Outline of Thinking For A Change by John Maxwell

Ch. 1 – Understand the value of Good Thinking

95% of achieving anything is knowing what you want and paying the price to get it.

When your boss asks a question, do not only answer the question…Go above and beyond with your answer…to add value to the train of thought your boss was on…Exceed expectations…

Why you should embrace the value for Good Thinking

1. Good thinking creates the foundation for Good results2. “ “ increases your potential3. “ “ produces more good thinking IF…you make it a

habit

Ch. 2 – Realize the impact of Change Thinking

Illus: “She made it her goal to learn how to lead leaders.”

Steps to changing thinking;1. Changing your thinking changes your beliefs – People will

never attain what they cannot see themselves doing2. Changes your beliefs changes your expectations – “The

only thing that stands between a man and what he wants from life is often merely the will to try it and the faith to believe it is possible.” Belief is an idea that possesses you.

“My performance depended on a change in behavior.” Pgs. 31-32… “Don’t ever be too impressed with goal setting; be impressed with goal getting” Reaching new goals and moving

to a higher level of performance ALWAYS requires change and change feels awkward. Pg. 32

My particular challenge is that I have been thinking like a church starting catalyst when Jeff has asked me to think like a senior catalyst. I must think like that…I need to make the success of our team my goal.

Ch. 3 Master the Process of Intentional Thinking

1. Find a place to think your thoughts2. Find a place to shape your thoughts

a. Side note in my notes – What does the word “Laborer” mean in the Lord of the Harvest passage?

3. Find a place to stretch your thoughts – The right thought plus the right people in the right environment at the right time for the right reason = the right result

4. Find a place to land your thoughts – Do I believe it? Do I believe others should live it? Do our catalysts own our process? They have mostly been handed changes in the ways of doing things

5. Find a place to fly your thoughts

How to become a good thinker:1. Expose yourself to good input2. Expose yourself to good thinkers – As iron sharpens iron3. Choose to think good thoughts – Dan Kathy of Chick-fil-A

– His thinking schedule one half day every two weeks, 1 day every month, 2-3 thinking days every year

4. Act on your good thoughts – WWI flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker – I can give you a six word formula for success – “Think things through-then follow through”

5. Allow your emotions to create another good thought6. Repeat the process

Keeping myself on a growth plan

Part Two: Eleven Thinking Skills Every Successful Person Needs

SKILL 1 – Acquire the wisdom of big picture thinking

Big Picture Tinkers:1. Learn continually2. Listen Intentionally3. Look extensively – Who you are determines what you see

and how you think4. Live completely?

Why Big Picture?1. Allows you to lead

a. See the vision before othersb. Size up situations, take into account any variables,

define realityc. Sketch a picture of where the team is going – help

leaders accomplish this dream(illus: Path at Camp – His Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path)

d. Seize the moment when the time is right2. Keeps you on target

a. To get things done you need focus3. Allows you to see what others see4. Promotes teamwork5. Keeps you from being caught up in the mundane

a. I pick out my “main event” for the day…I ask, “what must I know? What must I do? What must I see, What must I eliminate?

6. Helps me chart uncharted territory

How to acquire Big Picture Thinking1. Juggle many contradictory thoughts/Importance of “and”2. Be VERY teachable – Learn from every experience3. Get counsel – good counsel – from a variety of people4. Give yourself permission to expand your world – “Most

people are married to the status quo….they want what was, not what can be. They seek safety and simple answers

Big Idea: Capture everyday, at the end of everyday, what I learned during that day.

?What will it take to see every catalyst able to see 5, 7, 10 new works a year from their area?

SKILL 2 – Unleash the potential of Focused Thinking

“Ask their customers about their needs and then develop products to meet those needs.”

Crayola has chosen to flourish in its limitations…

Why you should unleash the potential of focused thinking1. It harnesses energy toward a desired goal

a. The greater the difficulty of a problem or issue, the more focused thinking time is necessary to solve it.

2. It gives ideas time to develop3. It brings clarity to the target4. It will take you to the next level

a. The immature mind hops from one thing to another; the mature mind seeks to follow through.

Where should you focus your thinking? Identify your priorities – yourself, your company, your team.

