MAKE YOURS A WINNING TEAM BY JOHN MAXWELL

A 2 –in- 1 book that teaches the basic principles of "being what you can be " and at the same time "being a people person"………seamlessly.

As a leader, you need to work on yourself, and be all you can be, and then work towards being a people person. In essence a leader needs to build himself/ herself before attempting to build others and make an impact in their lives. Our success, fulfillment and happiness all depend on our ability to relate to people effectively.

" there are principles of success and there are principles of failure."


To apply the success principles, you need to go through 4 steps:

Know:          Discover the principles for fulfilling your God-given potential.
Show:          Learn how to model the principles so others can see them at work.
Go:               Roll up your sleeves, get out into the world, and live what you've learned. Be    practical
Grow:          Experience living at your full potential, continually assessing your progress.To see                    how you are faring.

The more information we can impart on others, the more we can influence them in positive ways.
As leaders, we need to go through the following and improve on ourselves.

1.         Leaders need a Vitamin “V” in their lives

Vitamin V in this context refers to the Vision Vitamin.

Leaders need to constantly remind themselves of their purpose in life. To achieve this, a leader has to be obedient, get out of his / her comfort zone and Reproduce

The poorest people on earth, are those that do not have Vitamin “V” in their lives.

Even David was able to kill Goliath because he was enthusiastic. He knocked off the giant in his life without fear and because he had purpose.

2.         Leaders have to be challenged.

An unchallenged leader = An unchanged leader.
Leaders stretch with challenges ....
Losers shrink with challenges!

As leaders, we must be fruitful.

The bible supports this in John 15.
Jesus Christ wants us to live fruitful lives. He wants us to bear fruits.
In this context, fruitfulness = exhibiting positive attitudes on a daily basis in our lives.

This brings real joy....when we have these positive attitudes, we exhibit 5PRs:

·         Positive Results

·         Positive Relationships

·         Positive Reactions

·         Positive Reinforcement  ( you get encouraged when you encourage others)

·         Positive Rejoicing

 

3.         Leaders should live a fruitful life

 To do this, they must tap into the right source. They  must learn to acknowledge others   who have contributed to their success. Productive leaders  are willing to be pruned. They are continuously pruned and this makes them fruitful. They partner with God and have confidence.  Leaders should take ownership… to do this, they need to remember their life’s purpose.

 

Fruitfulness = Success

Fruitfulness = Fun

 

According to the author, we need to turn our problems into opportunities for creative alternatives -to achieve this, we need encouragers.

4.         Leaders must be Successful

God’s standard of measuring success is not the same as the world’s standard. ?  A

Successful leader chooses to better mankind and make a positive change that will

last for an eternity.

 

A successful leader sees both the immediate and beyond. They influence others

positively.  Real opportunity for success is within the person not in the job.  You can get to the top by applying yourself totally to your fullest potential.  An average person goes to his grave with his music still in him.

 

Man was designed for accomplishment, engineered for greatness and endowed with seed of greatness.

 

Leaders however need to be humble when success sets in.

5.         Leadership means Discomfort, Disruption and Dissatisfaction

 

This does not imply unhappiness but is a tool that God will use to move us to greater things.

There are no guarantees of smooth sailing for the leader. The only way is to

know your destination.

 

6.         Leaders should be able to identify problems

Your problem is not really your problem. To tackle a problem, we must respond based on what we see ( i.e. based on our discernment level) and what we seek ( i.e. based on our desires, values and goals.)

Problems are the cutting edge that distinguishes between failure and success. What a leader needs is the right attitude to solve the problems.

Never believe any problem is unsolvable.

7.         Leaders need to concentrate on her success and not failures.

          All successful people have experienced failure as much as the unsuccessful ones.

          Proverbs 23:7

For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee (KJV)

         

          As leaders we need to treat failure as a friend and not an enemy.

A good leader does not blame others for his / her failure, but views failure as a moment that will pass.

8.         Leaders must successfully Fail/ Be willing to change

A leader must learn from past mistakes, and move on. A good leader must use his energy well, as use it to reach for higher goals.

To be all you can be, you need to:

·         See your mistakes and be willing to change;

·         Discover your true self.

·         Never quit because of failure

·         Take charge. A leader decides first so as to move people forward. He sticks out his neck and gives directions.

Failure is not final.

9.         Leaders must be Committed, even when alone

The world would not understand you if you are committed to a course.

