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J O H N C . M A X W E L L
UNPLUGGED
17 QUEstiONs
MOst AskED Of
JOHN MAXWELL’s
LEADErsHiP
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Introduction 1
QuestionsInnerCircle 2PersonalGrowth 3DevelopmentPlans 4LeadershipwithoutaTitle 5CreativeThinking 6Restlessness 7Momentum 8DrainingPeople 9ServantLeadership 10Influencevs.Manipulation 11Transparency 12GlobalLeadership 13FinishingWell 14Mentorship 15Risk 16Trust 17CoachingCulture 18
Contents
©2011 The John Maxwell Company, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means — electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise — without written permission.
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Welcome to John C. Maxwell Unplugged!
Thankyouforyourdesiretogrowpersonallyasaleader.JohnMaxwellassertsthat“personalandorganizationaleffectivenessisproportionatetothestrengthofleadership.”Tobecomemoreeffective,eachofusmustgrowinleadership.Ourowngrowthhelpsotherstofollowsuit.
AsyoufollowalongwithJohn’steachingonsomeofhismostfrequentlyaskedleadershipquestions,thiscompanionworkbookenablesyoutotakenotesandchallengeyourselfwithquestionstoreflectuponandactionstotake.Youmaywanttoshareyouranswersandinsightswithamentororfriend.
TheDVDsaredesignedsothatyoumayeitherwatchJohn’steachinginorder,ordigstraightintothetopicsofmostinteresttoyouandthenskiparound.SetasidesometimeeachweektowatchJohnansweroneleadershipquestionandthentoreflectonthisworkbook’sfollow-upquestions.Ormoveataquickerpaceandtackleoneofthe15teachingtopicseachdaytocompletetheDVDsinjusttwoweeks!
3
introduction
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inner Circle QuestionHowdoyoumovepeopleintoyourinnercircle?Whataretheprosandconsofhavingone?
John’s AnswerThosewhoareclosesttousdetermineoursuccess.JohnteachesthisinThe 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership–TheLawoftheInnerCircle.Everypersononyourteamandinyourinnercircleiseitherablessingoracurse.Inthesameway,eachpersoncarriestwobuckets–gasolineandwater.Whenthere’safire,everyoneusesoneortheother.Yourinnercirclewillgettoafirebeforeyou,sincethehigheryouareinanorganization,thelateryouareonthescene.Positive,well-trainedpeoplearegoingtohelpyou.
5 Ways to Move into John’s Inner CircleTime:Ittakestimetogetintotheinnercircle.Ittakestimetodeveloptherelationship,evenifthepersonispositionedclosetoyou,likeanewexecutivehire.
Trust:Youmusttotallytrustyourinnercircle.Youshouldnothavetoquestiontheirmotives.
Experience: Theymusthaveexperienceundertheirbeltalready.InJohn’scase,hedoesn’twantsomeonetooyoung.
Success:Theyneedtohavehadsomesuccess.Thisisn’ttheirchanceto“makeit”;theyneedtohavealreadymadeit.Theyneedtoalreadybeconsistentlygood.
Compatibility: Lifeistooshorttohavepeopleinyourinnercirclethatyoudon’tlike.Youneedtolikethepeopleinyourinnercircle.
reflect and take Action• Howdoyouworkwithyourinnercircle?
• Whatcriteriadoyouhaveforthem?
• Whatcanyoudotoincreasethetimeandtrustyouhavewithyourinnercircle?
• Whatsuccesseshaveyouexperiencedand/orfailureshaveyouweatheredwiththisgroup?
• Ifyoudonothaveaninnercircle,createone.Makealistof3-5peopleyou’dliketointentionallyincludeandtheexperience,skills,andstrengthstheyhavethatcomplementyours.
• Ifyouhaveaninnercircle,listthemembersandwriteaplusoraminusnexttoeachnamealongwithanumberfrom1to10toindicatehowstronglytheyimpactyou,eitherpositivelyornegatively.Then,listthewaysyouwillintentionallybuildtrustandrelationshipwitheachoneindividually.
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Personal GrowthQuestionHowcanyouhelppeoplewhotakemoretimeplanningtheirweekendthantheirpersonalgrowth?Whatarethekeycomponentsofapracticalleadershipdevelopmentplan?