What are your strengths? What brings highest return and reward? What do I enjoy most and best? I need to consider how to give 80% of my effort to the top 20% (most important activities)Give your attention to the areas that bear fruit – You will bear most fruit in the areas of your strengthsDiscover your gifts, develop your dream – The further and higher you go, the more focused you can be and need to be…

How can you stay focused?

1. Remove distractions – The real path to greatness, it turns out to require simplicity and diligence…It demands that each of us focus on what is vital…

a. Practice your first priorities – Do the activities that bring the most return

b. Insulate yourself from distractions – make yourself un-available when necessary

2. Make time for focused thinkinga. No emails before 10 am

3. Keep items of focus before you4. Set goals

a. Clear enough to be kept in focusb. Close enough to be achievedc. Helpful enough to change lives

5. Question your progressa. Is what I am doing getting me closer to my goals?

Am I heading in a direction that helps me fulfill my commitments? Maintain my priorities? (pg. 90)

What are you giving up to go up?

1. I can’t know everyone

a. A strong inner circle2. I can’t do everything

a. Excellence in a few things rather than a good performance in many

b. Practice 10-80-10 – “I help with the first 10% by casting vision, laying down perimeters, provide resources and give encouragement – Once they have done 80% I come alongside them again and help them do what it takes to get them the rest of the way.

3. I can’t go everywhere4. I can’t be well rounded – Focus on the 1% that gives me

the highest return – 99% of everything in life I do not need to know about…Being willing to give up some of the things that you love in order to focus on what has the greatest impact isn’t as easy lesson to learn.

Questions from each chapter – For my own personal reflection and impact

CH. 1 – Understand the value of good thinking

Big Question: Do I believe that good thinking can change my life?Yes. As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. I am gaining in so much responsibility and influence that I must be thinking rightly about things and change any wrong thinking. It will be and is transformational.

1. Who are the best thinkers I know? Name them.a. Harold Bullock –

2. What separates them from the rest of the crowd?a. His great wisdom and depth of understandingb. Choose one of those thinkers and try to arrange to

spend some time with him or her. Whom you associate with matters – I have so much of Harold’s knowledge in the notebooks I have from his seminars – If I can pick his brain in those first…

3. In the past, how would you have defined good thinking? How would you describe it now?

a. Past – I would not have seen the value in it then as I do now. Now I can see how critical it is and how I have to push myself to be a good thinker

4. What personal or professional issues have created ongoing obstacles to your progress? Don’t try to solve them now. Simply describe them

a. The need to focus my time, talents, and thinkingb. Great thinking time is also key!c. Also knowing who to listen to and to get advice

from. Not many are out ahead of me.

CH. 2

BIG Question: Is my desire for success and to improve my life strong enough to prompt me to change my thinking?

Measuring the impact of changed thinking

1. How have I handled obstacles in my path that have even caused me to almost quit? List several major disappointments I have faced in my career or personal life and how I responded.

a. No work visa allowed from Quebec

b. Not getting National Church Planting leaderc. Maritimes difficulty with Johnd. Financial shortfalls in Montreale. Difficulties in DC

2. When you have tried to improve your life in the past, where have you focused your energy? Using the list below, rank where you ordinarily place the most emphasis by marking it with a “1.” Mark the next with a “2” and rank up to six

a. Thinking - 6b. Beliefs - 5c. Expectations - 3d. Attitude - 4e. Behavior – 1f. Performance – 2

Based on your answers, how much will you have to change the way you naturally do things in order to change your thinking? Explain…It seems I have a ton of changing to do. Thinking about things differently and even the emotions of those thoughts have not been at the forefront of what I have been about as a leader. I am a doer and have been a doer…I like action! Thinking is only recently becoming something that really stimulates me…The funny thing is about the above list…It should almost be the exact opposite as a top level leader…to impact those I lead and to have the most impact…

3. Success is OK so long as it’s seen as growth, not an end it itself. Could your past successes be getting in the way of your future success? Yes, because my past successes have been in the areas of my responsibility for CP. Now I am responsible for leaders and yet still working mostly in my area of responsibility. I have to shift… Think about an area where you have succeeded in the past but have currently plateaued. Figure out what is lacking in your

current performance and trace back through performance, behavior, attitude, expectations and beliefs until you reach the source: thinking. How must you change your thinking to break through to the next level?I believe I have to figure out how to make others successful…How do I work effectively through others? IT is thinking about the team…Focusing in on the team and its success…

Ch. 3 – Thinking Questions

Am I willing to pay the price to cultivate the habit of giving birth to, nurturing, and developing great thoughts every day?1. If you don’t already have a good thinking place, you

need to find one. Where will you choose to create your thoughts? My plan is that after outlining this book I will intentionally plan in thinking times into my days in my office and plan longer times like a prayer retreat, etc.

