In The Contrarian’s Guide to Leadership, I read that “the average person suffers from three delusions: 1) that he/she is a good driver, 2) that he/she has a good sense of humor, and 3) that he/she is a good listener.” Although that is mostly true, it is meant to make light of a very real…

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What does it mean to serve? It’s a question worth asking yourself, especially if you’re a leader. Recent research has revealed that the younger generation of workers wants to work at a company with high potential AND a high purpose. They want to make as much of a difference to profit margins as they do…

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There is nothing more challenging than following a leader who feels stale. Have you experienced this? Maybe you follow a leader who feels like his/her best days are behind them and there is nothing exciting about the future. Or maybe you have felt this in yourself at times. Keeping a fresh perspective is absolutely necessary…

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In my previous blog post, I wrote about the difference between conflict and tension, and how many leaders fail to grasp the difference. This week, I want to help make the distinction a little clearer. Tension is something leaders and teams live with every day. It’s the daily challenge of working with a diverse group…

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Conflict. It’s one of the most requested subjects for the John Maxwell Company to address, and it’s something familiar to every leader. In fact, if you’re not familiar with the subject, chances are you’re not leading very well. No matter where you go or what team you assemble, you’re inevitably going to have to lead…

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Most teams don’t naturally get better on their own. Left alone, they don’t grow, improve, or reach championship caliber. Instead, they tend to wind down. The road to the next level is always uphill, and if a team isn’t intentionally fighting to move up, then it inevitably slides down. The team loses focus, gets out…

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Leadership Blind Spots Do you have any blind spots? …If you answered no, you now know where your blind spot is! Okay, I think most of us would acknowledge that we do possess blind spots. We assume there must be some areas where we “don’t know what we don’t know.” And we suppose that our…

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Have you ever watched a great team in action? Especially at the end of the game? What I find interesting is that as the game progresses, the “second string” or “bench” becomes more and more important. Down the stretch, you’re likely to see many new players enter from the bench, while the starters sit out.…

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What’s your highest calling as a leader? Well, I believe it’s being a servant leader. I often teach that leaders ask the question, “Will I help people?” But servant leaders ask, “HOW will I help people?” When you’re a servant leader, you do so much more than just make people a priority. You look for…

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Legacies that matter are connected with people. A hundred years from now all that will matter is the people that you connected with in such a way that you added value and meaning to their lives. Political commentator Walter Lippmann said, “The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind in others the…

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