John C. Maxwell People Quotations [Page 2]

There is something to be said about a pastor and a church that develop a missions statement and the people take ownership of it. They get their identity, purpose, and energy from the unique place their church is to be in that community.

Many times we ask people to march outwardly, when we haven't yet spent the needed time inwardly.

Talented performers flock to the best and brightest leaders, and these leaders in turn lift the lids off their people and uncork the latent talent inside of them.

Leaders need to remember that the point of leading is not to cross the finish line first. It's to take people across the finish line with you. For that reason, leaders must deliberately slow their pace, stay connected to their people, enlist others to help fulfill the vision, and keep people going. You can't do that if you're running too far ahead of your people.

My leadership began to take flight when I allowed myself to press people to change-whether they thanked me or cursed me.

The more that people know how they fit on a team, the more they will desire to properly make the most of their fit and maximize their contribution.

The secret to success can be found in people's daily agendas. If they do something intentional to grow every day, they move closer to reaching their potential. If they don't, their potential slowly slips away over the course of their lifetime.

By the time I went to the pulpit, the vision was never on the same level as when God first gave it to me; it was clearer and bigger. It was better because the body of Christ complemented what God had given me. So when I gave the vision to the congregation, the influencers already bought it. Then after the people have heard my message, and migrate to the influencers, these influencers are already my allies and help me communicate the vision to the congregation.

Connecting is vital for any person who wants to achieve success. It is essential for anyone who wants to build great relationships. You will only be able to reach your potential-regar dless of your profession or chosen path-when you learn to connect with other people.

People go farther than they thought they could when someone else thinks they can.

Followers are always watching what you do. And people do what people see! If you are a leader seeking to make your vision come alive, then there is no better way to accomplish this than by living it: Modeling your expectations, setting the example by your actions, and showing the way through leading. Your followers, who are watching, will see in you the living picture of the vision, and you will produce the energy, motivation and passion to keep it going.

People of influence understand the incredible value of becoming a good listener.

To really become motivated to succeed, people need to believe they can win.

Faith in people is an essential quality of an influencer when working with others, yet it is a scarce commodity today.

When you nurture people and add value to them without expecting anything in return, they feel significant.

If you show people how much you care and ask questions in a non threatening way, you'll be amazed by how much they'll tell you.

The ability to understand people is one of the greatest assets anyone can ever have.

Understanding people certainly impacts your ability to communicate with others.

Nurturing has the ability to transform people's lives.

The more people see that they are being understood, they become more motivated to understand your point of view.

People today are desperate for leaders, but they want to be influenced only by individuals they can trust, persons of good character.

Seek people who seek solutions.

People will not follow a leader who does not have confidence in himself.

A great leader has the ability to instill within his people confidence in themselves.

An organization cannot increase its productivity-but people can!

It is the leaders job to add significance to the lives of the people he leads.

When you believe in people, you motivate them and release their potential.

Are you a thinker, a doer, or a clutch player? The better you are, the greater potential for influence you will have with your people.

It takes a lot of people to create a success. That's why I say that few leaders are successful unless a lot of people want them to be.

It's one thing to communicate to people because you believe you have something of value to say. It's another to communicate with people because you believe they have value.

With a little faith in themselves people, people can do miraculous things. But without it, they have a really tough time.

I've known people who thought that reaching their potential would come from shoring up their weaknesses. But do you know what happens when you spend all your time working on your weaknesses and never developing your strengths? If you work really hard, you might claw your way all the way to mediocrity! But you'll never get beyond it.

One person seeking glory doesn't accomplish much. Success is the result of people pulling together to meet common goals.

What most people really want is to be listened to, respected, and understood.

The greatest detriment to many people's success tomorrow is their thinking today.

Any leader who asks the right questions of the right people has the potential to discover and develop great ideas.

The success of a vision is determined by its ownership by both the leader and the people.

Making a difference in your work is not about productivity; it’s about people. When you focus on others and connect with them, you can work together to accomplish great things.

Lasting motivation proceeds forth from the heart. People can be temporarily motivated by other people and things around them. Permanent, enduring motivation, however, can only come from within.

If you want to be great, you can't be great by yourself. You gotta to bring people around you. As the the challenge escalates, the need for teamwork elevates. The greater the challenge, the better the team.

You win people's hearts by helping them grow personally.

When you realize that people treat you according to how they see themselves rather than how you really are, you are less likely to be affected by their behavior.

If I expect great things from my people, they'll go to great lengths to keep from disappointing me.

The trials and pressures of life--and how we face them--often define us. Confronted by adversity, many people give up while others rise up. How do those who succeed do it? They persevere. They find the benefit to them personally that comes from any trial. And they recognize that the best thing about adversity is coming out on the other side of it. There is a sweetness to overcoming your troubles and finding something good in the process, however small it may be. Giving up when adversity threatens can make a person bitter. Persevering through adversity makes one better.

Delegate - work smarter not harder; do what you do best and drop the rest; get control of your calendar; do what you love because it will give you energy; work with people you like so your energy isn't depleted.

COMMITMENT is the first step to every good thing I know, and the only step that matters when it comes to achievement. It inspires and attracts people, shows them you have conviction and goals, that you are focused and determined. And the commitment that is based on values will endure. Any time you make choices based on solid life values, you are in a better position to sustain your level of commitment, because you don't have to continually re-evaluate its importance.

