Many times when I tell people I am partnered with John C. Maxwell they say “Interesting. Who is John Maxwell?”
I smile because I remember when I didn’t know who he was.
It was more than 15 years ago when I was first introduced to John.
I was a geek working on technical projects. I had studied my technical discipline (software development) and that had served me well. I had moved up in position through the early part of my career and wanted to learn how to “make the jump” to be more effective. A friend introduced me to John’s book Developing the Leader Within You.
What is Leadership?
In this interview, I answer that question and I talk about three key questions that your team members are dying for you to answer. I also talk about how people who are “just an employee” can improve their influence with others.
Who is John?
John C. Maxwell is the foremost leadership thinker, the most influential leadership speaker in the world. It’s not just my opinion. Ask Inc Magazine. Ask GlobalGurus and any number of other sites. John tops the list year after year as the most influential leadership thinker, trainer and speaker in the world.
He is the author over 70 + books (new one this Wednesday), sold over 24 million books including 2 million copies of “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership”, that he is by far and away the #1 Leadership Guru in the world (Inc. Magazine and other sources), has been doing it for four decades….
Take a look at the bookshelf from a local Barnes and Noble bookstore.
John’s books start at the end of the top shelf, fill the entire 2nd and continue onto the third. Over 1/15th of the business shelves.
BTW, this picture is less than half of the books he has written, but who is counting?
John has sold more books on leadership than anyone else. Three of his books have sold over a million copies, and he is in the Amazon.com hall of fame as of the top selling authors in history.
So what? Why should I care about John Maxwell?
That is an excellent question. Who cares about leadership? I didn’t think about leadership at all. I thought about:
- How my technical skills were amazing, and people should see them, and I should be rewarded for my brilliance, and
- How annoying it was that the “real work” was idiotically interrupted for “politics” and “games”
What I learned was that my thinking limited my growth and advancement! I was so focused on technical competence that I overlooked the power of relationships and influence.
Learning from John helped me reframe my thinking and allowed me to achieve so much more!
I grew in my ability to lead myself
- I got better at making and keeping commitments.
- I became a better communicator
- I learned how to DWISIWD – do what I said I would do – because people are watching me all the time to see if my actions match my words – in big and in small things!
- I learned how to plan more effectively
- I discovered tools to help me get help from others
I grew in my ability to lead others
- I learned how to get others to want to help me
- I learned how to equip others so that they could perform well
- I learned how to grow my team’s effectiveness
- Our projects got healthier
- Our portfolio of projects got larger
- I learned how to build a high performing team from a group of smart individuals
- Our team got bigger
I became a leader of leaders
- I learned how to help people grow from team member to team leader
- I learned how to help people learn to equip others
- I learned how to help the entire organization excel by growing leadership skills across technical disciplines
Tom is John’s Partner in the John Maxwell Team
When I learned that I could get to know John, work with his team, and become one of an elite set of leadership speakers, trainers, and coaches; it was an easy choice. John had added so much to me over the years that it was clear how much more I could gain.
So let me ask you: What do you want?
- Do you want to communicate more clearly?
- Do you want to work more smoothly with team members and customers?
- Do you want to get great work from your team (even if they don’t report to you?)
- Do you want to get more of the most important work done?
- Do you want these things for your team members?
How Can You Get These Results?
You probably don’t have the budget to work directly with John. It’s true. John works with very few organizations these days, and as the worlds #1 leadership guru, he charges a fortune for his time.
You CAN work with me! I help highly technical experts communicate clearly, manage conflict productively, delegate effectively and plan well.
I can bring the best leadership thinking and practical action to you and your teams, and together we can grow your leadership skills and the leadership skills of people around you.
GIVE ME A CALL!
You can reach me at 240-668-4799 or via email at Tom@BrightHillGroup.com
Let’s get started on YOUR leadership journey!