John’s AnswerThinkabouturgencyandpriority.Thepeopleyou’retalkingaboutdon’thaveasenseofurgencyabouttheirpurpose.Theythinkthereismoretohavingfunthanthereisinbeingfulfilled.Tohelpsomeonecreateapersonalgrowthplanforthefirsttime,keepthingssimple.
A personal growth plan needs to address three areas.Requirement: Youmustdowhatyoumustdo.
Reward: Whereyougetyourrewardiswhereyouspendyourenergyplanning.
Return:Life’sreturnisnotintheweekend.It’sinMondaythroughFriday.Lookforacompoundingreturn.
reflect and take Action• Doyouhaveapersonalgrowthplan?
• Ifso,evaluateyourplanasitrelatestothethreeareasofrequirement,rewardandreturn.Ifyourplandoesnotaddressoneoftheseissues,taketimetoaddthatcomponenttoyourgrowththisyear.
• Shareyourpersonaldevelopmentplanwithsomeonefromyourinnercircle.
• Ifyoudon’tyethaveapersonalgrowthplan,whaturgencyorpriorityneedstochangeforyoutocreateoneandstickwithit?
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Development PlansQuestionHowdoyoujudgethesuccessofadevelopmentplan?Howoftenshouldyoureevaluateyourdevelopmentplan?
John’s AnswerThesuccessofadevelopmentplanisthereturn.Production.Toomanypeopleworkeverydayandneverseethereturn,anditwearsthemout.
Johnevaluateshispersonalgrowthplaneverythreemonths,byeachseason.ThelastweekoftheyearisJM’sfavorite.Hereviewshisyear.
reflect and take Action• Ifyoudonothaveapersonalgrowthplan,createoneusingthechartbelow.Includedaily,weeklyandmonthly
growthopportunitiesaswellassomekeyexperiencesoreventsthroughouttheyear.Includecontentfromavarietyofmediatofityourlearningstyle(books,audio,video,in-person).
• Ifyoualreadyhaveadevelopmentplan,taketimenowtoreevaluateyourplan’seffectiveness.Whatresultshaveyouseenfromyourplan?
• Ifyouhavehadapersonaldevelopmentplanforsometime,howoftendoyoutypicallyevaluateit?Whatchangeshaveyoumadeasaresultofthesereevaluations?
• Committoreevaluateyourplanregularly.Whenandhowwillyousitdownwithyourplantoreviewboththeplanandyourreturn?
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Leadership without a titleQuestionIsitpossibletobealeaderifyouhavenostaffororganization?
John’s AnswerYes,itispossible.Leadershipisinfluence.Everyonecaninfluencesomebody—yourfamily,yourneighbors,eventhepeopleatthegym.Manyofthegreatleadersofthelastcenturydidnothavealeadershipposition,likeMotherTheresaandMartinLutherKing,Jr.Youneverhavetohaveatitletobealeader.JohnwroteThe360 Degree Leaderforpeopleinthissituation.
Whocouldbegreatertoleadthanyourchildren?That’sthebestgiftwecangivetothenextgeneration.
Sotobecomeabetterleader,increaseyourinfluence.Deepenyourinfluencewithone,andbroadenyourinfluencewithmany.
reflect and take Action• Yes,itispossible.Leadershipisinfluence.Everyonecaninfluencesomebody—yourfamily,yourneighbors,
eventhepeopleatthegym.Manyofthegreatleadersofthelastcenturydidnothavealeadershipposition,likeMotherTheresaandMartinLutherKing,Jr.Youneverhavetohaveatitletobealeader.JohnwroteThe 360 Degree Leader forpeopleinthissituation.
• Whocouldbegreatertoleadthanyourchildren?That’sthebestgiftwecangivetothenextgeneration.
• Sotobecomeabetterleader,increaseyourinfluence.Deepenyourinfluencewithone,andbroadenyourinfluencewithmany.
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Creative thinkingQuestionHowdoIfostercreativethinkinginastructuredorganization?
John’s AnswerWheneveryouwanttogetpeopletodosomethingthey’renotusedtodoing,rememberthis—whatgetsrewardedgetsdone.Thatdoesn’tonlymeanfinancial.First,giverecognition,anddoitinfrontofpeoplewhoareimportanttothepersonyou’rerecognizing.That’swherethehighestreturnis.
Also,peopledowhatpeoplesee.
