Leadership Revised

Developing the Leader Within You 2.0 – John C. Maxwell – (Harper Collins Leadership)

Twenty-five years ago, John C. Maxwell first released the leadership development book Developing the Leader Within You, one of the truly classic texts that offered his early insight into how individuals could develop a leadership vision and values and put them to work influencing their teams and others around them.

Now, Maxwell has revisited and revised this classic to account for the trends and influences that have impacted on his process over the course of the past two and half decades, in Developing the Leader Within You 2.0. Reading through the revised text offers you a real insight into how prescient Maxwell’s original work truly was.

Current business and leadership buzzwords like influencer and change agent were part and parcel of what Maxwell did and continues to impart on his readers. For so many, developing influence and then knowing how to wield it is one of the most challenging aspects of being a leader. Maxwell offers a grand primer of how you can not only become influential, but the proper use and maintenance of it once it is in place.  

One thing I always like about Maxwell’s books is that they offer guidance and insight based on experience, but they never fall into the realm of snake oil by promising the magic elixir of leadership. Let’s face it, there is a lot of hard work and heavy lifting that goes into becoming a leader and while Maxwell is a master at offering tools and resources you can utilize to become a leader or a better leader, he also maintains a level of realism that is refreshing in a world filled with folks huckstering a new program to solve all of your leadership problems for a price.

Limitless

No Limits: Blow the CAP Off Your Capacity – John C. Maxwell (Center Street)

Think about it; there seems to be no limits to what bestselling author, speaker and coach can bring his ability and focused training skills to. Clearly he delivers the goods on leadership, but he has also trained countless folks on positive thinking, communication, influence, success, team work, growth and relationships.

With his latest book, No Limits: Blow the CAP Off Your Capacity, Maxwell shifts his focus to examine how folks can expand their capacity and drive themselves to even greater success. When you ponder the word capacity it is easy to view it as a measure of our limitations, but Maxwell posits that any limits on your capacity is based on something that we consciously set for ourselves. He makes the persuasive case that by re-working your thinking you can actually grow your capacity in a wide array of areas.

Maxwell has identified seventeen areas for capacity growth ranging from; leadership to attitude and production to partnership. One area that I found particularly useful was the chapter on creative capacity; while my day job is in a creative role, I find that more and more my work with community organizations, leadership coaching and my writing side hustle has taxed my creative energy. Maxwell gave me actionable steps I can put into play to leverage untapped resources in the creative realm.

That was one of the great things about No Limits; while it hangs together well, you can really pick and choose to tap into the very specific nature of areas that you may feel the need to grow your abilities in. As a bonus it’s all delivered in the clear, concise style that has made John Maxwell a go to resource for so many folks.

Advice for a New College Graduate, My Son

Sometimes You Win - Sometimes You Learn – John C. Maxwell (Center Street Press)

Call me proud Father; my son Thomas is getting ready to graduate from college in a few weeks. This occasion has spurred me to, once again, offer up some fatherly advice as he prepares to take on the challenges of the “real world.”

Quite naturally for me, I began to look around for just the right book that would offer Tom some solid, useful, advice that would not only help him to set off on the right path, but that he could turn to for advice and inspiration when needed. There are plenty of classics from the likes of Carnegie, Covey, Blanchard and Maxwell, that I myself have used often.

I started to look back over the course of my career and the many ups and downs and dramatic turns, that I have taken thus far and I determined that much of what I have done can be attributed to hard work; but not without a solid dose of confidence and faith in my own ability. It’s not something that you can really teach, but I firmly believe that you can set the table and prepare yourself to never be afraid; take the leap and the net will appear.

 

As I was looking for just the right book, I came across John C. Maxwell’s latest, Sometimes You Win - Sometimes You Learn and was struck that this might be the one. Maxwell has always offered up actionable advice and illustrated his thoughts with practical, real life examples of how the tools he writes about have been put to use.

Never be afraid to fail

If I could boil down once piece of advice that Maxwell offers early in the book that fits perfectly with what I would like to pass along to Tom, it would be, never be afraid to fail. If you are afraid of failure, chances are that you’ll never try something and if you never make the attempt, chances are you’ll never succeed.

There is never a “good time” or the “right time” to do something. It doesn’t exist. Waiting for the “right time” is just doubt and hesitation getting in the way of doing something. If you have an idea and you develop a plan, then pull the trigger and make things happen! If you fail…that’s okay. If you fail and you will at some point, then be sure to ask yourself “what have I learned?” If you don’t ask that question the chances are next time you won’t pull that trigger. It’s all about accessing what you have learned and putting that to use the next time you step up to the plate.

Learning is the key

While you have spent your time getting your education, learning never stops. Maxwell makes the case that much of what we do is really about being open to learning; whether it’s improvement, adversity, change or maturity.

While Maxwell offers dynamic leadership advice for people at all stages of their careers, and while Sometimes You Win - Sometimes You Learn can be useful to those farther along their career path, it is best suited for those new to Maxwell and those starting out.

With that I will pass the Maxwell on to Tom and let him know how proud my wife and I are of what he has accomplished and that we are confident, and he should be as well, that he will work hard, move forward with no fear, have faith in his ability and accomplish even greater things. With love, Dad.

The Five Levels of Leadership Revisited

John C. Maxwell – How Successful People Lead (Center Street)

With more than 21 million books sold and 6 million participants in his leadership training programs in 177 countries around the globe, John C. Maxwell is arguably one of the world’s leading experts on what makes leaders and what makes them tick.

Along the way, Maxwell has identified the traits, tendencies, actions and levels of leadership. His bestselling 2011 book The Five Levels of Leadership set forth a yardstick by which leaders can measure where they are on the evolutionary scale of leadership.

The 5 Levels of Leadership are:
1. Position - People follow because they have to.
2. Permission - People follow because they want to.
3. Production - People follow because of what you have done for the organization.
4. People Development - People follow because of what you have done for them personally.
5. Pinnacle - People follow because of who you are and what you represent.

 

In his new book, How Successful People Lead, Maxwell revisits the five levels and makes the case that leadership is truly a life long journey were true leaders “learn, earn and return.” As always, Maxwell makes the case that true leaders are always seeking to develop, train and grow the next generation of leaders.

Maxwell is exactly on point with this thought process. It echoes one of my all-time favorite leadership quotes, from the equally legendary leadership guru, Tom Peters who said, “leaders don’t create followers, they create new leaders.” The five levels should be viewed by true leaders as a road map for that leadership journey. That journey never truly reaches a conclusion; leaders at the pinnacle are always up to the challenge of developing the next generation of leaders.