Do I believe the best in others? This is a question that I’ve been asking myself a lot lately. Because believing the best in others is not something to be assumed; you must be intentional in checking the lens you’re looking through when viewing others. John Maxwell teaches a simple exercise to help cultivate the…

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One of my favorite lessons John Maxwell teaches is, “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” The most important point is the first one—“A leader knows the way”—because if the leader doesn’t know the way it will be impossible to go the way and show the way.…

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Change is challenging. One of the things I’ve heard John Maxwell teach about change is that no one really likes to change, not even leaders—unless the change is their idea! As John says, “Most people are more comfortable with old problems than new solutions, because the new represents the unknown.” It’s awkward to do something…

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Listening is one of the most valuable tools a leader has in his or her tool belt. Unfortunately, the busier we are and the higher we climb in the organization, the more difficult it becomes to listen. I love Ralph Waldo Emerson’s attitude, “Every man I meet is in some way my superior, and I…

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In my book, Everyone Communicates, Few Connect: What the Most Effective People Do Differently, I share one of the most overlooked aspects of leadership. If you’ve read the book, you know where I’m going, but if you haven’t read the book, let me tell you—you don’t want to miss this thought. In fact, it’s the…

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One of the first lessons that John Maxwell taught me, many years ago, was the “30-Second Rule”. One night around a dinner table with several other colleagues, John leaned over to me and said, “Mark, if you really want to win with people, say something encouraging within the first thirty seconds of every conversation.” I’ve…

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I bet you’ve heard this before: In any organization, people are the most valuable asset. And as a leader, you probably understand that it’s true. No matter how you measure it, people offer the highest return on investment over the longest time. When you take care of your people and treat them well, they have…

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Last week, I wrote about what I believe is the key to effective problem-solving. In fact, I called it solving the problem before the problem. That key is attitude. I believe that a positive attitude in the face of a problem affects how you approach it, which can set you up for a positive solution.…

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