Nothingismoredemoralizingthanaleaderwhodoesn’tlisten.Iftheleaderisn’tlistening,thepeoplehavenothingtosay.Sowalkslowlythroughthecrowd.Goodleaderslisten,learn,andthenlead.Alltheircuesarefromlistening.Leadersdon’tstayonthemountainandsay,“Cometome.”Ifyou’reatthetopallalone,you’renotaleader;you’reahiker.Leadingpeopleslowsyoudown.
reflect and take Action• Whatisthebiggestbarriertocreativethinkinginyourorganization?
• Isthereenoughmargininyourorganization’sfinances,timelines,communication,etc.tonotjustallow,butpromotecreativethinking?
• Howdoesyourorganizationrewardcreativethinking?
• Failureisanaturalpartofthecreativeprocess.Howdoesyourorganizationreacttofailure?
• Implementatimeofcreativethinkingaboutaparticularchallengeorbiggoalinsideyourorganization.Trychangingyourroutineorenvironment;afreshperspectivecaninspirefreshcreativityandnewsolutions.
• Thiscanalsoworkwithagroup.Don’tbeafraidtoaddsillytoys,props,candy,partyhatsorcrayons—anythingtoshockthesystemandinspireyourbrainstobecreative.Finally,bantheword“No”duringthesesessionsandsubstituteitwith“Yes,and….”
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restlessnessQuestionHowdoyouknowwhenit’stimetotransitionortoplanduringtimeswhenwefeelrestless?
John’s AnswerTherearetwokindsofrestlessness:goodandbad.Thefirstjobistodistinguishwhichkindyou’reexperiencing.It’sgoodwhenit’spullingyoutowardimprovement.Thatkindishealthy.Forexample,everymajorgrowthdecisionthatJohnhasmadegrewoutofrestlessness.Therestlessnessisbadwhenyou’reboredorunhappy.Inthosecases,youareleavingasituationtoescapeit.Inthecaseofgoodrestlessness,youleavetodosomethingbetter.
Goodrestlessnesshaspatience.Badhasimpatience.Ingoodrestlessness,you’rewillingtoholdsteady.Whenyouescapewithnoplacetogo,youoftenendupworsethanwhereyouwere.Changeisn’talwaysgood.
Goodrestlessnesscomesfromwantingtogrowmorebecausethecurrentpotentialistapped.Don’tmoveanywhereelseuntilyou’vedoneyourbestwhereyouare.Badrestlessnesscomeswhenyouhaven’tpaidthepricetodoyourbest.Don’tjustmovetomakeiteasieronyourself.
Everythingisatradeoff.Everywhereyouleave,youleavesomegoodthings.Themoresuccessfulyouare,theharderitistomaketradeoffs.That’swhysomepeoplebecomesuccessfulandthenbecomeflat.Bewillingtogiveupincomeforpotential,foropportunity.
Ifit’sthegoodkindofrestlessness,it’spatientandmature.It’swillingtoholdonandbepatienttodaysothatitcantakeofftomorrow.Inthatperiod,youstudy,pray,reflect,plan,write,interviewpeopleaheadofyou,etc.
reflect and take Action• Describegoodrestlessnessandbadrestlessnessinyourownwords.Doesyourownhistoryholdexamples
ofeitherorboth?
• Areyoupatientanddoingthebestyoucanwhereyouarerightnow?Howdoyouknow?
• Whatgoodthingswouldyouleavebehindifyouleftwhereyouarerightnow?
• Whatistherewardassociatedwiththeriskofleaving?
• Whatriskordecisiondoyouneedtotake,whetherit’sinyourpersonalorprofessionallife?
• Seekwisecounselaboutyourcareerfromyourinnercircleand/oraprofessionalwhoisaheadofyou.
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MomentumQuestionWhatarekeywaystobuildmomentuminabusinessoronateam?
John’s AnswerThedifferencebetweensuccessfulandunsuccessfulpeopleisthatsuccessfulpeopleknowhowtomakeithappen.Unsuccessfulpeopledon’t.
Whichcomesfirst:momentumorproductivity?Either.Butifyouhavemomentumwithoutresults,themomentumwilleventuallydie.Ifyoucanproduce,youwillalwayshavehighmomentum.Likewise,whenyou’rewinning,nothinghurts.Whenyou’relosing,everythinghurts.
There are four steps to building momentum.1. SettheExample.Tocreatemomentumontheteam,theleadermusthaveit.It’snotateamthing;it’s
anindividualthing.Motivation,momentum,andmoraleareapersonaldecision.Bytheway,hiremotivatedpeople.
