John C. Maxwell Quotes

In my experience, followers always ask leaders 3 questions: 1) Do you care 4 me? 2) Can you help me? 3) Can I trust you?

It is said that great leaders are born, not made. The saying is true to this degree, that no man can persuade people to do what he wants them to do, unless he genuinely likes people, and believes that what he wants them to do is to their own advantage.

All men are created to lead, but we need somebody to lead us.

The only test of leadership is that somebody follows.

Leaders are leaders only as long as they have the respect and loyalty of their followers.

There is no quicker way to earn respect as a leader than being slow to speak. It is called listening and it plays a big role in what I call “The Law of Connection.” How will you know what is important to people unless you ask and listen to the answers? If you prove to be a leader who solicits feedback and pays attention to what’s being said, then you will earn your connection and your followers will respect the guidance you give.

Needless to say, you can love people without leading them, but you cannot lead people without loving them.

People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision. Many people who approach the area of vision in leadership have it backwards. They believe that if the cause is good enough, people will automatically buy in and follow. But that's not how leadership works. People don't follow worthy causes; they follow worthy leaders with a cause they can believe in. They buy into the leader first.

There are good leaders who actively guide and bad leaders who actively misguide. Hence, leadership is about persuasion, presentation and people skills.

Leadership is something you earn, something you're chosen for. You can't come in yelling, 'I'm your leader!' If it happens, it's because the other guys respect you.

If I can inspire some leaders, that would be great. I don't know if I want to be a leader.

Whoever wants to be a leader should educate himself before educating others

At the heart of leadership is the leader's relationship with followers. People will entrust their hopes and dreams to another person only if they think the other is a reliable vessel.

What makes us really, truly successful over the long term has a ton to do with our social interactions and the influence we do or don't have with other people.

With all the problems we are having, I won't be afraid to tell leadership, 'You need to explain to me why I should follow you anywhere.'

A lot of people ask what it takes to move from being a creative to a leader: Take everyone's career personally. People will work hard for you if you work hard for them. Any idiot can be a boss; all you need is a title. But to be a leader, you need to earn respect and have an opinion you stand by.

I don't mind following good leaders.

When you have someone that manages, coaches you, and you follow, and you believe, and you do everything that you can because you believe in that idea in your leader, that stays forever. That is the impact Jose Mourinho had on me.

One of the things you look for is leadership, and it comes in different forms. There's vocal leaders, there's quiet leaders, there's leaders that lead by example.

Leaders show respect for people by giving them time.

The responsibility of leadership is not taken, it is given. Only when others choose to follow us can we truly lead.

Almost everything in leadership comes back to relationships.

To gain credibility, you must consistently demonstrate three things: Initiative: You have to get up to go up. Sacrifice: You have to give up to go up. Maturity: You have to grow up to go up. If you show the way, people will want to follow you. The higher you go, the greater the number of people who will be willing to travel with you.

A man can only lead when others accept him as their leader, and he has only as much authority as his subjects give to him. All of the brilliant ideas in the world cannot save your kingdom if no one will listen to them.

The job of a leader today is not to create followers. It’s to create more leaders.