GIVE ENCOURAGEMENT

Too many leaders expect their people to encourage themselves. But most people require outside encouragement to propel them forward. It is vital to their growth. Physician George Adams found encouragement to be so vital to a person’s existence that he called it “oxygen to the soul.”

New leaders need to be encouraged. When they arrive in a new situation, they encounter many changes and undergo many changes themselves. Encouragement helps them reach their potential; it empowers them by giving them energy to continue when they make mistakes.

Use lots of positive reinforcement with your people. Don’t take acceptable work for granted; thank people for it. Praise a person every time you see improvement. And personalize your encouragement any time you can. Remember, what motivates one person may leave another cold or even irritated. Find out what works with each of your people and use it.

UCLA basketball coach John Wooden told players who scored to give a smile, wink, or nod to the player who gave them a good pass. “What if he’s not looking?” asked a team member. Wooden replied, “I guarantee he’ll look.” Everyone values encouragement and looks for it - especially when his leader is a consistent encourager.

Look for opportunities to encourage your team today.

Reference:

Maxwell, J. C. (2007). Maximize your day: 365 days of insights to develop the leader within you and influence those around you. Manila, Philippines: OMF Literature Inc.

GENEROSITY

Nothing speaks to others more loudly or serves them better than generosity from a leader. True generosity isn’t an occasional event. It comes from the heart and permeates every aspect of a leader’s life, touching his time, money, talents, and possessions. Effective leaders, the kind that people want to follow, don’t gather things just for themselves; they do it in order to give to others. Cultivate the quality of generosity in your life. Here’s how:

1.         Give something away. Find out what kind of hold your possessions have on you. Take something you truly value, think of someone you care about who could benefit from it, and give it to him. If you can do it anonymously, even better.

2.         Put your money to work. If you know someone with the vision to do something really great – something that will positively impact the lives of others – provide resources for him to accomplish it. Put your money to work for something that will outlive you.

3.         Find someone to mentor. Once you reach a certain level in your leadership, the most valuable thing you have to give is yourself. Find someone to pour your life into. Then give him time and resources to become a better leader.

Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore wrote, “All that is not given is lost.”

What are you currently losing by holding on to it?

Reference:

Maxwell, J. C. (2007). Maximize your day: 365 days of insights to develop the leader within you and influence those around you. Manila, Philippines: OMF Literature Inc.

VISION STATEMENTS

What you see is what you can be. This deals with your potential. I have often asked myself, does the vision make the leader? Or, does the leader make the vision?

I believe the vision comes first. I have known many leaders who lost the vision and, therefore, lost their power to lead. People do what people see. That is the greatest motivational principle in the world. Stanford Research says that 89 percent of what we learn is visual, 10 percent of what we learn is auditory, and 1 percent of what we learn is through other senses.

In other words, people depend on visual stimulation for growth. Couple a vision with a leader willing to implement that dream, and a movement begins. People do not follow a dream in itself. They follow the leader who has that dream and the ability to communicate it effectively. Therefore, vision in the beginning will make a leader, but for that vision to grow and demand a following, the leader must take responsibility for it.

Hubert H. Humphrey is an example of “what you see is what you can be.” During a trip to Washington, D.C., in 1935, he wrote this in a letter to his wife: “Honey, I see how someday, if you and I just apply ourselves and make up our minds to work for bigger and better things, we can someday live here in Washington and probably be in government, politics, or service… Oh, gosh, I hope my dream comes true – I’m going to try anyhow.”

Are you communicating vision and pursuing it with passion?  

Reference:

Maxwell, J. C. (2007). Maximize your day: 365 days of insights to develop the leader within you and influence those around you. Manila, Philippines: OMF Literature Inc.

LIFE GIVES YOU WHAT YOU EXPECT

The happiest people in life don’t necessarily have the best of everything. They just try to make the best of everything. They’re like the person in a remote village going to a well every day to get water who says, “Every time I come to this well, I come away with my bucket full!” instead of, “I can’t believe I have to keep coming back to this well to fill up my bucket!”

A person’s attitude has a profound influence on his approach to life. Ask a coach before a big game whether his attitude and that of his players will make a difference in the outcome of the game. Ask a surgeon if the patient’s attitude matters when she’s trying to save that life in an emergency room. Ask a teacher if students’ attitudes have an impact before they take a test.