2. Don’tKeepPeopleWhoWon’tChange.
3. MakeAttitudeasImportanceasCompetence.
4. StartWinning.Givepeoplewins.Increasepeople’sconfidence.Whenyou’reabouttocloseadeal,bringinsomeonewhoneedsawinandletthatpersonhaveit,givingupthecredit.
reflect and take Action• Whatexampleareyousettingforthoseyouinfluence?Areyoupromotingorstiflingmomentum?
• Momentumrequiresbothactivatorsandachievers.Whichoneareyou?Whoaroundyoucanhelplaunchandcompletebigprojectsandbuildmomentum?
• Howdoesoneperson’snegativeattitudeaffectateam’smoraleandmomentum?
• Doyoupreferacompetentteammateorapositiveone?Howdoesthispreferenceaffectyourleadership?
• Listupcomingwinsyouandyourteamareabouttoachieve.Nexttoeachwin,writethestoryofhowtheteamhasworkedtoachievethegoal.Setasidetimeinanupcomingmeetingtosharethosestoriesofinspirationandexcitement.Besuretoincludethosewhoneedawin.
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Draining PeopleQuestionHowdoyouhandlepeoplewhodrainyou?
John’s AnswerPeoplewithoutenergywillplugintoyou.Theywillnotunplug.Youfeellikeyouneedtogivethemenergyfromyourbatteryuntiltheirbatteryisrecharged.Buttheyhavenobattery!
Asyoumatureasaleader,yourealizethatyoucannotmakeallpeoplehappyallthetime.
Thatisthepriceofleadership.Ifyoucan’tgetawayfrompeople,youhavetofindawaytofindreleasefromthem.Johndoesitbyplayinggolf.
Youalsohavetobehonestwiththem.Youneedtohaveaprivateconversationtoletthemknowtheyaredrainingyou.Mostpeoplewhodrainothersdon’tknowtheydoit.
Ninetypercentoftheproblemswithleadershipcomefrompeople.Butthat’swhatleadersarepaidfor.
reflect and take Action• Peoplewithoutenergywillplugintoyou.Theywillnotunplug.Youfeellikeyouneedtogivethemenergyfrom
yourbatteryuntiltheirbatteryisrecharged.Buttheyhavenobattery!
• Asyoumatureasaleader,yourealizethatyoucannotmakeallpeoplehappyallthetime.
• Thatisthepriceofleadership.Ifyoucan’tgetawayfrompeople,youhavetofindawaytofindreleasefromthem.Johndoesitbyplayinggolf.
• Youalsohavetobehonestwiththem.Youneedtohaveaprivateconversationtoletthemknowtheyaredrainingyou.Mostpeoplewhodrainothersdon’tknowtheydoit.
• Ninetypercentoftheproblemswithleadershipcomefrompeople.Butthat’swhatleadersarepaidfor.
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servant LeadershipQuestionIsservantleadershipadifferentkindofleadership?Orisitjustexceptionalleadership?
John’s AnswerJesuswouldsay,“Leadershipisservanthood.Ifyouwanttolead,serve.”Servantleadershipshouldbeawayoflifeforallofus.Theessenceofservantleadershipisvaluingpeopleandaddingvaluetotheirlives.Ifyouvaluepeople,youwanttoserve.Ifyoudevaluepeople,youwanttobeserved.Maturityistheabilitytothinkofothersfirst.WhenIrevisedThe 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership,IaddedtheLawofServanthood.Imisseditthefirsttimearound.Igrewafterwritingit.Thedownsideofwritingabook—itdoesn’tchange.SoI’mgratefulthatIgottorevisitthebook.AndI’mgratefulthatIcouldseegrowthsincethefirstedition.Ifwhatyoudidfiveyearsagostillmakesyouexcited,you’renotgrowing.
reflect and take Action• Johnsaysthatagoodleaderisalwaysfollowingsomeoneandthathewillnotfollowanyleaderwhoisnot
servingsomeoneelse.Whodoyoufollow?Ifnoone,intentionallychoose1or2individualsthatyoucanfollow,andtherebyserve,insomecapacity.
• Whatunwrittenrulesofyourleadershipdoyouneedtochallengeasyougrowanddevelop?JohnhadtheopportunitytoreviseThe 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.Isthereapolicy,precedentorpracticeinyourbusinessorteamthatcouldbechallengedandrevised?
