Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

John C. Maxwell is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, coach, and speaker who has sold more than 33 million books in fifty languages. He has been identified as the #1 leader in business and the most influential leadership expert in the world. His organizations - the John Maxwell Company, The John Maxwell Team, EQUIP, and the John Maxwell Leadership Foundation - have translated his teachings into seventy languages and used them to  train millions of leaders from every country of the world. A recipient of the Horatio Alger Award, as well as the Mother Teresa Prize for Global Peace and Leadership from the Luminary Leadership Network, Dr. Maxwell influences Fortune 500 CEOs, the presidents of nations, and entrepreneurs worldwide. For more information about him visit JohnMaxwell.com.

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THE MAXWELL DAILY READER

Thomas Nelson

Contents

Introduction.............................................vJanuary..................................................1February.................................................35March....................................................67April....................................................101May......................................................133June.....................................................167July.....................................................199August...................................................233September................................................267October..................................................299November.................................................333December.................................................365About the Author.........................................398Annotated Bibliography...................................399Sources by Book..........................................406Sources by Day and Parallel Passages.....................409

Chapter One

1. Take Care of the Little Things

2. The Instrument of Leadership

3. Discernment

4. You Are Your Lens

5. Put People in Their (Right) Place

6. Character Is Everything

7. The Law of Influence

8. Point Out People's Strengths

9. The Power of Focusing

10. Charting the Course

11. The Law of Priorities

12. People Need to Know They Helped

13. Control What's In You

14. Leaders See Within the Larger Context

15. Be Impressed, Not Impressive

16. Manage Your Attitude Daily

17. The Law of Connection

18. Take Time to Understand People

19. The 30-Second Rule

20. Develop Relationships Before Starting Out

21. The Value of Time

22. Enlarging Others

23. Overcoming Barriers to Empowerment

24. Leaders Cannot Rise above the Limitations of Their Character

25. Vision

26. Everyone Influences Someone

27. The Heart of Leadership

28. Act Yourself into Changing

29. Let People Know You Need Them

30. Steer a Course

31. Growing to Your Potential

JANUARY 1

TAKE CARE OF THE LITTLE THINGS

When I teach at a conference or go to a book signing, people sometimes confide in me that they desire to write books too. "How do I get started?" they ask.

"How much writing do you do now?" I ask in return.

Some tell me about articles and other pieces they are writing, and I simply encourage them; but most of the time they sheepishly respond, "Well, I haven't really written anything yet."

"Then you need to start writing," I explain. "You've got to start small and work up to it."

Leadership is the same. You've got to start small and work up to it. A person who has never led before needs to try to influence one other person. Someone who has some influence should try to build a team. Just start with what's necessary.

St. Francis of Assisi said, "Start doing what is necessary; then do what is possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible." All good leadership begins where you are. It was Napoleon who said, "The only conquests which are permanent and leave no regrets are our conquests over ourselves." The small responsibilities you have before you now comprise the first great leadership conquest you must make. Don't try to conquer the world until you've taken care of things in your own backyard.

—The 360° Leader

What one small, specific leadership step can you take today?

JANUARY 2

THE INSTRUMENT OF LEADERSHIP

John W. Gardner observed, "If I had to name a single all-purpose instrument of leadership, it would be communication." Perhaps you are familiar with my books on leadership; then you know that I believe everything rises and falls on leadership. What I haven't mentioned before is that leadership rises and falls on communication.

If you lead your team, give yourself these standards to live by as you communicate to your people:

1. Be consistent. Nothing frustrates team members more than leaders who can't make up their minds. One of the things that won the team over to Gordon Bethune when he was at Continental was the consistency of his communication. His employees always knew they could depend on him and what he said.

2. Be clear. Your team cannot execute if the members don't know what you want. Don't try to dazzle anyone with your intelligence; impress people with your straightforwardness.

3. Be courteous. Everyone deserves to be shown respect, no matter what the position or what kind of history you might have with him. By being courteous to your people, you set the tone for the entire organization.

Never forget that because you are the leader, your communication sets the tone for the interaction among your people. Teams always reflect their leaders. And never forget that good communication is never one-way. It should not be top-down or dictatorial. The best leaders listen, invite, and then encourage participation.

—The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork

Be aware today that your communication is setting the tone with the people you lead.

JANUARY 3

DISCERNMENT

Discernment can be described as the ability to find the root of the matter, and it relies on intuition as well as rational thought. Discernment is an indispensable quality for any leader who desires to maximize effectiveness. It helps to do several important things:

1. Discover the Root Issues. Leaders of large organizations must cope with tremendous chaos and complexity every day. They are never able to gather enough information to get a complete picture. As a result, they have to rely on discernment to see a partial picture, fill in the missing pieces intuitively, and find the real heart of a matter.

2. Enhance Your Problem Solving. If you can see the root issue of a problem, you can solve it. The closer a leader is to his area of gifting, the stronger his intuition and ability to see root causes. If you want to tap into your discernment potential, work in your areas of strength.

3. Evaluate Your Options for Maximum Impact. Management consultant Robert Heller has this advice: "Never ignore a gut feeling, but never believe that it's enough." Discernment isn't relying on intuition alone, nor is it relying only on intellect. Discernment enables you to use both your gut and your head to find the best option.

4. Multiply Your Opportunities. People who lack discernment are seldom in the right place at the right time. Although great leaders often appear to be lucky to some observers, I believe leaders create their own "luck" as the result of discernment, that willingness to use their experience and follow their instincts.

—The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader

Use discernment today to position yourself...