Avoid Destructive Partnerships

Avoid Destructive Partnerships

– John Maxwell

 

Healthy leaders often partner with others to reach their goals. In fact, we live in an age of partnerships, both in the corporate world and in the church. Paul reminds us that nothing is more dangerous to a leader than an unhealthy or destructive partnership. Note several signs of a bad partnership:

 

– The parties don’t share the same values.

– The parties don’t agree on the goal.

– One or both parties must compromise their convictions.

– One party selfishly demands that the other surrender.

– One party benefits and the other loses.

 

Good partnerships do not foster co-dependence or independence, but interdependence. Each party feels secure, is stretched, and enjoys synergy. The partnership multiplies the productivity of both parties.

 

Excerpt from The Maxwell Leadership Bible

Picking Your Team

Picking Your Team

– John Maxwell

 

Red Auerbach, long-time president of the Boston Celtics, said, “How you select people is more important than how you manage them once they’re on the job. If you start with the right people, you won’t have problems later on.” You have to begin with the right raw materials in order to create a winning team.

 

I want the people close to me to . . .

• Know my heart: This takes time for both of us and a desire on their part.

• Be loyal to me: They are an extension of me and my work.

• Be trustworthy: They must not abuse authority, power, or confidences.

• Be discerning: They make decisions for me.

• Have a servant’s heart: They carry a heavy load because of my high demands.

• Be a good thinker: Our two heads are better than my one.

• Be able to follow through: They take authority and carry out the vision.

• Have a great heart for God: My heart for God is my driving force in life.

 

Excerpt from Developing the Leaders Around You

Resourcefulness = “Of Coursefulness”

Resourcefulness = “Of Coursefulness”
– Harvey Mackay

A firm needed a researcher. Applicants were a scientist, an engineer and an economist. Each was given a stone, a piece of string and a stopwatch and told to determine a certain building’s height. The scientist went to the rooftop, tied the stone to the string and lowered it to the ground. Then he swung it, timing each swing with the watch. With this pendulum, he estimated the height at 200 feet, give or take 12 inches.

The engineer threw away the string, dropped the stone from the roof, timing its fall with the watch. Applying the laws of gravity, he estimated the height at 200 feet, give or take six inches.

The economist, ignoring the string and stone, entered the building but soon returned to report the height at exactly 200 feet. How did he know? He gave the janitor his watch in exchange for the building plans. He got the job.

Of all the skills I admire, being resourceful is among the most important. I don’t want to be surrounded by ordinary thinkers. Rather, I want to be with people who, if they don’t know an answer, know how to get it. Or if we have a problem, know how to solve it.

Resourceful people think outside the box and visualize all the possible ways to achieve things. They are scrappy, inventive and driven to find a way to get what they need and want. As one of my very favorite authors, Napoleon Hill, said: “A resourceful person will always make the opportunity fit his or her needs.”

Here are some characteristics I look for when determining a person’s resourcefulness:

• Open-minded. Know what is and isn’t possible. Embrace different possibilities, people and views to broaden your perspective. Expand your comfort zone by trying different things.

• Self-confident. Believe that you can handle any problem you encounter or that there is a solution for any problem you encounter. Visualize yourself overcoming any obstacle.

• Innovative. Resourcefulness is about optimizing what you have to work with. A fun example is the old TV show “MacGyver” starring Richard Dean Anderson. There wasn’t any situation that MacGyver couldn’t handle, any problem he couldn’t fix, be it with his Swiss Army knife and a roll of duct tape. Think: it’s the hardest, most valuable task any person can perform.

• Adaptable. Don’t box yourself into doing things a certain way. Experiment.

• Persistent. Try things many different ways until you succeed. Never give up. Many things can get in your way, but don’t let them until you get what you want or achieve your goal. Practice until you get it right.

• Optimistic. If you have the right attitude, the solution is easier to find. You have to believe that you can get through any issue and come out better and stronger.

Resourcefulness is crucial in anticipating problems and being prepared. I understand that you can’t predict everything, but I’m a big believer in asking what can go wrong in any situation.

Ernest Hemingway said, “Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what there is.”

This story, shared by Vladimir Karapetoff, is a perfect illustration. When Leningrad was laid out in the early 18th century, many large rocks had to be removed. One especially large piece of granite was lying in the way of a main road. Bids for its removal submitted by contractors were exorbitantly high because there were no mechanical means for removal, no hard steel for drilling or cracking the stone, and no explosives except inferior black powder.

Lo and behold, an insignificant-looking peasant appeared and offered to remove the boulder for a fraction of the other bids. Since the government ran no risks, he was authorized to try his luck.

He assembled many other peasants with spades and timbers, and they began digging a deep hole next to the rock. The rock was propped up to prevent its rolling into the hole. When the hole was deep enough, they removed the props and the boulder dropped into the hole, where it rests to this day below the street level. The rock was covered with dirt, and the rest of the earth was carted away. Since he could not remove the rock above the ground, he put it underground.

Mackay’s Moral: Mine your natural resources for uncommon results.

Be Sure To Know Your PSA Number!