• Inyourownlife,whomodelsservantleadership?Howdoesthatleadervaluepeople?Writedownspecificexamplesofservantleadershipthatyoucanfollow.
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influence vs. ManipulationQuestionWhatisthedifferencebetweeninfluenceandmanipulation?
John’s AnswerMotivationiswhenImoveyouformutualadvantage.Webothwin.That’swhatleadersshoulddo.Ifyou’renotmovingpeople,you’renotleadingthem.ManipulationiswhenImoveyouforpersonaladvantage,whereIwinandyoulose.
WhenJohnmeetswithworldleaders,ifhecangetaprivatemoment,heasks,“Whenyou’redoneleading,willthepeoplebebetterofforworseoff?”Theonlyvalueofaleaderistoliftpeople.Iftheleaderwinsandthepeopledon’t,aleaderhasn’tdonehisjobcorrectly.
When followers follow a leader, they ask three questions.1.Do you care for me? —Whywouldyoufollowsomeonewhodoesn’tcareforyou?Youknowyou’regoingto
bemanipulated.
2.Can you help me? —That’scompetence.
3.Can I trust you? —Thatrelatestoyourcharacter.
reflect and take Action• Howdoyoumotivateothers?Doyouconsiderhoweveryonecanwin?
• Evaluateyourownmotivesformotivatingothers.Reviewthesekeyquestions.It’sapersonalhonestytest,soanswertruthfully.
-DoIonlymotivatepeoplewhocanhelpme?
-DoIonlymotivatepeoplewhenIaminaleadershipassignment?
-DoImotivateothersusingleverageorguilt?
-DoIunconditionallyloveothersiftheydonotrespondtomymotivation?
• Johnsaysthatyoucan’tmotivatepeoplepositivelythatyoufeelnegativeabout.Istheresomeoneonyourteamorinyourbusinesswholacksmotivation?Considerhowyoufeelaboutthatperson.Writedownwhatattitudesandbehaviorsyoucanchangetowardthatpersonthatwillallowyoutomotivatehimorhermorepositively.
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transparencyQuestionHowimportantistransparencyinleadership?
John’s AnswerInpreviousgenerations,leadersusedtosay,“Don’tletpeoplegettooclosetoyou.”
Forexample,inJohn’sfirstchurch,acongregationmember,Arnold,tookJohnandMargaretouttoeateveryweek.AndwhenJohndecideditwastimetoleave,Arnoldsaid,“Howcouldyouleaveusafterallwe’vedoneforyou?”Afterthatconversation,Johnmadeadecision.Johnwouldalwaysbuythemeal,givegenerouslyandneverkeepscore.
InJohn’ssecondchurch,Johnmentoredayoungman,pouredintohim,andthemanmessedupandJohnhadtofirehim.Forthenextyear,Johnkeptpeopleatadistance.ThenJohnrealizedthatalthoughpeopleyoukeepatadistancewillnothurtyou,theyalsowillnothelpyou.Soclosenessandtransparencyareimportanttoreceivinghelpfromothers.
Whenyouletpeopleintoyourlife,theyseeyourhumanness.
Relationshipsarethefoundationforleadership.Peoplewon’tgoalongwithyouiftheycan’tgetalongwithyou.Peopledon’twantaperfectleader;theywantalovingleader.
Peopledon’tcarehowmuchyouknowunlesstheyknowhowmuchyoucare.
reflect and take Action• Doyoumodelmotivation?• From1to10,howdoyourateyourtransparencyinleadership,with1beingcompletelyclosedtopersonal
relationshipswithyourteamand10beingtheirbestfriend?• Johnsaysgoodleadershipfromadistancewillimpresspeople,buttheresultofgoodleadershipclose-upis
impact.Other-centeredimpactisanindicatoroftransparentleadership.Whereisyourimpact?Whoisbenefiting,andwhoisnot?Determinetodeveloptransparentleadershipinthoseareaswheremoreimpactisneeded.
• Toshowpeoplehowmuchyoucare,usethe4stepsbelowforpeoplewithwhomyouwouldlikeincreaseyourrelationship,transparencyandimpact.
-Remembertheirnames. -Writedowntheirquotes. -Tellothersabouttheirsuccesses. -Askfortheirhelp.
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Global LeadershipQuestionWhatcanleadersdoonaglobalscaletomakebigchanges?