One of the things I’ve learned is that life often gives you whatever you expect from it. If you expect bad things, those are what you get. If you expect good things, you often receive them. I don’t know why it works that way, but it does. If you don’t believe me, try it out. Give yourself thirty days in which you expect the best of everything; the best parking place, the best table in the restaurant, the best interaction with clients, the best treatment from service people. You’ll be surprised by what you encounter, especially if you give your very best to others in every situation as well.

Begin your thirty-day trial of expecting the best of everything.

Reference:

Maxwell, J. C. (2007). Maximize your day: 365 days of insights to develop the leader within you and influence those around you. Manila, Philippines: OMF Literature Inc.

THE POWER OF RIGHT CHOICES

Life is a matter of choices, and every choice you make makes you. What will you do for your career? Who will you marry? Where will you live? How much education will you get? What will you do with today? But one of the most important choices you will make is who you will become! Life is not merely a matter of holding and playing a good hand as you would hope to do in a card game. What you start with isn’t up to you. Talent is God-given. Life is playing the hand you have been dealt well. That is determined by your choices. The talent-plus people are the ones who maximize their talent, teach their potential, and fulfill their destiny.

I was reading a book by Dr. Seuss to my grandchildren called Oh, The Places You’ll Go! In it, I found a wonderful truth. It said,

You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself,

Any direction you choose.

I believe that with all my heart. My prayer is that you steer yourself in the right direction and make right choices that will empower you to become a talent-plus person, build upon the foundation of your abilities, and live your life to its fullest potential.

Maximize your talent by steering your entire life in the right direction.

Reference:

Maxwell, J. C. (2007). Maximize your day: 365 days of insights to develop the leader within you and influence those around you. Manila, Philippines: OMF Literature Inc.

ADD SIGNIFICANCE

Moishe Rosen teaches a one-sentence mental exercise that is an effective tool in helping a person identify his dream. He asks a person to fill in the blanks:

If I had _____, I would _____.

The idea is that if you had anything you wanted - unlimited time, unlimited money, unlimited information, unlimited staff (all the resources you could ask for) - what would you do? Your answer to that question is your dream.

Everyone has heard the story of Isaac Newton’s discovery of the law of gravity after observing the fall of an apple. What few people know is that Edmund Halley, the astronomer who discovered Halley’s Comet, is almost single-handedly responsible for Newton’s theories becoming known. Halley challenged Newton to think through his original notions. He corrected Newton’s mathematical errors and prepared geometrical figures to support his work. Not only did he encourage Newton to write his great work, Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, but he edited the work, supervised its publication, and financed its printing, even though Newton could easily afford the printing costs.

Halley encouraged Newton to act on his dream, and it added immeasurable significance to Newton’s life. Halley received little credit, but he must have gained great satisfaction in knowing he had inspired revolutionary ideas in the advancement of scientific thought.

What would you do if there were no limits on your life?

Reference: 

Maxwell, J. C. (2007). Maximize your day: 365 days of insights to develop the leader within you and influence those around you. Manila, Philippines: OMF Literature Inc.

ENCOURAGE THE DREAMS OF OTHERS

I consider it a great privilege when people share their dreams with me. It shows a great deal of courage and trust. And at that moment, I'm conscious that I have great power in their lives. That's no small matter. A wrong word can crush a person's dream; the right word can inspire him or her to pursue it.

If someone thinks enough of you to tell you about his or her dreams, take care. Actress Candice Bergen commented, "Dreams are, by definition, cursed with short life spans." I suspect she said that because there are people who don't like to see others pursuing their dreams. As a result, they try to knock down anyone who is shooting for the stars. By talking others out of their dreams, critical people excuse themselves for staying in their comfort zones.

Never allow yourself to become a dream killer. Instead, become a dream releaser. Even if you think another person's dream is far-fetched, that's no excuse for criticizing them.

Ask someone to share their dream with you today.

Reference:

Maxwell, J. C. (2007). Maximize your day: 365 days of insights to develop the leader within you and influence those around you. Manila, Philippines: OMF Literature Inc.