Mark S. Brown

For 50 years, John Maxwell has read, filed, thought, and wrote about leadership. He has become the number one expert on leadership because he has followed that discipline every single day. What have you studied during your life? Are you a lifelong learner of something?

One definition of study is “the pursuit of knowledge, as by reading, observation, or research”. And according to Wikipedia, lifelong learning is the “ongoing, voluntary, and self-motivated” pursuit of knowledge for either personal or professional reasons.

Life long learners can be divided into two categories. One group focus their studies on a particular subject or a few subjects over a long period of time. The other group consists of people who like to learn new and different things. Their attention is drawn in many disparate directions.

Lifelong learners in the first group have three traits:

1. Passion. They have a passion for their chosen subject. Their area of expertise continues to intrigue and challenge them.

2. Intentionality. No one grows by accident. Lifelong learners intentionally seek opportunities to continue their learning.

3. Daily Discipline. Lifelong learners are prepared and disciplined to study every day, even if it is as short as 10 minutes.

Lifelong learners typically continue learning not just for themselves, but also for others. They tend to share their knowledge and expertise. They sense a link between their subject and society.

What category are you in? What are you studying today?

Additional resources:

15 Steps to Cultivate Lifelong Learning, by Scott H. Young.

Learn, A Minute with Maxwell.

As a person, we share with family, friends, and others because we care. Sharing builds friendship, trust, and respect. But within the business world, we are more reluctant to share. That is why Elon Musk’s announcement that allows other automakers to use Tesla’s patents for free has been a shock to many.

Here are three reasons why businesses should consider sharing more:

1. Free to Premium – This business model works. You see it at the end of the aisle in a grocery store. A sales person hands out a tasty sample, right next to the shelf full of the product. You see it everywhere online. Businesses have a free level of their service that entices people to try it. Then when they are comfortable and understand their need for the service, they are willing to upgrade to the premium level. What are you offering for free to expand your influence?

2. Abundance Not Scarcity – All businesses would like more customers. We develop strategies to reach people that are not aware of our product or service. Rarely do we consider working with our competitors. However, collaboration and increased awareness can expand a market. Working with your competitors will improve your business, and possibly improve your entire industry. You will generate increased awareness within the market place from the combined efforts of you and your competitors. As the entire market grows, it becomes a win-win for everyone involved. Do you talk with others that have the same mission as yourself?

3. Bigger Thinking – Sharing what you have, frees you to think about what is next. Elon Musk shared Tesla’s patents because he knows Tesla needs to continue to innovate and create. If you only protect what you have, then imagining a different future becomes difficult. Thinking big unleashes your potential. Sharing what you have creates a huge incentive to think big, and develop faster than your competitors. What can you give away that will release you to create your next thing?

Sharing as a person builds character. Sharing as a company can accomplish the same. Is there someone you know that can benefit from this article? Share it with them.

We all have barriers that are holding us back from a higher level of success.

At least monthly, we should be asking ourselves the following three questions, and then taking actions to break through our current barrier.

1) What action am I not taking because I am waiting for something to happen, or the situation to become clearer?

Many times we are held back by the fear of uncertainty, and the fear of failure. Taking action by ourselves is not successful in these situations. We need a team to support our actions, or a coach. Utilization of all of our resources will diminish our fear. The first step is to recognize the fear, and then strengthen our desire to reach our goal.

2) Which goal am I not working on because I don’t know what actions to take?

If we find ourselves struggling to take action because we are confounded by options, or stuck with no options, then we need to get past this knowledge barrier. Some of the strategies include strengthening the expertise on our team, increasing our own knowledge, and seeking outside expertise.

3) Which goal do I never have time to work on?

Time is our most limited resource. We all face the challenge to best utilize the time we have available. If we feel overwhelmed or overworked, it is time to reevaluate our purpose, our priorities, and our agenda. We can get so caught up in today’s issues that we forget to put challenges within the perspective of our overriding purpose. Schedule a day to reflect and plan. Start with vision and purpose and end with actions and a manageable agenda. If there is still not enough time, remember the Law of Sacrifice, a leader must give up to go up. What must you give up, in order to achieve your goal?

If we want to achieve a higher level of success, we should add these three questions to our monthly reflection process.

Recently, I had my own barrier that I had to break through. I had so many projects started that I felt I was not making progress. I never compromised time with a client, but I compromised time on every other project I had. So I had to spend some time just thinking. I finally realigned my project list with my long term goals. I delayed some projects, and focused on those with the highest priority. It allowed me to complete some tasks which then allowed me to again revisit my project list and continue progress against my long term goals. Sometimes it just takes looking at a situation from a very high level to create the breakthrough needed.

What is your current barrier? What action do you need to take in order to breakthrough?

John Maxwell of course! The list was published by Inc Magazine, The Top 50 Leadership and Management Experts. John has been my friend and mentor as I developed my coaching, training, and speaking business. I am an original member and founding partner of his team, so it is not a surprise to me to see him in the number one spot.

As I looked through the list, there are many people that have influenced me including Dale Carnegie, Stephen Covey, Simon Sinek, Patrick Lencioni, David Allen, Marcus Buckingham, Jim Collins, and Jeffrey Gitomer.

In 2001, David Allen’s book, Getting Things Done, impacted me at a critical point in my life, and really opened my eyes to the world of personal development. The book improved my skills, but it was also a turning point in my reading list. For the first time, I began to read more non-fiction books than fiction books.

I congratulate all the top 100 leaders. I know it was not their goal to be on this list. Their goal is helping others learn and become better.

You may enjoy looking through the list. The Inc. Magazine article is interesting because it includes their method to analyze data and defines the ranking system. You may find it beneficial to know and connect with these leaders, even if it is just by reading a book.

Congratulations John Maxwell for being the number one leadership guru!