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Apr 30, 2019
4 min

Maxims from Mike - If it's not broken, break it and make it better!

Hello Leaders, Welcome to Today. This week's Leadership and Personal Development tip is about "challenging the process". Maxim: What got you here won't get you there. - Marshall Goldsmith Leaders look for ways to do things faster, better, and cheaper. They understand change is inevitable. To put it bluntly, organizations either adapt or cease to exist. Having a shared vision is critical. It is also critical to recognize that when trying to go some place new, it requires

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Maxims from Mike - People follow leaders who have a clear & compelling vision of the future.

Mike Nwankwo

Apr 23, 2019
3 min

Maxims from Mike - People follow leaders who have a clear & compelling vision of the future.

Hello Leaders, Welcome to Today. This week's Leadership and Personal Development tip is about "vision". Maxim: Where there is no vision, the people perish. - Prov 29. 18a KJV According to Kouzes and Posner, authors of the Leadership Challenge, exceptional leaders inspire a shared vision. "Leaders gaze across the horizon of time, imagining the attractive opportunities that are in store when they and their constituents arrive at a distant destination. They envision exciting

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Maxims from Mike - People must buy into you before they buy into your vision.

Mike Nwankwo

Apr 16, 2019
4 min

Maxims from Mike - People must buy into you before they buy into your vision.

Hello Leaders, Welcome to Today. This week's Leadership and Personal Development tip embodies "buy-in". Maxim: "People buy into the leader, then the vision." - John Maxwell My intention was to elaborate on the leader's vision today. But the more I thought about vision, the more I thought about character, reputation, and having a proven track record. Thoughts of many in prominent positions came to mind. These were people with tons of great sounding ideas. However, their i

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Maxims from Mike - Be the example you want to see in your organization.

Mike Nwankwo

Apr 9, 2019
4 min

Maxims from Mike - Be the example you want to see in your organization.

Hello Leaders, Welcome to Today. This week's Leadership and Personal Development tip embraces being an example. Maxim: Role model the example you want to see in your organization. As a non-commissioned officer in the US Army, I still remember, quite well, the instruction to set the example. If I were to lead a group of soldiers, I would have to role model the values, behaviors, and expectations the military had for us. After several decades, this remains true. April 4, 20

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Maxims from Mike - As the leader goes, so goes the organization.

Mike Nwankwo

Apr 2, 2019
5 min

Maxims from Mike - As the leader goes, so goes the organization.

Hello Leaders, Welcome to Today. This week's Leadership and Personal Development tip embraces organizational growth. Maxim: As the leader goes, so goes the organization. Many organizations continue to thrive due to an outstanding leader at the helm. The leader has put an incredible team in place, has the right systems and processes, and is laser focused on the mission of the organization. As the leader continues to grow his or her capabilities, the organization continues t

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Maxims from Mike - Why You Cannot Do It Alone.

Mike Nwankwo

Mar 26, 2019
5 min

Maxims from Mike - Why You Cannot Do It Alone.

Hello Leaders, Welcome to Today. Today's Leadership and Personal Development tip is on interdependence. Maxim: Together we stand, divided we fall. Success is an accompanied journey. Interdependence is defined as the quality or condition of being mutually reliant on each other; depending on each other. Pick your favorite dictionary and you will find a similar, if not the same, definition. Interdependence is what undergirds great teamwork. It leads to cooperation. Napolea

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Maxims from Mike - 3 Rules for Making Diversity & Inclusion a Competitive Advantage.

Mike Nwankwo

Mar 15, 2019
6 min

Maxims from Mike - 3 Rules for Making Diversity & Inclusion a Competitive Advantage.

Hello Leaders, Welcome to Today. This week's Leadership and Personal Development tip embraces Diversity & Inclusion. Maxim: Make a significant contribution to the overall success of your organization by being uniquely you. Many organizations have already embraced diversity and inclusion. Some did it early because they thought it was the right thing to do. It was part of being a good corporate citizen. Others did it because they saw the internal benefits of creating a cult

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Maxims from Mike - There is always a place on the team for a change agent.

Mike Nwankwo

Jan 23, 2018
4 min

Maxims from Mike - There is always a place on the team for a change agent.

Hello Leaders, Welcome to Today. Today's Leadership and Personal Development tip is on being an agent of change. Maxim: Disruptors (positive change agents) are good for the organization. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is the definition of insanity. This quote was attributed to Albert Einstein. It was appropriate then and it is appropriate now. He also said, "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created the

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Maxims from Mike - A Proper Response is Better Than an Emotional Reaction.

Mike Nwankwo

Jan 9, 2018
3 min

Maxims from Mike - A Proper Response is Better Than an Emotional Reaction.

Hello Leaders, Welcome to Today. Today's Leadership and Personal Development tip is on Responding. Maxim: Don't React! Respond. Many of us make resolutions for the New Year. You have probably made yours. We are nine days in. Are you on track? Are you keeping your resolution? Allow me to suggest one more to add that could bless you. Don't react! Respond. Under the right circumstances reactions are appropriate. For example, if you are driving late at night and a deer

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Maxims from Mike - Know Your Purpose and Live It!