John’s AnswerThepeopleinWashingtoncan’tanswerthatquestion.Why?Theyputthemselvesfirst.They’relookingoutforthemselves.Whywouldanyonespendmillionsofdollarstogetajobthatpays$100,000—unlesstheyhaveanego,arepoliticalinnature,andaregoingtolookafterthemselvesfirst.
WhatweneedinAmericaisagreatcrisis.Weneedallhelltobreakloose.Ifgaspriceshadgoneto$9-10agallon,thepainlevelwouldbehighenoughforchange.Weallneedenoughpaintokeepushumble,true,steady,andfocused.Whenwedon’thaveit,wemigratebacktoselfishness.Thinkabouthowwellpeopleworkedtogetherimmediatelyafterthe9/11attacks.
Bigcountriesneedbigleaders,whothinkGoldRule,andwhoputothersbeforeself.Whenithappensintheirlife,itchangesthewaytheythinkandlead.
everyday,Johnaskshimself,“HowcanIaddvaluetopeopletoday?”Thissetsthecontextofthinkingfortheday.Leavepeoplebetter.Attheendofeveryday,ask,“WhodidIaddvaluetotoday?”Dothatandyou’llmakeyourfamily,community,andcountryabetterplacetolive.
reflect and take Action• Whatglobalissuedoyoufeelparticularlydrawntoandwhy?
• Whatareyoudoinginyoursphereofinfluencetobetterthepeopleaffectedbythisissue?
• HowdoyouimplementtheGoldRule,puttingothersbeforeyourself,inyourleadership?
• Howdoyoustriveforsignificanceandnotselfishnesseachday?
• Thinkofapersonwhoistacklingaglobalissue.Writedown5attributesthatmakethatpersonsuccessful.Howcanyoumodelthoseattitudesandbehaviorstocreatepositivechangeinyourcommunity?
• Howwouldyourselflessnesshaveanimpactonyourfamily,community,andcountry?
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finishing WellQuestionWhydosomepeoplestartandneverfinish?
John’s AnswerThebookendsofsuccessarestartingandfinishing.Somepeopleneverstart.Ifyoudon’thavethedisciplinetodowhatyoumustwhenyouneedtodoit,youhavenoshotatsuccess.Nogoodthingfloatstoyou.However,somepeopleareinlovewithstarting.Johnhasafamilymemberwholovestostart.He’shad17differentjobs.Hesays,“I’vefinallyfoundsomethingIwanttodo.”Itusuallylasts3-4months.He’saperpetualoptimistaboutthingshe’sneverdone.Butnote-thereisnosuchthingassomeonewhoalwaysfinishesbutneverstarts.
People who never finish don’t understand that:1.90%oftherewardcomesonthebackend,notthefrontend.Thefruitisattheend,notthebeginning.
2.Theyaredevelopingahabitthatwillsabotagetheirsuccess.Quittingbecomesahabit.John’sdadlethimknowthatifhestarted,hewouldhavetofinish.“Whenyoumadethechoicetostart,youmadethechoicetofinish.It’snottwochoices;it’sone.”Whenyoufail—becauseyouwill—thequestionis,“Areyougoingtoquit,orfinish?”
3.Notfinishingmakespeopleunreliable,andothersdon’twanttoworkwiththem.Whenyouworkwithaquitter,you’vehandcuffedyourselftohim.Ifyouhangoutwithpeoplewhoblowthemselvesup,theywillblowyouup.
4.Quittersloseabitoftheirself-esteemeverytimetheyquit.Theybegininternallytolabelthemselves.I’veneverfoundapersonwithahighself-imagewhoquitsallthetime.Thereisaprideinaccomplishment.
reflect and take Action• Whataccomplishmentsinyourlifegiveyouthemostsatisfaction?Rememberthepositiveemotion,thepride
andjoy,andharnessthatfeelingformotivationtocompleteunfinishedwork.
• Whatisthecostofquitting?Whoand/orwhatareyouaffecting,andinwhatways?
• Haveyouevernotstartedsomethingbecauseyouwereconcernedyoucouldn’tfinish?Why?
• Considerprojectsyouhavestartedandnotfinished.Createaplanofactiontocompleteevenjustone.Startwithsomethingsmall.Celebrate.Thenattacksomethinglarger.Whatwillbeyourrewardforfinishingandnotquitting?
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MentorshipQuestionWhatarethekeythingstolookforinamentor?
