Book Review: John C. Maxwell, The Winning Attitude: Your Pathway to Personal Success, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1993.

John Maxwell is a Christian motivational speaker. He's well-known in the U.S. and Canada, and to those associated with Hillsong, N.S.W.: he spoke at last year's conference there.

Maxwell writes and speaks in the tradition of American 'can-do'. He follows Dale Carnegie, Norman Vincent Peale and Robert Schuller in encouraging us to believe that just about anything can be achieved in this life if we get our (positive) thinking straight. It's rags-to-riches, log-cabin-to-White-House stuff. That is, he's half right.

So what's the half he didn't get right? Well, as I was reading this 'Go go go' book I thought to myself, 'Here's a recipe for an early heart attack.' Apposite digression. Date: 7 Jan. 1999. News Item (from Religion Today News Service): 'JOHN MAXWELL HAS EXPERIENCED A HEART ATTACK. Christian motivational speaker John Maxwell is recovering from a heart attack. Maxwell, 51, became ill Dec. 18 during a Christmas party given by his Injoy ministry staff. Doctors advised Maxwell to change his diet and get more exercise. He is expected to resume a full, but lighter schedule this month. Injoy, based in El Cajon, Calif., is a leadership institute that offers training seminars and self-study programs. Maxwell's latest book is 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership (Thomas Nelson Publishers).'

Well, that's one way to publicise your new book! By the way I've heard some of Maxwell's Hillsong tapes on this material and it sounds pretty good.

Back to The Winning Attitude. The bad news is that it's light on the contemplative life. If I read Maxwell right, you don't win by practising solitude, meditation, being still. Maxwell's approach is a synthesis of the Puritan ethic and the American 5-star success philosophy. (And, if you want to be picky, you could also criticise his sexist language and use of the King James Version Bible sometimes).

But that said, he has some good advice for us, spiced with lots of Bible texts (and discussion questions).

Summary: it's not circumstances, it's your response to circumstances (ie. 'attitude') that counts. Study the attitudes of winners. Treat everyone you meet as the most important person in the world. Think positively ('The Israelite soldiers thought, "Goliath's so big we can never kill him". David thought, "He's so big I can't miss"'). Be an optimist ('Asked which one of his works he would select as his masterpiece, architect Frank Lloyd Wright, at the age of 83, replied, "My next one"'). Learn to accept what you can't change (Voltaire said each player must accept the cards they're dealt. But each player decides how to play them to win the game). Never ever say 'It can't be done.' Maintain the right attitude when the going gets tough: what happens in us is much more important than what happens to us. Hang in there; be patient: anyone can start, but only thoroughbreds finish. Avoid negativism (like Chisholm's 'Any time things appear to be getting better you must have overlooked something'; or false truisms like 'Leaders are born, not made'; 'Nice guys finish last'; 'It's not what you know but who you know'; 'You can't teach an old dog new tricks' etc.). Success means hard work ('You can tell when you're on the road to success; it's uphill all the way'), and repeating positive thoughts to yourself ('I know salesmen who repeat this phrase out loud fifty times each morning and fifty times each evening: "I can do it"' p. 144). 'Our feelings come from our thoughts. We can change them by changing our thought patterns' (p. 152. My comment: if only it were that simple!). You can't learn without mistakes. Whoever makes no mistakes makes no progress. Find something you can do well and do it often. Trust in God.

And some good stories.

# Like this one: '. the attitude of Amos on radio's old "Amos 'n Andy" show. Amos was tired of Andy's constant criticism. Most irritating was Andy's finger continually thumping on Andy's chest. One day Amos could take it no more. He bought some dynamite, taped it to his chest and told his friend Kingfish, "The next time Andy starts criticizing and thumping his fingers on my chest, this dynamite is going to blow his hand off!" (p.111) [I'll leave you to figure out the moral.]

# And this one: '. like the man who angrily jumped out of his car after a collision with another car. "Why don't you people watch where you're driving?" he shouted wildly. "You're the fourth car I've hit today!" (p.21)

# And this: 'One day Charlie Brown was in his back yard having target practice with his bow and arrow. He would pull the bow string back and let the arrow fly into a fence. Then he would go to where the arrow had landed and draw a target around it. Several arrows and targets later, Lucy said, "You don't do target practice that way. You draw the target, then shoot the arrow." Charlie's response: "I know that, but if you do it my way, you never miss!"' (p.142).

