Archive for Communication
Let the judging begin!
Posted by: | CommentsThis past weekend I was in Denver, Colorado, enjoying the beauty of the Rocky Mountains and speaking to a great group of leaders.
And apparently many of YOU were leaving comments on my last blog post. Wow! 1,090 entries in the Big Case Giveaway!
Now a group of Thomas Nelson employees has the job of determining the best comments – what they consider the 20 most effective and creative ideas for using a case of Everyone Communicates, Few Connect.
The judges expect to be done by the end of next week, and as soon as they give me the list of TWENTY winners, I’ll post them right here and contact them via email.
Thank you for taking the time to share your creativity and strategy with all of us in the comments. While only 20 commenters will “win,” I’m confident that many more will influence the connecting ability of blog readers around the world.
P.S. If you’d like another chance to win – this time a single signed copy of Everyone Communicates, Few Connect – then go visit the personal blog of Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers. He’s giving away 100 of them this Friday, April 16. Details and instructions can be found on his blog.
What would YOU do with 24 copies of my new book? Enter to win!
Posted by: | CommentsLast week we had a lot of fun celebrating the release of Everyone Communicates, Few Connect. Between March 30 and April 1, I was able to give away over 40 signed copies on Twitter.
Now, after a weekend break to focus on the hope and celebration of Easter, I’m looking forward to giving away even more books.
Today we launch the BIG Giveaway on John Maxwell on Leadership!
And it’s for a lot more than 40 books. My publisher, Thomas Nelson, has offered to give away 20 cases of ECFC to 20 lucky blog commenters!
How would YOU use one case (24 copies) of ECFC to improve the connecting skills of people in your sphere of influence?
- Share them with your inner circle?
- Give them to volunteers?
- Lead a book club with fellow students of communication?
Share your creative idea, and you just might WIN!
(residents of the United States and Canada only)
How?
Leave a comment on this post by April 12, 12:00AM EDT describing your idea for how to use a case of books. If you want, you can even shoot a video as part of your comment, put it on YouTube or another video-sharing site, and link to it in your comment. Just be creative!
Next week, representatives from Thomas Nelson will choose their 20 favorite ideas to win one case of books each.
Then I’ll announce winners here and also contact them by email.
It’s that easy. Think of an idea, come back here, and describe it in a blog comment!
Notes:
- Only commenters with a valid email address will be eligible.
- Entries must be posted as a comment here on my blog, not via Facebook, email or any other method.
- Books are unsigned.
- Books are hardcover editions in English.
- Open to participants in the United States and Canada only.
- Winners chosen at the sole discretion of Thomas Nelson (not by John C. Maxwell or his representatives).
I can’t wait to see your ideas!
Remember the deadline: 12 April, 2010, 12AM EDT.
COMMENTS ON THIS POST ARE NOW CLOSED.
ECFC excerpt and Twitter GIVEAWAY
Posted by: | CommentsIt’s here! Tomorrow is the “official” release date for Everyone Communicates, Few Connect.
And even though many bookstores actually started stocking it weeks ago, we still want to celebrate by offering something to you now. So over the next few days, look for promotions here on the blog, on Facebook, and on Twitter.
TOMORROW (March 30) is an all-day giveaway on Twitter.
(Obviously, if you don’t already follow me there, now’s a good time to start.)
Just log onto Twitter 3/30/2010 at or after 9:00 a.m. EDT, when I’ll share how to enter. Your patience will be rewarded.
Now on that note, I’ll share a timely excerpt from Everyone Communicates, Few Connect:
Connecting Requires Patience
We live in an impatient culture. We use drive-through windows to buy meals, pick up our dry cleaning, complete banking transactions, and order prescriptions. I think Lisa Thorne’s comment on my blog describes a lot of us: “The good news is I move fast; the bad news is I often move alone.”4 Everybody is in a hurry, but that prevents most of us from connecting with others effectively. If you want to connect with people, you need to slow down.
I must admit, impatience has always been a weakness for me, and I have continually had to work on it. Early in my career, I wanted to do things as quickly as possible and move on to the next thing. If someone didn’t want to move at my speed, I breezed right past him or her. But that leadership style hindered my ability to connect with others, and my relationships suffered. The good news was that I moved fast. The bad news was that I often moved alone.
Moving at the speed of another person can be exhausting. It obviously takes energy to keep up with someone who is moving faster than we are. But isn’t it also tiring to move at a slower pace than we want to? Henry David Thoreau wrote, “The man who goes alone can start the day. But he who travels with another must wait until the other is ready.” I find waiting very frustrating. It tries my patience. However, if I want to connect with people, I have to be willing to slow down and go at someone else’s pace. Good connectors don’t always run the fastest, but they are able to take others with them. They exhibit patience. They set aside their own agendas to include others. These things require energy. But I’ve discovered over the years that anything really worthwhile in life takes time to build.
From Everyone Communicates, Few Connect
Leaders: Relate before you equip
Posted by: | CommentsAll good mentoring relationships begin with a personal relationship. As your people get to know and like you, their desire to follow your direction and learn from you will increase. If they don’t like you, they will not want to learn from you, and the equipping process can slow down or even stop.
To build relationships, begin by listening to people’s life stories — their journeys so far. Your genuine interest will mean a lot to them, and it will also help you to know their personal strengths and weaknesses. Ask them about their goals and what motivates them. Find out what kind of temperament they have. You may not want to equip a “numbers person” for a job that deals primarily with disgruntled customers.
And one of the best ways to get to know people is to see them outside of the world where you lead them (i.e. work, whether paid or volunteer). People are usually on their guard at work. They try to be what others want them to be. By getting to know them in other settings, you can get a glimpse of who they really are.
Try to learn as much as you can about your people and do your best to win their hearts. If you first find someone’s heart, they’ll be glad to offer you their hand.
Adapted from The Maxwell Daily Reader
The book is coming! The book is coming!
Posted by: | Comments
On a boat in the Sea of Galilee, Israel, with my bride, Margaret.
Hello from the USA! Thank you very much for all your good wishes and prayers for us as we toured Israel. I truly enjoyed helping my friend and pastor, Tom Mullins, lead the group from Christ Fellowship Church. We had a fantastic time.
At any rate, I’m back on American soil for the time being. And we have a lot going on this month.
Remember the book? The one that YOU helped me create right here on the blog? Well, it’s finally on its way!
Two weeks from today (March 30) is the official publication date for Everyone Communicates, Few Connect in the US and Canada! If you’d like to read an excerpt of the “finished product” RIGHT NOW, go to Scribd.com, where you’ll find the prologue, chapter 1, and a very nice high-resolution picture of the cover. (Perhaps with YOUR face on it?)
If you read the book here on the blog last fall and found it helpful, please consider going over to Amazon and writing a review. And if you participated in the editing process, make sure to also share your opinion on how that went.
Are you following me on Twitter and Facebook? If not, now’s a great time to start. For the next 30 days, I’ll be sharing updates with quotes and thoughts on the power of connecting.
ALSO…
On Twitter beginning March 30, I’m giving away signed copies of the book (provided by the publisher, Thomas Nelson). Don’t miss out; giveaways will be Tweeted every day until they’re gone.
And finally, over the next two weeks, I’m speaking in Florida (also streamed live online) and North Carolina. Check Upcoming Events in the sidebar for all the details.
Have a great week!