Mike Nwankwo

Oct 25, 2017
5 min

Maxims from Mike - Know Your Purpose and Live It!

Hello and welcome to today. Today's Leadership and Personal Development blog is on Discovering Your Purpose and Core Values. Maxim: Discover why you are here and live purposefully. As stated in a previous blog, many very successful people know what they were born to do (personal mission) and why they were called to do it (personal purpose). I wrote about developing your own personal mission statement. Now I shall share a few thoughts about discovering your purpose and livi

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Maxims from Mike - Develop a Personal Mission Statement!

Mike Nwankwo

Oct 6, 2017
3 min

Maxims from Mike - Develop a Personal Mission Statement!

Hello Leaders, Welcome to Today. This week's Leadership and Personal Development blog is on Personal Mission. Maxim: Know what were you put on the earth to do. Many very successful people know what they were born to do (personal mission) and why they were called to do it (personal purpose). You would do well to develop and write your personal mission statement. It answers the question, "What am I supposed to be doing?" This comes before setting goals. It comes before dev

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Mike Nwankwo

Sep 12, 2017
4 min

Maxims from Mike - Competence Matters!

Hello Leaders, Welcome to Today. This week's Leadership and Personal Development blog is on Competence. Maxim: Competence Matters! Competence is the ability to do something effectively or efficiently. This is an ordinary definition for an ordinary person. I am asking you to be extraordinary... to be significantly above average... to be the best in your field. Competence has many synonyms. I'm asking you to embrace the following ones in bold: capability, ability, proficie

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Maxims from Mike - If I Think I Can, I Will M073117

Mike Nwankwo

Jul 31, 2017
1 min

Maxims from Mike - If I Think I Can, I Will M073117

Hello Leaders, Welcome to Today. Today's Leadership and Personal Development tip deals with Thoughts. Maxim: If I think I can, I will. If I think I cannot, I won't. We are what we think. Our beliefs shape us. Really successful leaders are very confident. They are confident because they believe in their purpose. They understand their "why" in addition to their "what". Yes, they understand the "how", the "when", and the "where". But it's the "why" that drives them. Sim

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Maxims from Mike - The Perils of Character Flaws, C072817

Mike Nwankwo

Jul 28, 2017
4 min

Maxims from Mike - The Perils of Character Flaws, C072817

Hello Leaders, Welcome to Today. Today's Leadership and Personal Development tip deals with Character.... or the lack thereof. Howard Ward Beecher, a nineteenth century clergyman, said, "Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anyone else expects of you. Never excuse yourself. Never pity yourself. Be a hard master to yourself and be lenient to everyone else." We cannot control others. But we should be ruler over ourselves. We can choose to be a person of so

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Mike Nwankwo

Jul 24, 2017
4 min

Maxims from Mike - Character C072417

Hello Leaders, Welcome to Today. This week's Leadership and Personal Development tip continues with Character. Character, Conviction, & Competence. These three "C's" are important traits of a good leader. I would argue character is the most essential of the three. Why? Let's consider the top 10 leadership qualities according to Forbes (written in 2012). In rank order, they are 1) honesty, 2) delegation, 3) communication, 4) confidence, 5) commitment, 6) positive attitu

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Mike Nwankwo

Jul 17, 2017
3 min

Maxims from Mike - C071717

Hello Leaders, Welcome to Today. This week's Leadership and Personal Development tip is about Character. Every leader worth his or her salt should have an intentional growth strategy. We do not have the luxury of remaining complacent. He who remains stationary falls behind. Why? Because as he remains inert, others will surpass him. So logically, he falls behind. However, even with a solid personal growth strategy in place, without sound character we will experience a ma

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Mike Nwankwo

Jun 8, 2017
2 min

5 Pillars of Leadership

As a certified speaker, coach and trainer for the John Maxwell Team, I am so excited about the message I’m going to share with you today. You know one of the things that drives my passion for leadership every day is the fact that I get to bless people and add value to their lives. Allow me to briefly share five pillars of successful leadership. I. Synergy - For any organization to experience long lasting success it must have a culture of interdependency. This goes beyond me

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mike & Toni nwankwo

Maxims from Mike - If it's not broken, break it and make it better!

Maxims from Mike - People follow leaders who have a clear & compelling vision of the future.

Maxims from Mike - People must buy into you before they buy into your vision.

Maxims from Mike - Be the example you want to see in your organization.

Maxims from Mike - As the leader goes, so goes the organization.

Maxims from Mike - Why You Cannot Do It Alone.

Maxims from Mike - 3 Rules for Making Diversity & Inclusion a Competitive Advantage.

Maxims from Mike - There is always a place on the team for a change agent.

Maxims from Mike - A Proper Response is Better Than an Emotional Reaction.

Maxims from Mike - Know Your Purpose and Live It!

Maxims from Mike - Develop a Personal Mission Statement!

Maxims from Mike - Competence Matters!

Maxims from Mike - If I Think I Can, I Will M073117

Maxims from Mike - The Perils of Character Flaws, C072817

Maxims from Mike - Character C072417

Maxims from Mike - C071717

5 Pillars of Leadership

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