Dear Friends,
One of my favorite writers and teachers is John Maxwell, John has
written over 100 books on leadership, and today he is widely acknowledged as
the world's greatest expert on the subject of leadership.
Recently he shared a
series of 29 life lessons his dad had taught him.
His dad was 98 when he
died, and he was still going strong at his death. Shortly before his dad, he
was busy leading two worship services every Sunday in the retirement community
where he lived.
As John sat beside his
father's bedside during the last days of his life, he poignantly shares the
life lessons his dad had taught him. As he sat beside his dad during his final
hours, he would think of a lesson his dad had taught him, and then he would
bend over his dad and whisper in his ear the lesson he learned and then he
would thank him for teaching it to him.
These 29 lessons,
which one can access on the internet, are some of the most valuable lessons I
have ever learned, and periodically I will be sharing some of those lessons in
future Leadership Thoughts.
A
Month of Melvin Maxwell Series – John Maxwell Leadership
Today I share John's
own words about one of those lessons his dad had taught him.
"My dad taught me
the importance of adding value to others."
"Every day my dad
got up for one purpose, and that was to make the day better for someone
else. And every day when he would put his head down on the pillow, there
would be no doubt that there would be people who would come into his mind that
he knew he had contributed to in a positive way."
"Some of the best
advice I ever learned was when I sat down with my dad before I went to college.
'How can I succeed,' I asked him, and I will never forget what he
said."
"John, there are
three things that are important. And if you do these three things, I promise
that you'll always do well."
"What he shared
with me that day, I have carried with me my entire life, and every time I
teach, write or lead I always remember those words."
"First," he
said. " John everyday people go through life not always feeling truly
valued. Add value to them. Sometimes these people don't have any sense of their
own value. Let these people not only see who they are, but what they can
become."
Secondly, he
said, "Believe in people, and believe the best about them. We are
all human. Every one of us has our worst sides. There's probably a day in your
own life, and in my life that we hope nobody ever knows about. We don't always
operate on the top level, but do your best to believe the best about the people
you are around. The best way to get people to live the best is to believe the
best about them."
And then thirdly, he
said, "You must unconditionally love people."
"I can promise
you that the person that you are communicating with has never been
unconditionally loved. I mean just love them with no strings attached. People
may forget the things you do, but they will never forget how you (made them
feel) by unconditionally loving them."
"And so I took my
dad's advice. I try to value all people, believe the best about them and always
unconditionally love them."
These are good lessons
for all of us to keep in mind.
As I close I am
reminded of the statement attributed to Wolfgang Von Goethe who said,
"Treat a man as he is, and he will remain the same, but treat a man as he
could be and you will make him what he should be."
Yours in faith and
friendship,
Tom
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