“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas A. Edison Nobody likes to fail. But if we’re honest, we understand that failure is a part of life. There is no success without some amount of failure. Great inventors like Thomas Edison experience a lot of failures on the way…

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Who is responsible for what happens in your life? Do you believe you should take personal responsibility? Or do you feel as if that is outside of your control and there’s little or nothing you can do about it? Psychologists say that some people possess an internal locus of control, where they rely primarily on…

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In less than a month, my new book, Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Learn, will be available. I can hardly wait! I’m excited about this book because I believe that how we deal with loss and disappointment has a huge impact on our lives. One of the most crucial decisions we can make after we…

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The best motivation is self-motivation. In fact, not many people succeed in life without self-generated drive. If you rely on others to energize you, or hesitate until the right mood hits, or delay until circumstances are ideal, then you’ll spend most of your life waiting. Leaders motivate themselves internally rather than depending on external incentives.…

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When I think about The John Maxwell Company I think about what I consider to be the premier leadership company for both head and heart: practical leadership training combined with a genuine love for people. At Sewell we want to make sure we care about our employees in a way that engenders a family atmosphere.…

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Just because you assemble great players does not mean you have automatically have a great team. I have always loved basketball, and I played throughout high school. Entering my junior year, our team was loaded with talent, and we were projected to contend for the state title. I was one of two juniors in our…

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“A life is not [significant] except in the impact it has on other lives.”~ Jackie Robinson The recent film, 42, tells the story of Jackie Robinson becoming the first African-American to play Major League Baseball. The talent, bravery, and poise he displayed helped to bring about the desegregation of professional sports in the United States.…

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Recent events in Boston, MA and West, TX have reminded us of a stark reality: we cannot escape crisis situations. Although unable to avoid them, we can learn to lead people through them. In fact, dark, difficult times may be the moments when leadership is needed the most. While very few of us will ever…

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Leadership is a choice you make rather than a place you sit. In other words, leadership comes from influence and not from your position. For this reason, even when you’re not in front, you’re still leading those around you. In fact, you are even influencing those ahead of you. In this lesson, I’d like to…

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