2. Who are the good thinkers in your life? List them here:Harold Bullock, Dan Morgan, Jim ______________,

3. What are you currently working on that could benefit from some thinking time? You may want to address the issue you identified at the end of chapter 1. As clearly as you can, write down the problem here. We need to see more churches planted or should I say, more leaders identified for church planting. We need to tap into our Lord’s vast resources for harvesters –

4. Spend some time thinking about that issue. Then get together the good thinkers in your life to help you stretch and then land your thoughts. A thought that keeps coming back…is the idea of the price that will be willing to be paid – These are the types of leaders that will see a movement – People who are not afraid to

push themselves – people who have a radical nature to them!

5. To what good input are you regularly exposing yourself? Do you have a plan for growth? To what magazines, journals, or tape services do you subscribe, just to challenge yourself as a thinker? List them hereReading and outlining this book, listening to Harold’s messages and I will begin reviewing his notebooks from the wisdom seminars

SKILL 1 – Acquire the wisdom of big picture thinking

Am I thinking beyond myself and my world so that I process ideas with a holistic perspective?

Putting big picture thinking into Action

1. On a scale of 1 to 10, with one being narrow and 10 being expansive, how do you rate yourself as a big picture thinker? Do you see the whole picture, or are you more than likely to focus on one aspect?8 - I love seeing the big picture…It is when I strive to start doing details that make the big picture happen that I can get bogged down…I love looking at all of Canada

2. Pick a past problem or current project that you would like to improve through big-picture thinking. Then use the following exercises to expand your thinking: - I choose the idea of working more closely with our national catalysts to improve our performance –

a. Opposites: What is the obvious solution for success? Helping our catalysts become more catalytic.

i. Now write an alternative solution, something that would resolve the issue but seems to

contradict the first idea? Re-assigning responsibilities – to our catalysts

ii. How can I make these ideas work together? The challenge is that they are not opposing ideas…I need more time on this as it feels like there is a gold mine to be tapped into here but I do not know what it is…

b. Insight from others: Take that same issue, problem, or project to 3-5 people who can give you insight on it. Be sure to pick good people using the criteria in the chapter: they must know and care about you, know their field, and bring broader and deeper experience that yours. Before you spend time with them, spend adequate time formulating the questions you want to ask. That process will help you clarify issues, and it will show your friends how much you respect their time.

c. Make learning from your experience a regular part of your routine. Set aside a few minutes at the end of each day (Or first thing in the morning) to review what you learn each day. Capture those thoughts in writing and file them so that you can retrieve and use them in the future.

Skill 2

Am I dedicated to removing distractions and mental clutter so that I can concentrate with clarity on the real issue?

1. At the end of the last chapter, I asked how well you think about the big picture. Now I want to ask the same question related to focused thinking. On a scale of 1 to 10, with one being scattered and 10 being focused, how well

do you focus think? Five – I am doing better and I have a long ways to go…The lower your number, the more time you need to carve out for focused thinking…

2. Get your calendar and figure out how to schedule thinking time. Ideally, you should schedule some time daily, as well as a good block of time once per week. Remember that to be effective, you must remove yourself from distractions, prevent unwanted interruptions, and be able to focus. Pick the best place and your most productive time of day for your focused thinking time. Then put it on your calendar and treat it as you would any important appointment.

3. Our lives are most effected. For good or for bad, by just a few events and decisions. Focused thinking can provide the arena to significantly impact those decisions and events. Determine which decisions currently on your plate are most important, and then dedicate some of your scheduled thinking time to address them.

4. If you don’t have goals—or your goals do not align with your dreams—then your focus time will get off track. Dedicate this weeks large block of thinking time to considering and writing down your current goals.