Finally, some wisdom to think about:

# 'The Duke of Cambridge once said, "Any change, at any time, for any reason, is to be deplored". People who believe that nothing should ever be done for the first time never see anything done' (p.147)

# 'Take your mind out every now and then and dance on it. It is getting all caked up' (Mark Twain).

# Pacesetters' Prayer: 'Lord, give me the courage to fail; for if I have failed, at least I have tried. Amen'

# Anything less than God will let you down (E. Stanley Jones).

# 'I wonder why it is,' an Anglican bishop once pondered, 'that everywhere the apostle Paul went they had a revolution, and everywhere I go they serve a cup of tea.'

I suggest you get it, and read a couple of pages a day. (But make sure it's not the only book you're reading!).

Rowland Croucher

January 1999.

An editorial comment from my Net friend Thomas Fischer:

I enjoy Maxwell, but have always felt that he's being driven by an inner voice of unmet needs of recognition, acceptance and competency. I know it's a bit cynical. Also, I agree with your observation that puritan ethic+attitude=success is a bit short on spirituality and the working of God. Indeed, the approach may be successful. But, it may also be very heavy on Law and very light on Gospel. I believe he's wound up so tight because he's one of those control-oriented leaders. Control to his degree can work to a point...but comes so insidiously close to idolatry.

All said and done, it appears on first glance I'm a cynic. Well...maybe. But one must realize a key truth that I never hear from Maxwell: God calls us to faithful outputs; The outcome is His to determine.

This is not an excuse for laziness, unaccountability, etc. On the other hand, it also indicates that however well we carry out our planning, accountability structures, numerical goals, etc., there are merely targets, visions, and handles for prayers. We can pray to move mountains; God, however, does the moving according to the working of His will.

I have listened to all of Maxwell's leadership 100 series and subscribed to Injoy Tapes, read several of his books, and attended four of his seminars. They are insightful, helpful and motivating.

But they can also induce guilt and inferiority too. Sometimes pastors and other church leaders simply need a doses of encouragement, reality, and healthy support (cf. your comment on spirituality) in order to have a well-balanced, energetic ministry. This is especially true in the more difficult congregations.

To have a ministry driven to--and by--outcomes is, in my mind, the most neurotic, unhealthy approach to leadership anyone can have in the church...or in any area of life. To be driven by outcomes is de-stabilizing. Indeed, I believe it is the most damaging attitudinal base for ministry there is.

This attitude damages ministries, pastors, congregations, families, and others in countless ways. Unfortunately the drive for success, the euphoria of those who are in awe at outcome-driven success, and the adoration by one's self and others immersed in this unhealthy Western value encourage and reinforce the myth that we can control outcomes. Such unhealthy belief is not only arrogant; it's idolatrous and blasphemous. Indeed, it takes God out of control and makes Him subject to our "Christian" planning.

My prescription for Maxwell and others who have this outcome-driven-ness is to take in a little bit of Eugene Peterson. Peterson may not get the accolades in numbers game. But he does understand spirituality as an essential component for Christian living, ministry, and leadership. It is this understanding which I believe is a most critical attitude for healthy, God-pleasing Christian ministry.

Perhaps the heart attack will shift Maxwell some. However, I'm not sure. At this time he appears too compulsive and narcissistic. I also believe, based on my reflections on his writings and comments, that he's really not very happy with himself and that he can never do well enough to satisfy anyone.

I believe he's really struggled with trying to please people. Indeed, some of his more candid comments about his earlier years in ministry describe his struggle with pleasing people. playing "Super Pastor," etc. He appears to have dealt with this decades ago. The reality, I believe, is that he is not done yet dealing with these issues. If such is the case, this heart attack may coerce him to deal with them again.

Just an editorial opinion....of course, I've got PLENTY of opinions!!

Thomas F. Fischer, M.Div., M.S.A., Editor
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http://genesis.acu.edu/ministryhealth/
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