John’s AnswerItisimpossibletoreachyourpotentialwithoutamentorinyourlife.MostofJohn’sgreatestthinkinghasbeendonebysomeoneelse.Canyoumakediscoveriesanddoeverythingonyourown?Yes,ifyouhaveathousandyearstodoit.Thequickestwaytolearnisfromothers’successes.
Dolearninglunches.That’showJohnlearnedtheLawoftheLid.JohnhadlunchwithDonStevensonandaskedhim,“Whenbuyingabankruptcompany,whatdoyoualwaysdo?”Hisanswer:1)Teachrelationshipsskills.2)Firethepresident.
Puttingyourselfundersomebodyisessential.Youneedseveralmentors.Askpeopletomentoryouaccordingtotheirareaofexpertise.Johnhasmentorsinrelationships,teambuilding,etc.
What John looks for in a mentor:1.SuccessintheareawhereI’mseekingadvice.
2.Doesthispersoncareforme?Youreallyneedtolikeeachother.Thereneedstobechemistry.
3.Teachability.Youwanttolearnfromsomeonewhoisstilllearning.Passioncomesfromwhatyou’redoingnow,notwhatyouweredoingyesterday.
reflect and take Action• Doyouhaveafacultyofmentors?Whoaretheyandwhatareasofexpertisedotheysupportyouin?Isthere
anareaorexpertiseinyourlifewhereyouneedamentor?
• Johndoeslearningluncheswithhismentors.Theycanbementorsforalifetime,aseason,orjustalunch.Youcanalsobementoredfromafarthroughreadingandlisteningtoexpertsindifferentareas.Howandhowoftendoyouinteractwithyourmentors?Considersettingupintentionallearninglunchestoconnectwithyourmentorsandallowthemtopourintoyou.
• Askyourmentorswhoismentoringthem.Youalwayswanttofollowotherswhoarebeingmentoredthemselves.Considerlearningfromafarfromyourmentor’smentor.
• Whomareyoumentoring?Youdon’tneedtohavealloftheanswers,justthedesiretoaddvaluetosomeone,vulnerabilitytobetransparent,andwillingnesstokeeplearningyourself.
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riskQuestionHowcanweknowwhenit’stimetotakeariskandhavethecouragetodoit?
John’s AnswerMostthingscanbeaccomplishedinsmallsteps.Don’tunderestimateorundervaluesmallsteps.Smallstepseverydaymakeforabigleapsomeday.However,therearetimeswhenyoucan’tsmall-stepit–forexample,whenmakingachangeinlocations,careers,etc.Sothisisaquestionofrisk.WhendoIriskalottoachievealot?
1.Therewardneedstobepotentiallygreaterthantherisk.Askyourself,whatistherewardontheotherside?Don’ttakeagiantleapforasmallreward.Don’triskalotforalittle.
2.Youmaynotbecertainyoucanachieveit,butyoumustknowit’sachievable.
3.Knowwhatthedownsideis.Askyourself,“Doesthedownsideholdpotentialdisaster—disasterthatIcan’trecoverfrom?”It’sokaytofail.It’snotokaytofailfromsomethingyoucan’trecoverfrom.
Beforetakingthegiantleap,talktootherswho’vetakenitsuccessfully.
Johnhasneverknownsomeonewhotooktheleap,madeit,andregrettedit.Buttherearepeoplewhodidn’ttrytomaketheleapandregrettedit.Peopledieslowlybecausetheydon’ttakerisks.Manypeopleintheir40sand50sarealreadyregrettingit.Theonlythingworsethannotmakingadecisionbackthen,isnotmakingitnow.Thedecisionsyouregretinlifearetheonesyoudidn’tmake.Andyouwillbehauntedbythequestion,“Whatif?”
Somepeopletriedtheriskandfailed,buttheyarestillsatisfiedbecausetheyhadthecouragetotry.Theyhaveself-respect,eventhoughtheydidn’tgetwhattheyexpected.Everyonedoesn’texpecttogettothetop.Buttheywantashotatit.
reflect and take Action• JohntalksaboutTheRuleofFive–thefiveactionsyoushouldtakeeverydaytobesuccessful.Thesesmall,
dailydisciplinesallowyoutotakeonmorerisksandmakemorechangesinbite-sizedpieces.WhatisyourRuleof5?Johnsaysitcantakeyearstodevelopyourcorefiveactions,butmaketodaythedayyouwritedownthefirstdraft.
