johnmaxwell.com

But that means it’s your job to think big so that the ideas you settle on aren’t too small. So, it’s only natural that leaders think more and before others—and think a lot about those others in the process. That’s because a leader rarely has two consecutive good days on the job, which means a leader has to be intentional about thinking and be intentional while thinking. We want to help leaders think like leaders!

In my studies, I typically look for two different kinds of patterns: patterns that lead to success and patterns that lead to failure. It’s a pattern every leader should avoid, and it begins with one thought: I believe this to be—by far—a leader’s most dangerous thought. If a leader thinks, “it’s all about me,” then his or her team will think it’s all about them. John Maxwell teaches a simple process that has become a daily practice for me and has revolutionized my mindset as a leader: Think of ways to add value to peopleLook for ways to add value to peopleEncourage others to add value to people Valuing others helps minimize the entitlement mindset of “I deserve.

It’s an excerpt from an amazing book, Find Your Way, by my friend Carly Fiorina. But he had bulldozed his way to the top, so his senior team didn’t respect him, his staff barely knew him, and the company’s board couldn’t hold him accountable. Since then, I have tried to find my way not by setting my mind on a destination, but by living my life on the path. In my new book, Find Your Way, I talk about how to find peace, joy, and fulfillment by setting yourself free from the destination mindset and instead living life on the path.

One of the first lessons that John Maxwell taught me, many years ago, was the “30-Second Rule”. He’s so intentional and authentic with his words that everyone feels like he’s greeting them uniquely. Psychologist Henry H. Goddard conducted a fascinating study about the effects of encouragement on energy levels in children. It revealed that when children were given a word of encouragement, their energy levels immediately surged.