I had the opportunity to learn from some great people last week at the International Maxwell Certification event. I learned from John Maxwell, Carly Fiorina, Dr. Cialdini and more. I wanted to share some of the principles I learned from my experience so you too could learn and grow.
Refresh Yourself
Carly Fiorina shared a key to effectively leading is finding people who lift you up. Life is full of critics and encouragers. Those we spend more time around will influence our energy level. Negative people drain us while others bring life to us. Who is in your life that will lift you up when you are down and help you recharge your batteries? What habits help you to recharge?
Vision
While sitting in on a session led by Mark Cole, CEO of the Maxwell Enterprise, he discussed gaining clarity on your personal vision. One of the many statements he made that impacted me was “people need to determine who they want to be before they determine what they want to do.” We are human beings not human doings with that in mind we need to get clarity on who we are in order to live and lead at our full potential. Having clarity on our strengths, passions, and purpose will enable us to say yes to the best and no to the rest. There was so much more in this area, but I’ll have to share that another time.
Leaders vs. Managers
During the session with John Maxwell and Carly Fiorina they discussed how managers produce results within existing restraints and conditions while leaders change restraints and conditions and challenge the status quo. Both are necessary and after reflecting on this idea I realized often I function as a manager because it feels safe instead of appropriately pushing boundaries and leading. Leadership requires courage and I know this is an area for my growth.
A Leader’s Focus
“Leaders don’t focus on position or title, but make things happen.” How often do people think if they get the title or corner office then they are a leader. This simply is not true. We develop our leadership ability as we move toward a goal and bring others along in our pursuit of this common vision. Leaders think and act to get results. Thoughtful action should be the leader’s focus.
The Gap
“The widest gap between successful and unsuccessful people is how they think.”
John C. Maxwell
We go to the dentist and he or she encourages us to regularly floss our teeth to keep the junk out. John presented the idea of “mental floss.” Do we regularly clear the garbage from our brain because how we see something often is how we see everything? This ability to guard our thoughts and focus our thinking on the right things impacts our ability to achieve success.
These are just a handful of the lessons learned from my time at the International Maxwell Certification. I didn’t have the time to include Dr. Cialdini’s seven steps of influence or steps of pre-fluence. I hope these stirred your thinking as you read them. Which of these do you need to apply? How can you live and lead to your fullest potential today? Write down one application from these ideas and implement it within the next 48 hours. If you need help thinking into your results contact me for a coaching session at no cost to you. In the meantime, lead well.
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