24 Things Successful Leaders Are Thinking
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The difference between successful people and unsuccessful people is how they think. This is the premise of Dr. John Maxwell’s incredible book How Successful People Think: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life. Dr. Maxwell has been a mentor in my life for 25 years and I consider him the premier leadership expert in the world today.
Last week, Dr. Maxwell was gracious enough to offer free online coaching to help leaders improve their thinking skills. His session centered on Focused Thinking, one of the 11 thinking skills all successful leaders have.
To know learn the other 10 thinking skills, click HERE or on this image above to order his book.
The following are 24 Things Successful Leaders Are Thinking – specifically in the area of focus. All quotes are from the incomparable Dr. Maxwell unless otherwise noted.
- “Unsuccessful people go in too many directions. Successful people focus on the main thing.”
- “If a goal is worth pursuing, it’s a goal worth telling others about. There’s no such thing as a silent dream.”
- “Houston Chronicles indicates professionals lose 2.1 hours every day in distractions.”
- “Leaders have a bias for action…This means we do not make enough focused thinking time.”
- “Who fills our calendar? If you fill it, I’m on your agenda.”
- “You can’t reach the future successfully unless you’ve touched the past.”
- “The Iceberg Thought – the more you see on top of the water, the more you know there is below the water.”
- “A lot of people are not iceberg thinkers. They are ice cube thinkers.”
- “Focused thinker. I think longer than anyone else.”
- “Think until you think your thought through.”
- “Think the thought. Schedule time for thinking. 90% of my material is the result of my scheduled thinking time.”
- “Write the thought. I capture the thought. There’s a visual component to your thoughts.”
- “Rethink the thought. This is the incubation period. I will get clarity to the thought.”
- “Verbalize the thought. Talking enhances thinking.”
- “Table the thought. Get people around the table and ask them questions. I’m a feedback fanatic. My best thinking has been done by others. Great thougths aren’t birthed in a vacuum. You either sit at the table or I’m going to put you on the menu. You know if you have the right people at the table when they take your ideas and make them better. One is too small a number to achieve greatness.”
- “Practice the thought. 99% of great ideas never become a reality. They just stay in the mind. It’s not the thought you have in the shower. It’s what you do with it after you dry off. An iceberg doesn’t become an iceberg quickly.”
- “Think the thought some more. This is where a lot of people miss it. If you are a focused thinker, you’ll never be satisfied with yesterday. You appreciate it. But you don’t want to stay there. When you’re a focused thinker, yesterday doesn’t excite you so much.”
- “Launch the thought. The greatest test of a thought is the launching of it. ‘Don’t tell me what you’re going to do. Show me what you’re going to do.’ – John Wooden. The world is full of small thinkers.”
- “Land the thought. Landing dramatically changes the outcome of any score. What do I want them to know? What do I want them to do?”
- “Upgrade the thought. All is well that ends well.”
- “I give 100% (of my time) in my strengths, on the main event (top priority), and key people.”
- “The only thing a player can control in golf is his own game.” – Jack Nicklaus
- “Problems are things I can fix. Facts of life are things I can’t control.”
- “Plan while others are playing.”
Dr. John Maxwell is largely responsible for my development as a leader. My family loves him dearly on a personal level and I hope have honored him with my leadership.
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