The Leading Edge: The Risk of Being Funny
By Sonya Etchemendy, certified John Maxwell Team coach, speaker & trainer Do you think you are funny? There was a time that I thought I was until my sense of humor was put to the test in front of 500 people! Early in my career, I was blessed with many different opportunities and I’d jump…
Read MoreOne Voice
As a lifelong leader, Tony Sims was committed to his personal growth and had spent years trying to raise his capacity by reading every book and listening to every speech he could find. “My biggest challenge throughout my journey has been trying to digest too much from too many leaders. I was the guy who…
Read MoreThe Leading Edge: Speak Well – Lead Well
I don’t know about you, but growing up in school I hated English class. More than anything I hated to write. What was the point? Now, decades later, I realize the point. Writing and reading have helped me learn how to think and, even more importantly, how to communicate my thoughts clearly. Communication occurs daily…
Read MoreThe Leading Edge: An “Under-Estimator” No More
In March 2017, I had the opportunity to share a small part of my personal growth journey with approximately 2,400 other members of The John Maxwell Team. This experience was extra special because I shared the stage, for a few moments, with John Maxwell himself. I earned this opportunity because I was one of ten…
Read MoreThe Leading Edge: Three Little Tips to Bring Big Results When Speaking to Your Next Audience
To be a good speaker you need to know your material and be comfortable in presenting it. These are obvious. I remember one mentor saying, “There is nothing more unforgivable than a speaker who fails to prepare and wastes the audience’s time.” I agree. We must have our content down. Outside of that, there are…
Read MoreFinding Purpose
After 40 years of marriage and raising three children, Wendy wanted to continue to make an impact on the world by empowering others. She was a longtime reader of John Maxwell’s books and she loved to watch his Minute With Maxwell videos. “John’s values and teachings resonated with my heart.” Wendy has always wanted to…
Read MoreThe Leading Edge: Change your perspective: Speaking For Influence
So, you have decided to take the plunge and become a public speaker. Congratulations! You might be unaware, but statistically only 1 in 10,000 people really have what it takes to get on a stage and utilize it as a platform. It’s true. Speaking in front of large groups of people is a very unnatural…
Read MoreThe Leading Edge: 5 Lessons From The Worst Speaking Gig Ever
What do you do when it goes ALL wrong? What do you do when you have prepared your speech for months, done your research, interviewed people, and practiced your delivery a gazillion times, standing up, with a hammer acting as the mic, to deliver the best keynote speech ever and it all goes wrong? Earlier…
Read MoreA Mother’s Gift.
In April of 2016 Gail Frankle made a tough decision. A single mother, Gail worked in the corporate world for 30 years. When she heard that John Maxwell had put a team together, she was immediately interested in joining. Gail did not love her job but she was happy with the financial security it provided…
Read MoreThe Leading Edge: Step It Up! Follow These Steps and People Will Follow You
What distinguishes good speakers from great speakers? Leadership. As my friend and mentor John Maxwell reminds us, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” This includes speaking. Why? Because speakers are leaders, too. To make the shift from being a good speaker to becoming a great speaker, or from being a great speaker to becoming even…
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