J O H N C . M A X W E L L

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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!

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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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J o h N C . M a x w E L L

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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?