underestimate the process of developing leaders . You don ’ t develop a leader in a four-week crash course . There is a process you must value and commit to .
“ Leaders develop daily , not in a day ,” Maxwell said . “ I can tell you we need to not microwave leaders . We need to ‘ crockpot ’ leaders . You don ’ t need a leadership course . You need a leadership culture . There ’ s a world of difference between those two . But the moment you develop a leadership culture where leadership is consistently taught , leadership is lived , leadership is shared , and leadership is valued , the moment you begin to develop a leadership culture , then things really begin to change incredibly for your organization .”
Becoming A Great Leader Is A Lifelong Journey
After hearing Earl Nightingale say that if you spend one hour a day every day on the same subject for five years , you could become an expert on the subject , Maxwell started spending at least one hour every day learning about leadership . He read books about leadership , talked to leaders , and asked them questions about leadership . He did leadership exercises . As he practiced leadership , he began to get better . People started following him more , and his influence began to expand . He could tell he was really learning how to lead and that he was getting better . But he cautions that you don ’ t ever want to make the mistake of thinking you ’ ve arrived or you ’ ve become an expert at leadership . Instead , it ’ s about continual growth and development within your lifetime . “ I was growing as a leader , and all of a sudden , the law of process began to take place in my life ,” Maxwell said . “ It doesn ’ t take place in one day , and you don ’ t want to stop and say , ‘ I just got good .’ Once you get into the process , you develop your leadership , and as you grow , you realize yesterday doesn ’ t look as great . Most people miss this . When
Robin And John On Stage For The Q & A At TMT ’ s Top-Tier Peer Group Event , Producers Club Meeting you ’ re growing in the process , your success is stored before it shows up . You ’ ve been a success the whole time ; it ’ s just today that it shows up . See , the law of process says it ’ s got to be stored before it shows up . I stopped asking , ‘ How long will it take ?’ and I started asking , ‘ How far can I go ?’ At the end of five years , I wasn ’ t an expert . I ’ m not an expert now , and I ’ ve been doing it for 50 years . Because the more you know , the more you know you don ’ t know . And the more you know you don ’ t know , the more you know you need to know more . So , if you need to know more , and you know you don ’ t know enough , you ’ re not an expert . The only experts I know are people who don ’ t know much but have a title .”
4 .
The Law Of Addition
Maxwell defines this law by saying , “ Leaders add value by serving others .” He says you add value to others when you truly value them and when you intentionally do everything you can to make yourself valuable to them . “ In relationships , you ’ re either a plus or a minus in life ,” Maxwell said . “ It ’ s not that complicated . This whole area of valuing people and adding value to people , what it does is it allows you to be a plus in their life . When you ’ re a plus in a person ’ s life , when they see you walk into the room , they say , ‘ Oh my gosh , I ’ m so glad to see you .’”
As leaders , we add value to people . Maxwell ’ s coaching company has 50,000 coaches in 172 countries around the world . He takes his coaches through the qualities he believes are extremely important to a successful organization . “ Our opening line is this : We are people of value , who value people and add value to them ,” Maxwell said .
If you want to become a leader , Maxwell suggests you start by intentionally adding value to people every day . “ All kinds of people have leadership titles and positions ,” Maxwell said . “ They ’ re just taking walks . But how you gain influence is by adding value to people .”
Practical Ways Maxwell Adds Value To People Every Day
First and foremost , Maxwell truly values people .
Every day he thinks of ways to add value to people . “ Every day , I look at my schedule and where I am going to go ,” Maxwell explained . “ Who am I going to talk to ? What am I going to say ? If you look for ways to add value to people , you ’ ll find ways to add value . But if you don ’ t look for ways to add value to people , you won ’ t add value to them because you ’ ll never find a way . How we view things is how we do things .”
He also does things to add value to people . Ask yourself who you are going to add value to today , and at the end of the day , review who you added value to and how you added value to them . “ I ’ m very intentional because I understand when you begin to add value to people , you begin to increase your influence with people ,” Maxwell said . “ Think of anybody who adds value to you in your own life on your team or whatever . They have a major
16 | MSPSuccessMagazine . com • VOLUME 4 ISSUE 2