Archive for dream
Leadership answers; no waiting!
Posted by: | CommentsThree weeks ago, here and on Twitter I sought your input on books that you’d like to see from me in the future.
Within minutes, the comments here and the replies on Twitter came pouring in. And when we finally compiled all of your responses, we had close to 30 pages of ideas.
So many of you took the time to really consider the needs you see today, and then communicate them to me. Thank you! I’m excited by all the themes that really stirred my ideas for future books.
Now, what probably shouldn’t have surprised me was how many requests came in for topics that I’d addressed in previous books. Here’s the good news: You don’t have to wait a year or more for the book you requested! Since the books already exist, they can give immediate answers to your questions.
Here is just a sampling of your actual replies/comments (without names, to protect the innocent), along with the existing Maxwell book(s) that answer those questions.
I hope this is a helpful resource to you.
On Direction and Purpose:
- I train elite athletes. Our dreams go to the wayside during the daily grind. We need a process to keep the achievable dream in focus.
- Finding your true calling in business and in life. How to do what you want.
- Interested in how to find purpose within internal processes that require collaboration when adversarial environment is prominent.
- A book about discovering your passion in life, what it is you are “meant” to be, how to identify talents.
- How do you know what you’re supposed to do in life? How do you plan for it after you know?
I’m happy to say that the answers to the above questions can be found in my new book, Put Your Dream to the Test.
On Working for a Difficult Boss or Leading from the Middle:
- The problem I face is having to read my boss’s mind and dealing with his micromanagement. He gives me feedback (99% bad, things that irritate him) days or weeks after an event has happened, and when he does he lashes out from the build up of irritation. He questions the work my coworkers and I do, and assumes no work is getting done if he’s not updated on every detail. He’s a real demotivator, and I’m trying to shield my team and keep them going. Any advice?
- How to deal with different types of leaders – a follower’s perspective.
- A book about “followership” – How to be a good follower, (especially) under bad leadership.
- How to lead a company from the middle. How middle management can change the direction of a company and how to get your ideas heard.
- One for followers on how to help the leader.
- A book for middle managers trying to break through to the next level.
The 360 Leader addresses all of these questions – and more – on leading up, down, and alongside.
On Various Leadership Issues:
I received many specific leadership questions. This is just a sampling:
- Hiring eagles versus ducks.
- Leading yourself (toughest leadership challenge there is)
- On self-discipline and tools to train my staff in same area.
- How to recover when you’ve violated laws of leadership.
- Qualities of a leader of significance. The seasons of leadership, enduring legacy.
- On working with boards, or a section on group politics.
- Courage to make tough decisions in shaky economic times.
These questions and many more are answered in Leadership Gold, which contains the hardest-won leadership lessons of my life in one book. In 26 chapters, I share the nuggets of wisdom that I gained through my successes AND my failures.
I’ll stop here. I received so much feedback that I can’t address it all in one post. So stay tuned for another installment in this series very soon.
But in the meantime, don’t miss my next post!
I’ve got an exciting announcement regarding my 2010 book – and how YOU can have a part in creating it!
Chatting with Dave Ramsey about dreams and financial peace
Posted by: | CommentsMy trip to Asia is still going well. I’m in Shanghai, China for the next few days. Thank you for the prayers, kind thoughts, and warm welcomes you’ve sent my way.
But for today’s post, here’s an interview I did last month (May 12) with my friend Dave Ramsey for his TV show on Fox Business Network. I love spending time with Dave, and I think his message about wise money management is especially needed in today’s new economy.
As you might expect, we talked about dreams. I hope it serves you well:
Entire episodes of the Dave Ramsey TV Show are available for viewing on hulu.com. (This episode is not yet posted, but it will be eventually.)
And on DaveRamsey.com, you can listen to his daily three-hour radio show live (or download a podcast). Plus the site itself offers a wealth of resources to help you get out of debt and be a wise steward of your resources.
Greetings from Asia!
Posted by: | CommentsIt’s Monday evening here in Manila, Philippines. I arrived on Sunday, and since then I’ve been adjusting to the time difference and revisiting the wonderful culture and cuisine here. Although I wasn’t too disappointed to be greeted at the airport with…
Krispy Kreme Donuts!
