Posts by The John Maxwell Company
The Closer
Mariano Rivera epitomizes a strong finisher. The New York Yankee ballplayer’s role says it all; he is the team’s closer. As a relief pitcher, Rivera enters baseball games for one purpose: to finish them. He is the best in the business—perhaps the best closer ever—having secured over 600 victories for the Yankees. Not only does…
Read MorePart 2: Equipping with a Cure
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu equipped an empire with a defense against the scourge of smallpox. Her story yields powerful insights for leaders desiring to learn how to equip their organizations for success. #1 Be a Student of Success Likely, several English visitors to Turkey had noted the peculiar absence of smallpox in the country. However,…
Read MoreLeaders Develop Daily, Not in a Day
A group of American tourists walked through a quaint English village in wonderment. They were enamored by the town’s winding cobblestone streets, the beauty of its courtyards and plazas, and the sense of history emanating from its ancient churches. While strolling through the local park, the tourists struck up conversation with an elderly gentleman and…
Read MorePart 1: Equipping with a Cure
It began as headache, and quickly overtook her with fever. She was confined to bed—too weak to speak and barely able to lift a finger. Then red bumps popped up on her mouth and tongue: telltale signs of the deadly disease sweeping the continent. She despaired for her life as the bumps swelled into sores…
Read More5 Ways to Equip During a Downturn
In his bestselling book, Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell draws attention to the “summer vacation achievement gap” a phenomenon explaining why the academic performance of low-income children tends to lag behind their peers. Studies have shown that students of all income levels make comparable progress during the school year. However, during the summer months, the academic development…
Read More5 Ingredients of Personal Growth
As any farmer knows, the growth of a crop only happens when the right ingredients are present. To harvest plentiful fields, the farmer has to begin by planting the right seed in rich topsoil where sunlight and water can help the seed to sprout, mature, and bear fruit. If any of the ingredients (seeds, topsoil,…
Read More3 Stages of Equipping
Good leaders deliberately seek out and find potential leaders. Great leaders not only find them, but also equip them to be great leaders. Three Stages of Equipping Stage One: Position Gives You a Platform Adding value is the essence of equipping others, and you can add value in any direction: to your superiors, peers, or…
Read MoreWho Needs Encouragement
The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. houses the personal belongings Abraham Lincoln was carrying the night he was assassinated. Among them is a well-worn newspaper clipping lauding Lincoln’s achievements as president and describing him as, “One of the greatest statesmen of all time.” Now, President Lincoln was by no means an egomaniac. In fact, he…
Read MoreThe 5 W’s of an Encouraging Leader
For 13 seasons, Tony Dungy spent Sunday mornings giving pregame pep talks to star football players in the NFL. Two years into retirement, he still gives motivational speeches regularly, but his audience has morphed dramatically. Instead of addressing locker rooms full of millionaire athletes, Dungy now speaks at cafeterias packed with felons at correctional facilities…
Read MoreWho Finishes Strong
Who Finishes Strong? Leaders with Visions to Fulfill In 2005, 97-year old Joseph Rotblat penned an op-ed to the New York Times pleading with readers to oppose the use of nuclear weapons. His words carried weight since, as a young man, Rotblat had helped the U.S. Government to build the first atomic bomb. In the…
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