Developing the Leader Within You - Problem Solving : Part 1

We will continue our leadership journey, learning new skills and refreshing old ones, with John C. Maxwell's book Developing the Leader Within You.

The Quickest Way to Gain Leadership: Problem-Solving : Part 1

The size of the person is more important than the size of the problem.

This chapter of Maxwell's book deals with the two things needed to effectively solve problems: the right attitude and the right action plan.

According to F.F. Fournies, there are four common reasons why people do not perform the way they should:

1. They do not know what they are supposed to do.
2. They do not know how to do it.
3. They do not know why they should.
4. There are obstacles beyond their control.

These four reasons why people fail to perform at their potential are responsibilities of leadership. The first three reasons deal with starting a job correctly. A training program, job description, proper tools, and vision, along with good communication skills, will go a long way in effectively meeting the first three issues.

The following are five characteristics from Maxwell's life:

• We all have problems. 
   - We should remember the words of Paul Harvey who said that in times like these it is always helpful to remember that there have always been times like these.
• Problems give meaning to life.
  - People need to change their perspectives, not their problems.
  - A life free of all obstacles and difficulties would reduce all possibilities and powers to zero.
  - Eliminate problems and life loses its creative tension.
• Many outstanding people have overcome problems in their lives.
  - Policies are many; principles are few. Policies will change; principles never do.
  - Dolly Parton sums it all up with these words: "The way I see it, if you want the rainbow you gotta put up with the rain."
• My problem is not my problem.
  - There is world of differences between a person who has a big problem and a person who makes a problem big.
  - Their "problems" are not their real problems. The problem is they react wrongly to "problems" and therefore make their "problems" real problems.
  - What really counts is not what happens to me but what happens in me.
  - Why do achievers overcome problems while thousands are overwhelmed by theirs? They refused to hold on to the common excuses for failure.
  - They turned their stumbling blocks into stepping stones. They realized they could not determine every circumstance in life but they could determine their choice of attitude in every circumstance.
• A problem is something I can do something about
  - If I can't do something about a problem, it's not my problem, it's a fact of life.
  - Be careful in resigning yourself to the position that there is no answer to a problem. Someone else may come along with a solution.

Next time, we will explore more of Maxwell's observations about problem-solving.

 Donald G Rosenbarger
Senior Vice President
Delta Companies Inc