Yes, my hosts met me with a box of Krispy Kremes. One more reason why this is going to be a fantastic visit to Asia.
At the last minute, Margaret and I decided that she would stay behind. We’re doing some renovations on our home, and we both thought it wise for her to be available to the contractors. Of course, this means that my hosts here have to put up with me alone – without her gracious presence. But as usual, they are taking great care of me.
Tomorrow (Tuesday) I speak here. Then I’m off to Shanghai, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur to talk more about leadership and dreams. I’ll be back on American soil the first week of July.
This isn’t my first visit to this continent, and I truly love teaching in Asia. Even when I experience a language barrier, I can sense the hunger and desire to grow in everyone I meet.
In a few venues, I’ll get a chance to teach on the message of my book, Put Your Dream to the Test. The idea of examining your dreams has connected in every culture I’ve shared it with so far. And I look forward to seeing people’s reactions here.
If you want to know more about Put Your Dream to the Test, you can use the “look inside” feature on Amazon.com.
I’m trying to share some of my day-to-day experiences via Twitter. So be sure to follow me if you want to stay up-to-date.
Magandang gabi!
(“Good evening” in Tagalog)
(Yes, I had help with that.)
Imagination: Your ticket to a dream
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In only a few days, I’ll be boarding a plane to fly halfway around the world, where I’ll have the privilege of teaching in the Philippines, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, and Malaysia.
This kind of work is a dream come true for me. Of course, the scope is much larger than I originally imagined. But the dream of adding value to others is something I’ve been pursuing for close to 40 years.
The following excerpt from my book, Put Your Dream to the Test, is about the importance of imagination to the achievement of your dream. I hope it encourages and equips you as you examine your own dreams.
How do people discover their dreams? By dreaming! That may sound overly simplistic, but that’s where it starts. Imagination is the soil that brings a dream to life.
Nobel Prize-winning physicist Albert Einstein, a dreamer and thinker, understood the value of the imagination. He said, “When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing positive knowledge.” Einstein called his imagination a “holy curiosity.”
If you come from a discouraging background, or you don’t think of yourself as an especially imaginative person, don’t lose hope. You can still discover and develop a dream. God has put that ability in every one of us. If you know and watch children, then you know that’s true. Every child dreams. Every child possesses imagination. My wife, Margaret, and I have five grandchildren, and whenever we are with them, we see their vivid imaginations at work, whisking them away from this world to ones of their own creation.
You have it in you to dream. Author and friend Max Lucado is clear about your possibilities: “You weren’t an accident. You weren’t mass produced. You aren’t an assembly-line product. You were deliberately planned, specifically gifted, and lovingly positioned on the Earth by the Master Craftsman.” Beyond that, some people would even argue that the more drab your beginnings, the greater your potential for dreaming.
Businessman Howard Schultz, who came from a very humble background, used the fertile soil of his imagination to help him cultivate the idea of Starbucks, the company he founded. Schultz says,
One thing I’ve noticed about romantics: They try to create a new and better world from the drabness of everyday life. That is Starbuck’s aim, too. We try to create, in our stores, an oasis, a little neighborhood spot where you can take a break, listen to some jazz, or ponder universal or personal or even whimsical questions over a cup of coffee.
Who dreams up such a place?
From my personal experience, I’d say that the more uninspiring your origins, the more likely you are to use your imagination and invent worlds where everything seems possible.
That’s certainly true of me.
I believe God wants us to dream, and to dream big, because He’s a big God who wants to do big things and He wants to do them through us. My friend Dale Turner asserts, “Dreams are renewable. No matter what our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us and new beauty waiting to be born.” It’s never too late to dream.
If you’re wondering whether the dreams of your imagination are likely to take root in the soil of reality, then start by asking yourself the following questions (from Put Your Dream to the Test.)
- The Ownership Question: Is my dream really my dream?
- The Clarity Question: Do I clearly see my dream?
- The Reality Question: Am I depending on factors within my control to achieve my dream?