People who love life have charisma because they fill the room with positive energy.

If you want to lead people, you have to let them come up close.

Most people are not valued. Very few people have someone who believes in them. Very few have others love them unconditionally. Do these things intentionally every day.

Anyone can steer the ship, but it takes a leader to chart the course. Leaders who are good navigators are capable of taking their people just about anywhere.

The most successful people in life are the ones who settle their critical issues early and manage them daily.

One of the best ways to cultivate a possibility mind set is to prompt yourself to dream one size bigger than you normally do. Let's face it, most people dream too small, they don't think big enough.

Three reasons problems are inevitable; first, we live in a world of growing complexity and diversity; second, we interact with people; and third, we cannot control all the situation we face.

It's more important to get along with people than to get ahead of them.

Our days are like identical suitcases. Even though they are all the same size, some people are able to pack more into them then others. The reason? They know what to pack.

What I had been taught all my life was not true: experience is not the best teacher! Some people learn and grow as a result of their experience; some people don't. Everybody has some kind of experience. It's what you do with that experience that matters.

People may teach what they know, but they reproduce what they are.

People are funny. When they are young, they will spend their health to get wealth. Later, they will gladly pay all they have trying to get their health back.

Many people help construct our attitudes at a certain time and place.

One way to overcome our natural self-centeredness is to try to see things from other people's perspectives.

The ability to understand people is a choice.

Everyone you know and all the people you meet have the potential to be someone important in the lives of others.

People do not give from the top of their purses but from the bottom of their hearts. If you desire to become a more generous person do not change your income. Change your heart.

Making matters worse is people's natural inclination to be easy on themselves, judging themselves according to their good intentions-while holding others to a higher standard and judging them by their worst actions.

The leader finds the dream and then the people. The people find the leader and then the dream.

Mentally strong people are comfortable in their own skin.

Successful people don't make a daily decision to grow. The decision has already been made and just needs to be fed. To feed success you must ... know your purpose in life, grow daily to reach your maximum potential, and sow seeds that benefit others. Remember, success is not a destination; it's a daily thing.

When people respect someone as a person, they admire her. When they respect her as a friend, they love her. When they respect her as a leader, they follow her.

There is no quicker way to earn respect as a leader than being slow to speak. It is called listening and it plays a big role in what I call “The Law of Connection.” How will you know what is important to people unless you ask and listen to the answers? If you prove to be a leader who solicits feedback and pays attention to what’s being said, then you will earn your connection and your followers will respect the guidance you give.

What is your legacy? Are you intentional about the sort of influence you want to have on the world around you? Being aware of how you want to be remembered gives you a perspective on what is truly important. Leadership is influence, and relationships are the foundation of leadership. Nothing is more predictive of your legacy than the quality of people you surround yourself with.

If you want to be a sharp thinker, be around sharp people.

People tend to become what the most important people in their lives think they will become.

Talk to people, not above them.

Leadership deals with people and their dynamics, which are continually changing. The challenge of leadership is to create change and facilitate growth.

You can change your tomorrow if you do something today. Few people understand how the way you live today impacts your tomorrow. Today is the only time we have within our grasp, yet many people let it slip through their fingers, recognizing neither its value nor potential. If we want to do something with our lives, then we must make today matter, because that's where tomorrow's success lies.

Successful people are willing to do things unsuccessful people will not do.

God uses people who fail - Cause there aren't any other kind around.

Leaders provide for their people what the people cannot provide for themselves.

The best leaders realize their success depends on their people.

As a leader, you will never get ahead until your people are behind you.

You're only as good as the people you have around you.

People are training for success when they should be training for failure.

People don't really know whether they are committed to something until they face adversity.

People knowledge is much more important than mere product knowledge.

If you are a leader, the true measure of your success is not getting people to work. It's not getting people to work hard. It is getting people to work hard together. That takes commitment.

People have a seed to success within them. Most never find it and therefore fail to reach their potential. Occasionally, a leader discovers it and helps that individual develop it. For both, they now can fulfill the purpose for which they are born.

I always find the greatest help I receive is from people who have been where I have been, but now they're no longer there.

People create success in their lives by focusing on today. It may sound trite, but today is the only time you have. It's too late for yesterday. And you can't depend on tomorrow. That's why today matters. Most of the time we miss that.

If people around you don't believe in you, if they don't encourage you, then you need to find some people who do.

A lot of people believe they are successful because they have everything they want. They have added value to themselves. But I believe significance comes when you add value to others and you can't have true success without significance.

When you are influential and highly respected, people tend to tell you what you want to hear, not what you need to hear. They are seeking your approval, or they flatter you. Unfortunately, this creates a gap between what you hear and reality. If you find yourself in that situation, you will need to work extra hard to get the people close to you to speak honestly into your life. And you will have to become highly intentional in observing and listening.

You've got to love your people more than your position.

Good people always rise to your level of expectation.

Talent allows people to stand out, but their wrong choices make them sit down.

The best place for a leader isn't always at the top position. It is the place where they can serve the best and add the most value to other people.

Do you value people who won't benefit you or only those who might contribute in some way to your success? Great team players truly value others as people, and they know and relate to what others value.

People must learn how to think well to achieve their dreams and to reach their potential.

The leader is there for the people, not the people for the leader

For leaders to be effective, they need to connect with people.

The best leaders are humble enough to realize their victories depend upon their people.