Archive for writing
Coming next month: A Day About Books
Posted by: | CommentsJust this week I finished the preliminary work on the creation of my next book. Not the one for 2012 – that one’s been finished since last fall. No, this is my 2013 book, which we need to turn in THIS fall. That’s the way publishing works: everything takes a long time to go from written to published.
I’ve learned a lot about the publishing world in the 20+ years that I’ve been writing books. Some of it is obvious, but other things are not common knowledge. And over the years, I’ve often been asked to share what I know and how I personally have been able to create at least one book – and often more! – each year.
Maybe you want to write a book. Or maybe you’re just interested in knowing about the process. Either way, I think you might enjoy a new seminar my John Maxwell Team has created:
“A Day About Books”
June 23, 2012, 9:30am-5:00pm
in West Palm Beach, Florida
(special VIP events optional)
In it you’ll learn how I get ideas, and how I work with my research, writing, and publishing team to take those ideas from concept to publication.
Plus, I’m excited to announce a special guest speaker:
Michael Hyatt, Chairman of Thomas Nelson Publishers, the largest Christian publishing company in the world and the seventh largest trade book publishing company in the United States.
In addition to knowing a lot about the publishing world, Mike has become an expert on establishing a platform as a writer and/or speaker. You’ll come away from his session with many practical ideas on how to pursue making your book idea a reality.
I hope you can join me for this special event. I look forward to sharing my thoughts and experiences as a successful author with you.
For more information and to register, visit HERE.
Why I wrote The 5 Levels of Leadership
Posted by: | CommentsIt’s coming! I don’t know about you, but I can hardly believe that August is already here. Before I know it, September and then October will arrive. And with October (on October 4, to be exact), comes my newest book, The 5 Levels of Leadership. With just weeks to go, I’ve decided to give you a sneak peek. For the next few posts, I’ll be sharing excerpts and concepts from the book right here on the blog.
Today’s excerpt describes why I wrote The 5 Levels of Leadership. Hopefully it will give you an idea of what you can expect from the book:
You Can Have a Leadership Game Plan for Your Life
Leadership is one of my passions. So is teaching it. I’ve dedicated more than thirty years of my life to helping others learn what I know about leading. In fact, I spend about eighty days every year teaching leadership. In the last several years, I’ve taught about it on six continents. The subject is inexhaustible. Why? Because everything rises and falls on leadership. If you want to make a positive impact on the world, learning to lead better will help you do it.
In all the years that I’ve taught about leadership, there has been one lecture that I have been asked to give more often than any other—from West Point to Microsoft and in countries all around the world. That lecture explains how leadership works, and it provides a game plan for learning how to become a leader. It’s “The 5 Levels of Leadership.”
My belief that everything rises and falls on leadership solidified in 1976, and it set me on a leadership journey that I am still traveling to this day. I began the journey by asking many questions. How do you define leadership? What is a leader? How does leadership work? Unfortunately, people’s usual answers to those questions are not very helpful. Some people identify leadership with obtaining a leadership position. But I’ve known bad leaders who had good positions and good leaders who had no position at all. Haven’t you? Other people say of leadership, “I can’t describe it, but I know it when I see it.” While that may be true, it doesn’t help anyone learn how to lead.
The conclusion I came to early on is that leadership is influence. If people can increase their influence with others, they can lead more effectively. As I reflected on that, a concept for how leadership works began to crystallize in my mind. That concept was the 5 Levels of Leadership, which took me about five years to develop. I have been teaching it ever since. And whenever I present it, one of the questions people always ask is, “When are you going to write a book about this?” As you can see, I’m finally answering that question.
You Can Learn Practical Leadership Tools
There are a lot of books about leadership lining people’s bookshelves. Why should you read this one? Because it works. The 5 Levels has been used to train leaders in companies of every size and configuration, from small businesses to Fortune 100 companies. It has been used to help nonprofit organizations understand how to lead volunteers. And it’s been taught in more than 120 countries around the world. Every time I talk about it, people ask questions and make observations. Those things have helped the 5 Levels of Leadership to become stronger and to develop greater depth. The concept is tested and proven. In addition, it offers several other benefits:
The 5 Levels of Leadership Provides a Clear Picture of Leadership
How do people get a handle on leadership? For those who are not naturally gifted for it, leadership can be a mystery. For them, leading people is like walking down a dark corridor. They have a sense of where they want to go, but they can’t see ahead and they don’t know where the problems and pitfalls are going to lie. For many people in the academic world, leadership is a theoretical exercise, an equation whose variables are worthy of research, study, and rigorous debate. In contrast, the 5 Levels of Leadership is visually straightforward, so anyone can learn it.
The 5 Levels of Leadership Defines Leading as a Verb, Not a Noun
Leadership is a process, not a position. There was a time when people used the terms leadership and management interchangeably. I think most people now recognize that there is a significant difference between the two. Management is at its best when things stay the same.
Leadership deals with people and their dynamics, which are continually changing. They are never static. The challenge of leadership is to create change and facilitate growth. Those require movement, which, as you will soon see, is inherent in moving up from one level of leadership to the next.
The 5 Levels of Leadership Breaks Down Leading into Understandable Steps
The subject of leadership can be overwhelming and confusing. Where does leadership start? What should we do first? What processes should we use? How can we gain influence with others? How can we develop a productive team? How do we help followers become leaders in their own right? The 5 Levels of Leadership gives answers to these questions using understandable steps.