- The Passion Question: Does my dream compel me to follow it?
- The Pathway Question: Do I have a strategy to reach my dream?
- The People Question: Have I included the people I need to realize my dream?
- The Cost Question: Am I willing to pay the price for my dream?
- The Tenacity Question: Am I moving closer to my dream?
- The Fulfillment Question: Does working toward my dream bring satisfaction?
- The Significance Question: Does my dream benefit others?
I believe that if you really explore each question, examine yourself honestly, and answer yes to all them, the odds of your achieving your dream are very good. The more yeses you can answer, the more on target you are to fulfill your dreaming. I truly believe that everyone has the potential to imagine a worthwhile dream, and most have the ability to achieve it. And it doesn’t matter how big or how seemingly outrageous your dream appears to others if your answers are yes to the Dream Test questions.
Any dream worth considering is worth evaluating (and Tweeting?)
Posted by: | CommentsToday’s post is an excerpt from my book, Put Your Dream to the Test: 10 Questions that Will Help You See It and Seize It
Know the Answers Before You Take the Test
When you were a kid in school, do you remember a teacher doing a review before a test and saying something like, “Pay attention now because this is going to be on the test”? I do. The encouraging teachers who wanted to see their students succeed said things like that all the time. They wanted us to be prepared so that we could do well. They put us to the test, but they set us up for success.
My desire is to be like one of those encouraging teachers to you. I want to prepare you to put your dream to the test so that you can actually achieve it. How? I believe that if you know the right questions to ask yourself, and if you can answer these questions in an affirmative way, you will have an excellent chance of being able to achieve your dreams. The more questions you can answer positively, the greater the likelihood of success! That’s the reason I wrote this book.
The Right and Wrong Picture of a Dream
I’ve studied successful people for almost forty years. I’ve known hundreds of high-profile people who achieved big dreams. And I’ve achieved a few dreams of my own. What I’ve discovered is that a lot of people have misconceptions about dreams. Take a look at many of the things that people pursue and call dreams in their lives:
- Day Dreams – Distractions from Current Work
- Pie-in-the-Sky Dreams – Wild Ideas with No Strategy or Basis in Reality
- Bad Dreams – Worries that Breed Fear and Paralysis
- Idealistic Dreams – The Way the World Would Be If You Were in Charge
- Vicarious Dreams – Dreams Lived Through Others
- Romantic Dreams – Belief that Some Person Will Make You Happy
- Career Dreams – Belief that Career Success Will Make You Happy
- Destination Dreams – Belief that a Position, Title, or Award Will Make You Happy
- Material Dreams – Belief that Wealth or Possessions Will Make You Happy
- Seasonal Dreams – A Short Term Target You Try to Reach
If these aren’t good dreams-valid ones worthy of a person’s life-then what are? Here is my definition of a dream that can be put to the test and pass: a dream is an inspiring picture of the future that energizes your mind, will, and emotions, empowering you to do everything you can to achieve it.
A genuine dream is a picture and blueprint of a person’s purpose and potential. Or as my friend Sharon Hull says, “A dream is the seed of possibility planted in the soul of a human being, which calls him to pursue a unique path to the realization of his purpose.”
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Any other definitions of a dream that inspire you? If you’re on Twitter, I’ve started a hashtag (sort of like a themed conversation) labeled this way: #dreamtest.
There I’m sharing some of my favorite quotes and concepts from Put Your Dream to the Test
Twitter even allows you to track all mentions of a hashtag. Friends who are more tech-minded than I am say that you can follow hashtag conversations by tweeting follow #_____. Example, follow #dreamtest will put all tweets with that hashtag into your twitterstream.
Twitterstream? Hashtag? Tweet? If all this talk about Twitter sounds like a foreign language to you, read on:
It’s easy to sign up on Twitter. Once you create an account, you can follow me here: @johncmaxwell.
For more about Hashtags, read this helpful article on TwiTip.
All Hashtags are compiled and listed on Hashtag.org.
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Remember, I’m a Twitter newbie too.
In fact, without my blog administrator, I would be clueless. She recommends the blog TwiTip by Darren Rowse if you want to really “get it.”