You might just be alone, but remember that:

·         Noah got a vision from God, but did not have people to believe him. He built the ark all alone,

·         Abraham wandered and worshipped God alone

·         Jeremiah prophesies and wept alone. And………………

·         Jesus loved and died alone

In essence, when a leader finds himself at the crossroad of commitment, he needs to make a personal decision ……….alone.

10.      A leader must learn to be a “People Person”

Being able to identify the quality you enjoy in others.

A leader needs to put himself in other people’s place, rather than putting them in their places.

He / She must decide how to be treated, and treat others likewise. Some of these are:

·         You want people to encourage you….to excel

·         You want people to appreciate you.

·         You want people to forgive you. It frees you from guilt and insecurity

·         You want people to listen to you

·         You want people to understand you…. One gets frustrated if not understood.

11.      Leaders are Readers

As leaders we shold invest 10% of our personal income on self development.  The person who won’t read is not better than the person who can’t read.

12.      A leader must understand what people like in him and why

If you desire to be a people person, you need to develop an appealing personality that causes that causes others to respond to you.

·         Show people that you care

·         Reach out to people

·         Make things happen

·         Influence…lead people

·         Be sensible

·         Motivate

·         Affirm… believe in yourself and you can believe in others

13.      A leader must be confident with people

Be comfortable with others.

You need to be aware of confidence shakers…. They see the negative side of everything.

Be confident in yourself then you can have faith in others.

Confidence is contagious

14.      A leader must motivate

Draw out the best in people.

Effective persuasion is a result of relating and not ruling! I speaks volumes to the heart and to the head. It does not use force or intimidation.

15.      A leader must understand the value of His Character

To be a person people will respect.

Leaders should live a standard bigger than their followers n terms of Values and morals.

To whom much is given, much is expected.

 

Luke 12:48

But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. (KJV).

 

Once a leader looses credibility, he finds it difficult to occupy the leadership position.

A leader must be disciplined, keep his priorities straight and be honest about his weaknesses.

16.      A leader must be able to handle criticism

Leaders must use confrontation as an opportunity to grow.

If you are willing to stand apart from the crowd, you are putting yourself in  a vulnerable position.

Do not let the threat of criticism keep you from being all you can be.

17.      A leader must be trust worthy

Trust is crucial in every relationship. It depends very little on the leader’s name, position, wealth or status. It lies in the character of the one who leads. To be a trust able person, you must:

·         Demonstrate what you want to instill

·         Be an encourager

·         Believe the best in others…

·         Help others experience success

·         Equip people for future growth

18.      A leader must be able to help difficult personalities

A leader needs to love people who are difficult, by identifying the common traits he/ she has with them.

19. A leader must DEVELOP A WINNING TEAM

Leaders must learn to help others become successful. A winning team must exhibit the following characteristics:

·         Winning teams keep improving

·         Winning team members care about each other

·         Winning Teams Play to win

·         Winning Teams take risks

A leader must have positive attitudes.

The essence of leadership is to inspire others to work together as a team

Salient points from the book

To be able to “Make yours a wining team”, you need to take note of the following

·         Have a vision. Select your goal… It helps you make difficult decisions.

·         Unlock your potentials. Identify your strengths

·         Chart your course …plan

·         Think Right…. Don’t doubt

·         Your relationship with people will determine the success of your leadership.

·         Expect problems / Challenges. Problems can stop you temporarily, but only you can stop yourself permanently.

·         Stand firm on your commitment

·         Turn accomplishments into challenges

·         Surrender everything to God

·         Learn to stretch….to be effective, don’t stand in your comfort zone. Don’t stop stretching!

·         Surround yourself with supportive people.

·         Learn to take criticisms gracefully, without ruining your relationships.

·         People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.          

It’s in your hands, Son

 

In concluding, I leave you with a story.  High on the hill over-looking the beautiful City of Venice, Italy, lived an old man who was a genius.  Legend had it that he could answer any questions anyone asked him.

Two local boys figured they could fool the old man.  One of the boys held a little bird in his hand and asked the old man if the bird was alive or dead.

Without hesitation, the old man said “son, if I say to you the bird is alive, you will close your hand and crush the bird to death, if I say the bird is dead, you will open your hand and let the bird fly away.  You see son, you have in your hands the power of life and death”.  This I say to you all with qualification and no mental reservations whatsoever.

In your hands/in yourself you hold the seeds of failure or potential for greatness, just apply yourself in the right direction and you’ll attain it.