Archive for books
A Wonderful Christmas Gift
Posted by: | CommentsLast week I got a big surprise at the Christmas lunch given for the John Maxwell Company.
John Hull, the CEO of EQUIP, and Mark Cole, the CEO of the John Maxwell Company, asked me to tell the story of what got me started on a lifetime of personal growth. It’s a story I’ve told many times before, so I gladly complied.
It began in February of 1974 when I met a man named Curt Kampmeier for lunch and he asked me an important question. I had just told him about all of my dreams and goals—all of which would be a real stretch for me—and he asked, “Do you have a plan for personal growth?”
After hemming and hawing for a few minutes, I had to admit that I didn’t have a plan. Curt’s response? “John, personal growth doesn’t just happen.” He went on to explain the value of a personal growth plan, and he offered to sell me a kit that would cost the equivalent of a month’s salary.
Though it took Margaret and me six months of scrimping and saving, we came up with the money. We skipped lunches and did without some things, but I bought that kit. My lunch with Curt is what connected the dots for me between personal growth and success. It changed my life.
At the lunch, I told the story as they requested, and then I started to go on about how I was disappointed that I had never seen Curt again, even though I’d told the story so many times over the past 37 years.
I cannot tell you how shocked I was by happened next. They invited Curt Kampmeier to step into the room!
Somehow members of my team had found Curt and invited him to join us for lunch. He had traveled down from Ohio to be with us!
Few things take me by surprise and I’m rarely speechless, but this was one of those times when words didn’t suffice to express what I was feeling. This man’s question long ago changed my life! And now I would finally get the chance to thank him for it.
Seeing Curt was one of the best Christmas gifts I’ve ever received. Why? Because personal growth changed my life. Since my meeting with Curt back in 1974, I’ve planned it into my daily life, reading books, listening to great teachers, and developing measurable goals and plans to make it happen. I believe the consistent discipline of growth has made it possible for me to add value to people and achieve many of my goals.
I believe it can do the same for you.
And I’d like to help you in the same way that Curt helped me. So in January and February, I’m going to offer a growth opportunity with a group study of my latest book, The 5 Levels of Leadership.
Each week, participants will be invited to read a section of the book, read my current thoughts on those concepts, enter into the discussion by answering questions I provide, and take action to grow.
You can join and participate at any time. If you want to experience the whole study, pay attention to upcoming posts for details on when and how we’ll launch. Also, you’ll get the most out of this if you learn with others – ideally, your friends or colleagues, your team, or a group of like-minded leaders – so now is a good time to start thinking about gathering a group. The comment section here will also be a good place for discussion. I’m hopeful that it will generate lots of interaction. So even if you have to study alone, the blog can serve as your group.
I’m looking forward to growing in 2012. I hope you are too.
What I’m Reading, Winter 2011
Posted by: | CommentsAs winter arrives here in the US, I find that it’s the perfect time of year to stay indoors and read a good book. And since I’m always reading books to continue to grow personally, this seemed like the perfect time of year to share with you WHAT I’m reading. The following are books I’ve read recently and recommend:
The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham, by Harold Myra
The Mackay MBA of Selling in the Real World, by Harvey Mackay
How to Run Your Business by The Book:
A Biblical Blueprint to Bless Your Business,
By Dave Anderson
The Leadership Ellipse: Shaping How We Lead by Who We Are
By Robert Fryling & Eugene H. Peterson
Answering some questions on the 5 Levels
Posted by: | CommentsWhat level are you on as a leader at work? At home? With a new employee? I hope you’ve had the chance to assess yourself on the 5 Levels of Leadership, either through the book or the free iPhone app. (Search 5 Levels and John Maxwell to find it in the App Store.)
And if you’ve purchased The 5 Levels of Leadership, I want to thank you. I hope it’s adding value to you and empowering you to go to your next level of growth. If you’re still considering whether the book is for you, take a look at the following video. I recorded it a few weeks ago to answer some of the questions I’m most often asked about the 5 Levels. Hopefully it will answer YOUR questions and help you decide if this book will help you grow.
Thank you for joining me on this journey through The 5 Levels of Leadership. I’ve enjoyed sharing a sneak peek at my book and reading your insights into what makes an effective leader. Now we’ve got just one more week before the book comes out. I hope you’ll purchase and read it – not just for my sake, but because I know that the concepts within it can teach you how to grow as a leader.
Here’s a sneak peek at Level 5: The Pinnacle. I hope it inspires you to become the kind of leader who can eventually rise to that level:
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Rare is the leader who reaches Level 5—the Pinnacle. Not only is leadership at this level a culmination of leading well on the other four levels, but it also requires both a high degree of skill and some amount of natural leadership ability. It takes a lot to be able to develop other leaders so that they reach Level 4; that’s what Level 5 leaders do. The individuals who reach Level 5 lead so well for so long that they create a legacy of leadership in the organization they serve.
The individuals who reach Level 5 lead so well for so long that they create a legacy of leadership in the organization they serve.
Pinnacle leaders stand out from everyone else. They are a cut above, and they seem to bring success with them wherever they go. Leadership at this high level lifts the entire organization and creates an environment that benefits everyone in it, contributing to their success. Level 5 leaders often possess an influence that transcends the organization and the industry the leader works in.
Most leaders who reach the Pinnacle do so later in their careers. But the Pinnacle level is not a resting place for leaders to stop and view their success. It is a reproducing place from which they make the greatest impact of their lives. That’s why leaders who reach the Pinnacle should make the most of it while they can. With gratitude and humility, they should lift up as many leaders as they can, tackle as many great challenges as possible, and extend their influence to make a positive difference beyond their own organization and industry.
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P.S. October 4 is the actual date of publication for The 5 Levels of Leadership. I’d appreciate it very much if you would help get the word out. On Twitter, you can use the hashtag #5Levels. And here’s the link that you can share anywhere:
http://tinyurl.com/5levelslead
Thank you!
What are the 5 Levels of Leadership?
Posted by: | CommentsIn less than two months, my new book, The 5 Levels of Leadership, comes out! Last week I shared an excerpt that explained why I wrote the book. Today, I’d love to give you a quick overview and description of Level 1.
In the book, each level is explained in its own section, where you’ll learn the upside of the level, the downside, the best behaviors for that level, the beliefs that help a leader move up to the next level, and how the level relates to the Laws of Leadership.
Let’s talk briefly about Level 1: Position. This is the lowest level of leadership—the entry level. The only influence a positional leader has is that which comes with the job title. People follow because they have to. Positional leadership is based on the rights granted by the position and title. Nothing is wrong with having a leadership position. Everything is wrong with using position to get people to follow. Position is a poor substitute for influence.
People who make it only to Level 1 may be bosses, but they are never leaders. They have subordinates, not team members. They rely on rules, regulations, policies, and organization charts to control their people. Their people will only follow them within the stated boundaries of their authority. And their people will usually do only what is required of them. When positional leaders ask for extra effort or time, they rarely get it.
Positional leaders usually have difficulty working with volunteers, younger people, and the highly educated. Why? Because positional leaders have no influence, and these types of people tend to be more independent.
Position is the only level that does not require ability and effort to achieve. Anyone can be appointed to a position. This means that position is a fine starting point, but every leader should aspire to grow beyond Level 1.