• Whomdoyouseekoutwhenconsideringamajorchangeinyourlife?Hasthispersonmadethissamechangesuccessfullyinthepast?Havetheygivenwisecounselinotherareasinyourlife?
• Whatdoesfailingforwardmeantoyou?
• Whatriskareyounottakingbecauseyou’rescaredtofail?Considerwhat’satstakeandbecreativeinyourthinkingabouthowtofailforwardevenifyoutryandfail.
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trustQuestionHowdoyourebuildtrustinanorganizationwhenit’sbeenbroken?
John’s AnswerInnearlyeveryleadershipsituation,therecomesatimewhenyouhavetorebuildtrust.Itbeginsbybeinghonestandtransparentaboutyourweaknesses,frailties,andmistakes.Andyouhavetobecomfortablewiththem.
Leadersshouldcommunicatetheirweaknessestotheirteam.Theteamalreadyknowstheleader’sweaknesses.It’simportantthattheteamknowthattheleaderknowshisorherownweaknesses.It’sarelieftotheteam.
1.Understandyourhumanness.
2.Becomfortablewithit.
3.Communicateittoothers.Beopenandhonestaboutyourmistakes.
4.Askforgiveness.
5.Learnfromyourmistakesandbewillingtochange.
6.Giveitthetimeitneeds.
Understandthatbrokentruststopseverything,oratleastslowsitdown.Peopledon’texpecttheirleaderstobeperfect.Theyonlyexpectthemtobehonest.
reflect and take Action• Howdifferentlydoteamsandorganizationsfunctioninenvironmentsoftrustandsuspicion?
• Whataredifferentwaystodiagnoseordetectalackoftrust?
• Trustisaleader’scurrency.Whentheleaderhastrust,theteamfunctionsatitshighestcapacity.Withouttrust,communication,motivation,andultimatelyperformancesuffer.
• Haveyoubeenopenandhonestaboutyourmistakeswithothers?Howcanyouaskforforgiveness?Howwillyouchangethatbehaviorinthefuture?
• Whatareyourweaknesses?Howdoyoucompensateforthese–worklongerandharder,butnotsmarter;delegate;droptheball?Behonest.Thisisaself-assessment.Whetherthisiseasyordifficultforyou,considerinvitingsomeoneyoutrusttoanswerthisquestionforyou.Beopentothefeedbackyoureceive.
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Coaching CultureQuestionIsitpossibletocreateasustainablecoachingcultureinanorganization?
John’s AnswerTocreateasustainablecoachingculture,youhavetomakeityourpriority.Itcan’tbeaneventorprogramtobesustainable.Thathasashortlifespan.Butifitbecomesalifestyle,youcandoit.InJohn’sorganization,itwasexpectedandassumed.
Ifpeopleareourmostappreciableasset,thenyouneedtospendtimeandmoneyimprovingthem.There’snowaytodeveloppeopleiftheyarenotapriority.Tomakedevelopmentsustainable,makeitalifestyle.Puttimeandenergyinit.
VerylittleinJohn’slifehasbeenduetoself-discovery.It’sbeenduetogoodmentoringandcoaching.
Youcan’tbuildacoachingcompanyonaone-hitwonder.Successrequirescontinualdevelopment.
reflect and take Action• Thinkofanorganizationyouarefamiliarwiththatvaluesanddevelopsitspeople.Whatarethatorganization’s
leadersdoingtocoachandmentortheirteam?Howcanyoutranslatetheiractionsintoyourorganization?
• Doyoubelievepeopleareyourmostappreciableasset?Doyouractionsreflectthatsentiment?Ifnot,whatvaluesareyoucommunicatingthroughyouractions?Johnsayspeopledowhatpeoplesee–iftheleadertreatstheteamwithhighvalue,theywillreplicatethatbehavior.
• Duringyournextbudgetingseason,considerwhatmoney–andthereforetimeandenergy–youarewillingtoallocatetocoachingandmentoringyourteam,andwhenyouarewillingtospendit.Notallaspectsofasustainabledevelopmentprogramcostmoney,butwhereveryourmoneygoes,therealsowillgoyourattitudesandbehavior.Bewillingtofundthecultureyouwanttocreate.
• Whomwillyoupersonallycoach?Howwillyouensurethatyourteamthenturnsaroundandcoachesothers?