The most effective leaders across a wide variety of spectrums have achieved their success by beginning their journey with a question few bother to ask: How do I lead myself? As New York Times bestselling author and leadership expert John C. Maxwell says, “A leader never has to recover from a good start.” So when a leader takes root by firmly establishing themselves in their field of expertise, preparing for every risk and failure imaginable, the fruit of their endeavors will spread throughout their career and impact profoundly those in whom they invest.In The Leadership Handbook, Maxwell presents 26 insights intended to help build the leader within not only those aspiring to new positions of leadership but also those veterans who aim to improve upon the steps that led them to the front of the line. Readers will enjoy and benefit immensely from Maxwell’s highly relatable principles, such as:• The Best Leaders Are Listeners• Keep Your Mind on the Main Thing• Don’t Manage Your Time--Manage Your Life• Keep Learning to Keep Leading• People Quit People, Not Companies• And many more!With application exercises and a “Mentoring Moment” to accompany each chapter, The Leadership Handbook presents a road map for a path many may cross but few choose to follow. John C. Maxwell is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, coach, and speaker who has sold more than 33 million books in fifty languages. He has been identified as the #1 leader in business and the most influential leadership expert in the world. His organizations - the John Maxwell Company, The John Maxwell Team, EQUIP, and the John Maxwell Leadership Foundation - have translated his teachings into seventy languages and used them to train millions of leaders from every country of the world. A recipient of the Horatio Alger Award, as well as the Mother Teresa Prize for Global Peace and Leadership from the Luminary Leadership Network, Dr. Maxwell influences Fortune 500 CEOs, the presidents of nations, and entrepreneurs worldwide. For more information about him visit JohnMaxwell.com. The Leadership Handbook 26 Critical Lessons Every Leader Needs By John C. Maxwell Thomas Nelson Copyright © 2008 John C. Maxwell All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4002-0593-6 Contents Acknowledgments, v, Leadership Lessons, vii, 1. If It's Lonely at the Top, You're Not Doing Something Right, 1, 2. The Toughest Person to Lead Is Always Yourself, 11, 3. Defining Moments Define Your Leadership, 20, 4. When You Get Kicked in the Rear, You Know You're out in Front, 32, 5. Never Work a Day in Your Life, 41, 6. The Best Leaders Are Listeners, 49, 7. Get in the Zone and Stay There, 57, 8. A Leader's First Responsibility Is to Define Reality, 66, 9. To See How the Leader Is Doing, Look at the People, 74, 10. Don't Send Your Ducks to Eagle School, 85, 11. Keep Your Mind on the Main Thing, 96, 12. Your Biggest Mistake Is Not Asking What Mistake You're Making, 105, 13. Don't Manage Your Time—Manage Your Life, 114, 14. Keep Learning to Keep Leading, 124, 15. Leaders Distinguish Themselves During Tough Times, 134, 16. People Quit People, Not Companies, 143, 17. Experience Is Not the Best Teacher, 154, 18. The Secret to a Good Meeting Is the Meeting Before the Meeting, 164, 19. Be a Connector, Not Just a Climber, 174, 20. The Choices You Make, Make You, 184, 21. Influence Should Be Loaned but Never Given, 193, 22. For Everything You Gain, You Give Up Something, 203, 23. Those Who Start the Journey with You Seldom Finish with You, 213, 24. Few Leaders Are Successful Unless a Lot of People Want Them to Be, 223, 25. You Only Get Answers to the Questions You Ask, 232, 26. People Will Summarize Your Life in One Sentence—Pick It Now, 244, Conclusion, 253, Notes, 254, About the Author, 256, CHAPTER 1 If It's Lonely at the Top, You're Not Doing something Right My father's generation believed that leaders should never get too close to the people they lead. "Keep a distance" was a phrase I often heard. Good leaders were supposed to be a little above and apart from those they led. As a result, when I began my leadership journey, I made sure to keep some distance between me and my people. I tried to be close enough to lead them, but far enough away to not be influenced by them. This balancing act immediately created a lot of inner conflict for me. Honestly, I liked being close to the people I led. Plus, I felt that one of my strengths was my ability to connect with people. Both of these factors caused me to fight the instruction I had received to keep a distance. And sure enough, within a few months of accepting my first leadership position, my wife, Margaret, and I began developing close friendships. We were enjoying our work and the people in the organization. Like many leaders early in their career, I knew that I would not stay in this first job forever. It was a good experience, but I was soon ready for bigger challenges. After three years, I r