Be sure to know your PSA number!
– Robert Rohm

The medical field is full with acronyms. Some are more commonly known than others, like CAT Scan, MRI, EKG, X-ray, etc. Some are more gender specific, like GYN and PMS for women, or PSA for men.

The PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen test) for men helps to determine how prone an individual is towards potential cancer problems. While it is important for men to have this, I think there is an even more important PSA number of which all of us should be aware, whether male or female. The PSA I am talking about is your Problem-Solving Ability. Please allow me to elaborate.

Have you ever noticed that most people get paid directly in proportion to their ability to solve problems? A physician who solves major health problems earns more than someone who collects trash, for instance. Please understand, I mean no disrespect in saying that. I know that we need someone to pick up our trash on a weekly basis. I have seen pictures of what happens in major cities, like New York or Detroit, when the trash workers go on strike. But, please do not get side-tracked or bogged down in that issue for now. I am simply making the point that those who are trained to solve bigger, more specific and urgent problems are generally paid higher wages.

I have come to see the importance of learning to be a problem-solver. If you focus on the problem, the problem increases. However, if you focus on the solution to the problem, then the solution will increase. And, so will your bottom line!

I find it very interesting that it was my own problem of learning how to deal with my daughter, Rachael that led me into my life’s vocation. I had no idea how to solve the problem of learning to deal with a Dominant-type personality style like hers. But, as I learned how to solve that problem, it opened up doors of opportunity for me to share that information with other people so that they would know how to deal with different personality types, too. Many people have been affected indirectly because of the solutions I learned in dealing with my own problem. Do you see what I mean? We get paid in accordance with our ability to increase our problem-solving ability. I know I sure have!

If someone were to ask you what your PSA count is today, how would you answer them? What problems have you learned to solve?

It has been my experience in 69 years of life, that most people are better at creating problems than they are at solving them. We are all prone to do things in a way that simply generates more problems. I observe this on a daily basis as I listen to the way people talk. They will explain the problem, go over the problem, review the problem, compound the problem, rehearse the problem over and over, and finally get stuck in the problem. It is rare that you will find someone who thinks in terms of solutions.

I remember when I sold the huge home office of Personality Insights. Because of the advances in technology and changing needs, I just did not need the large physical location any longer. It had nothing to do with my business itself, but it had everything to do with the physical location. Again, because of the use of today’s technology, I was able to be much more efficient with less overhead.

During that time, there was interaction with realtors, attorneys, co-workers, clients, shippers, storage facilities and movers. The list seemed to never end! I did everything in my power to solve problems day by day. Yet, as I interacted with other people, I was amazed at how much I saw their lack of problem-solving ability. More people have a mindset of what cannot work and what the problem is, rather than what can work and what the solution is. It is a way of thinking that must be learned and even forced, at times.

So, again, I ask you, what is your PSA number? In trying to determine the answer to that question, not only listen to others, but learn to listen to yourself as well. Are you talking about the problem, or are you talking about the solution? Are you talking about what will not work, or what will work, or what might work?? You will be paid in accordance with your ability to solve problems.

If you are not making the kind of income that you would like, maybe it is because you are focusing too much on the problem and not enough on a solution. If you increase your PSA count and learn to become a master problem-solver, you will be rewarded handsomely for it. It is just the nature of life!

Tip: Be sure to know your PSA number!

Have a great week! God bless you!

Dr. Robert A. Rohm

Make Communication Clear

Make Communication Clear

– John Maxwell

 

The success of your marriage, job, and personal relationships all depend greatly on communication. People will not follow you if they don’t know what you want or where you are going. You can be a more effective communicator if you follow four truths:

 

1. Simplify your message: The key to effective communication is simplicity. Forget about impressing people with big words or complex sentences. If you want to connect with people, keep it simple.

 

2. See the person: As you communicate with people – whether individuals or groups – ask yourself these questions: Who is my audience? What are their questions? What needs to be accomplished?

 

3. Show the truth: Credibility precedes great communication. Believe in what you say. Then, live what you say. There is no greater credibility than conviction in action.

 

4. Seek a response: As you communicate, never forget that the goal of all communication is action. Every time you speak to people, give them something to feel, something to remember, and something to do.

 

Excerpt from The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader

“People never care how much you know un

“People never care how much you know until they know how much you care.” – John C. Maxwell

“As a leader, the first person I need t

“As a leader, the first person I need to lead is me. The first person that I should try to change is me.” -John C. Maxwell

Never confuse a single defeat with a fin

Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat. ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald

You don’t have to see the whole stairca

You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step. ~ Martin Luther King

A Growing Community

A Growing Community

– John Maxwell

 

Just as the growth of tropical fish is limited by the size of the aquarium in which they live, we also are affected by our environment. If your current circumstances do nothing to help you grow, you’re going to have a hard time enlarging yourself to reach your potential. That’s why it’s crucial that you create an environment of growth around you. That kind of place should look like this:

 

1. Others are ahead of you.

2. You are still challenged.

3. Your focus is forward.

4. The atmosphere is affirming.

5. You are out of your comfort zone.

6. Others are growing.

7. There is a willingness to change.

8. Growth is modeled and expected.

 

A life of continual growth is never easy, but a good environment makes the swim upstream a little less difficult.

 

Excerpt from Your Road Map for Success