, you need to get used to criticism, because if you are successful, you will be criticized. Certain people will always find something to be unhappy about. And the way some people criticize others, you’d think they got paid for it!
TO SEE HOW THE LEADER IS DOING, LOOK AT THE PEOPLE
Leaders are able to seize opportunities only when their people are willing to change. Much of leadership is cultivating in people a willingness to follow a leader into the unknown based on the promise of something great. That cannot occur without change. Ironically, leaders don’t change people. Rather, they are agents of change. They help to create an environment that is conducive for people to make the decision to change.
DON’T MANAGE YOUR TIME—MANAGE YOUR LIFE
You can’t manage your time. So what can you do? Manage yourself! Nothing separates successful people from unsuccessful people more than how they use their time. Successful people understand that time is the most precious commodity on earth. As a result, they know where their time goes. They continually analyze how they are using their time and ask themselves the question, “Am I getting the best use out of my time?
Life management begins with an awareness of time and of the choices we should make to be a good steward of it. Those who do well at it do things that
• Advance their overall purpose in life—this helps them grow.
• Underscore their values—this brings them fulfillment.
• Maximize their strengths—this makes them effective.
• Increase their happiness—this gives them better health.
• Equip and coach others—this compounds their productivity.
• Add value to others—this increases their influence.
KEEP LEARNING TO KEEP LEADING
• The Challenge Zone: “I attempt to do what I haven’t done before.”
• The Comfort Zone: “I do what I already know I can do.”
• The Coasting Zone: “I don’t even do what I’ve done before.”
As Philips Brooks, the minister who spoke at Abraham Lincoln’s funeral, asserted, “Sad is the day for any man when he becomes absolutely satisfied with the life he is living, the thoughts that he is thinking and the deeds that he is doing; when there ceases to be forever beating at the doors of his soul a desire to do something larger which he seeks and knows he was meant and intended to do.”
EXPERIENCE IS NOT THE BEST TEACHER
We all begin our lives as empty notebooks. Every day we have an opportunity to record new experiences on our pages. With the turning of each page, we gain more knowledge and understanding. Ideally, as we progress our notebook becomes filled with notations and observations. The problem is that not all people make the best use of their notebooks.
“Experience teaches nothing, but evaluated experience teaches everything.”
THE SECRET TO A GOOD MEETING IS THE MEETING BEFORE THE MEETING
After serving on various committees and attending many meetings, Harry Chapman wrote up a list of rules to help him deal with the issue:
• Never arrive on time: this stamps you as beginner.
• Don’t say anything until the meeting is over: this stamps you as being wise.
• Be as vague as possible: this avoids irritating others.
• When in doubt, suggest that a subcommittee be appointed.
• Be the first to move for adjournment: this will make you popular—it’s what everyone is waiting for.
“Good planning always costs less than good reacting.” —Wayne Schmidt
THE CHOICES YOU MAKE, MAKE YOU
“Perhaps the wisest words I have ever read about choices were written by Portia Nelson in a piece entitled “Autobiography in Five Short Chapters”:
Chapter 1: I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I fall in. I am lost—I am helpless. It isn’t my fault. It takes forever to find a way out.
Chapter 2: I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I pretend I don’t see it. I fall in again. I can’t believe I am in the same place, but it isn’t my fault. It still takes a long time to get out.
Chapter 3: I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I see it is there. I still fall in . . . it’s a habit. My eyes are open. I know where I am. It is my fault. I get out immediately.
Chapter 4: I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I walk around it.
Chapter 5: I walk down another street.”
INFLUENCE SHOULD BE LOANED BUT NEVER GIVEN
What if you don’t have much influence of your own? If that’s the case, you have a different problem. You need to make yourself a candidate for influence—whether you earn it from your people or receive a loan of it from another more experienced leader. Either way, you can do that by cultivating the following characteristics:
• Insight: what you know
“• Ability: what you do
• Character: who you are
• Passion: what you feel
• Success: what you achieve
• Intuition: what you sense
• Confidence: how secure you make others feel
• Charisma: how you connect
FEW LEADERS ARE SUCCESSFUL UNLESS A LOT OF PEOPLE WANT THEM TO BE
• Time Relievers—people who save me time
• Gift Complementers—people who do things I am not gifted to do
• Team Players—people who add value to me and my team
• Creative Thinkers—people who solve problems and give me options
• Door Closers—people who complete assignments with excellence
• People Developers—people who develop and raise up other leaders and producers
• Servant Leaders—people who lead with the right attitude
• Mind Stretchers—people who expand my thinking and my spirit
• Relational Networkers—people who bring other people into my life who add value to me
• Spiritual Mentors—people who encourage me in my faith walk
• Unconditional Lovers—people who know my weaknesses, yet love me unconditionally
All the best in your quest to get better. Don’t Settle: Live with Passion.
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