The 5 Levels of Leadership Provides a Clear Game Plan for Leadership Development
Too often when people think of their journey into leadership, they envision a career path. What they should be thinking about is their own leadership development! Good leadership isn’t about advancing yourself. It’s about advancing your team. The 5 Levels of Leadership provides clear steps for leadership growth. Lead people well and help members of your team to become effective leaders, and a successful career path is almost guaranteed.
The 5 Levels of Leadership Aligns Leadership Practices, Principles, and Values
When I developed the 5 Levels, I conceived of each level as a practice that could be used to lead more effectively. As time went by and I used and taught the levels, I realized they were actually principles. Here’s the difference: a practice is an action that may work in one situation but not necessarily in another. A principle is an external truth that is as reliable as a physical law. For example, when Solomon said, “A gentle answer turns away every wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger,” he stated a principle that is universal and timeless. Principles are important because they function like a map, allowing us to make wise decisions. If we embrace a principle and internalize it, it becomes a part of our values. The 5 Levels influences my leadership life every day.
If you’re interested in pre-ordering The 5 Levels of Leadership, click the publisher’s link above for more information. Next week, I’ll give you more of an overview and teach on Level 1!
The Five Levels of Leadership, now a book!
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October 1, 2010
Delivering the completed manuscript for
The Five Levels of Leadership
to Rolf Zettersten,
Sr Vice President & Publisher,
FaithWords/Center Street
Last week I had the privilege of turning in the manuscript for what I believe is my most important book to date:
The Five Levels of Leadership.
Now, if you know me well, you might be thinking, “But John, you say that EVERY new book or lesson is the best/most important thing you’ve ever done.”
I do say that, don’t I? Well, I can’t really deny it. But in this case, I really do believe that this concept is the best idea I’ve ever had. Why? Because
- It’s a concept that I developed over 30 years ago, yet it’s stood the test of time and application by a wide variety of organizations – small businesses, giant corporations, and nonprofits of any size.
- The five levels define leadership as a process, not a position.
- This means that anyone – even one with little natural gifting – can grow as a leader by learning this concept.
- Everywhere I go, it is the one thing I get asked to teach over and over again.
- And it’s never been taught at this depth before. In fact, only as we prepared this book did we discover how many layers the concept has.
I know that leadership has been divided into levels before, by communicators from Jim Collins to Bill Joiner. I didn’t create my concept because of a lack of material on the subject, but more because it explained levels in the way that was clearest TO ME. That enabled me to teach it with confidence and authenticity.
The Five Levels of Leadership will be published in Fall, 2011.
But we won’t wait until then to talk more about it here. To start with, here’s the concept in graphical form:
I’m excited about the coming year, as my new publishers take what I already consider a great concept and turn it into an even greater book.
The power of words on a page
Posted by: | CommentsNineteenth-century writer Walt Whitman struggled for years to get anyone interested in his poetry. He became very discouraged. But then he received a note that read:
Dear sir, I am not blind to the worth of the wonderful gift of Leaves of Grass. I find it the most extraordinary piece of wit and wisdom that America has yet contributed. I greet you at the beginning of a great career.
It was signed by Ralph Waldo Emerson.
I can’t help but wonder what might have happened to Whitman had Emerson not invested in him by writing those kind words. That note must have been like fresh air to Whitman, who breathed in its encouragement and was inspired to keep writing.
You don’t have to be a professional writer like Emerson to make a difference in someone’s life. Just taking the time to write a note of encouragement is evidence of your willingness to invest in that person.
from 25 Ways to Win with People
Wherever you go, there you are.
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Travel is a big part of my work now. And this week’s schedule is especially heavy. In seven days I’m teaching in Louisiana, California, Ohio, Georgia, then Ohio again. Of course, it’s not a hardship because I get to connect with and pour into so many wonderful people. One connection that I especially enjoy is one-on-one, when I set aside time to chat and answer questions before or after my teaching sessions.
And there’s one topic that is often brought up: writing. Specifically, people come up and confide in me a desire to write. They want to know how I became a writer, and more importantly, how THEY can become a writer.
The first question I always ask is, “How much writing do you do right now?”
Some answer with a list of articles and other pieces that they’re writing or have already written. But I bet you can guess what most people answer: “Well, I haven’t really written anything yet.”
“Then you need to start writing,” I explain. “You’ve got to start small and work up to it.”
It’s the same with any endeavor. Take leadership: You’ve got to start small and work up to that. A person who has never led before should start by attempting to influence just one other person. Already have some influence? Then try to build a team. The key is to take the next step, not focus on the step a mile ahead.
Your dream may look unreachable. Of course, you could give up in the face of that. Or you could be like a friend of mine who went back to school in her late 40s.
“At first I was discouraged,” she said. “I’ll be a 52-year-old when I get this degree and start a new career.
“But then I thought about it. No matter what I do, I’ll be 52 in four years anyway. At least with this plan, I’ll be a 52-year-old college graduate.”
St. Francis of Assisi said, “Start doing what is necessary; then do what is possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” No matter how far away your dream is, you’ll only reach it by moving toward it. Everyone starts in the same place:
Where They Are.
The small responsibilities before you now comprise your first great conquest. Want to conquer the world? Start by conquering your backyard.
