Attitude 101: What Every Leader Needs to Know (101 Series) (Hardcover)

by John C. Maxwell (Author) "Growing up, I loved basketball..." (more)
Key Phrases: Erma Bombeck

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
As stated in the preface to this concise primer, any weekday edition of The New York Times contains more information than the average person living in 17th-century England was exposed to in a lifetime. In acknowledgement of the modern world's information glut, leadership expert John C. Maxwell has produced Attitude 101, a 99-page companion volume to one of his previous bestsellers, Leadership 101. In this new book, Maxwell examines the importance of attitude in determining a leader's success or failure, the forces that shape a person's attitude, and the seven choices necessary if one is to change his or her attitude. Fans of Maxwell's earlier books will enjoy his pithy advice, and will no doubt look forward to the third and fourth volumes in this series (Relationships 101, Equipping 101), both available in 2004. --David Bombeck

From Publishers Weekly
It would be nice if this point-of-purchase inspirational tract by bestselling author Maxwell (The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership) could distill the motivational wisdom of a long career into a single, power-filled package, but instead, it siphons off a little draught as an enticing taste-test. The idea expounded here is simple enough: a good attitude, while not a guarantee of success, is crucial, whereas a bad attitude-which could include "failing to forgive," "petty jealousy" or "the disease of me"-will ensure failure. Thick with anecdotal evidence, from the life of Van Gogh (a man with a very good attitude, apparently) to the last guy who won the lottery (he still has problems), and studded with confessions that seem like veiled self-compliments, this palm-sized pep talk is a pithy and accessible reminder of basic common sense notions than many of us are apt to forget. For example, "the true nature of leadership is really sacrifice," and "many of us picture success as looking like someone other than who we are." Built as a string of quotations by successful people, the case Maxwell presents is hard to argue against, although any world view that draws equally from activist Martin Luther King Jr. and union-buster Henry Kaiser would seem to leave certain, difficult questions unanswered.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson; 1 edition (January 3, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785263500
• ISBN-13: 978-0785263500
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 4.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #13,576 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars short, to the point, and very effective, January 1, 2003

By	Blake O Jones (Tallahassee, Florida United States) - See all my reviews

This is a great book. The basic premise is unless you have your attitude right you'll never reach your full potential. Mr. Maxwell gives his insights into attitude and provides a framework for improving your own attitude as well as those around you. It's short and not long winded at all. I guess you could say it's kind of a cliff notes on attitude, whick is very helpful because we're all so busy these days. Anyone committed to success and self imporvement will find this book very helpful.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Attitude 101 is more than a basic beginner's course, August 23, 2003

By	Derek Rumpler (Somerville, OH) - See all my reviews

I actually picked up this book at a college orientation meeting, free of charge, through a random selection of people. I picked it out in only a split-second of time, thinking it might help me in my pursuit of being a childhood psychologist. Boy, I received more than I expected.

This little book is gold! I was surprised by Maxwell's Christian world-view, uncompromised, yet I feel he was able to reflect successfully to a secular audience (I, too, am a Christian). He makes the occassional references to scripture, uses a lot of quotes and stories, and provides his own insights on attitude. His basic premise is that attitude is everything and infiltrates into every area of our lives. Having been diagnosed with "clinical depression", I found his words encouraging and feel elated when I know that a matter of my success in life has a lot to do with attitude and how I handle adversity. In fact, Maxwell gives a very interesting maxim which I would like to make a part of my arsenal: "To go up, you have to give up." These may be hard words for someone who's not ready, but I guarantee you, after reading his book, you will agree just as I do. This book makes it clear that success is knowing your purpose and growing to your potential. This book is easily five stars. I look forward to more of his work, both in this series and any other forthcoming and previous works.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Grow Your Attitude Daily to Accomplish More!!!!!, May 29, 2003

By	Professor Donald Mitchell "Jesus Makes Me a P... (Boston) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

Everyone would benefit from reading this little, but powerful, book and carrying it around in a pocket to reread, as appropriate, daily. Many sections could be reread in just a few minutes. The whole book can be read by most in less than two hours.

I highly recommend this as both a book for you to read and reread, and as a book to share with others through gifts. Attitude 101 is a thoughtful high school or college graduation gift, for example, that will provide benefits for decades.

The book addresses several key dimensions of personal attitude: Its impact; its formation; and how your future is affected by your attitude. Examples come poignantly from the Bible, sports, inventors, celebrities, writers, politics and Dr. Maxwell's own life. Many of the stories added to my knowledge. Did you know that David had five stones with him to face Goliath not because David feared he would miss . . . but because Goliath had four giant sons whom David might also have had to face?

Whatever is missing from your attitude . . . this little book can help you find it and apply a remedy. On different days, you will have varying needs to improve your attitude. Rereading the right sections in this book will help you develop a better attitude and keep it focused on moving you forward just when and where you should be going.

As Dr. Maxwell says, success is:

"Knowing your purpose in life,
Growing to reach your maximum potential,
Sowing seeds that benefit others."

The book combines all of the elements you've probably come to like about his books on leadership, teamwork, thinking and purposeful living. Seeing it all together in a brief form makes the message clearer somehow. I liked that.

His epigrams are wonderful. Here's another of my favorites for helping others form good attitudes:

"Value people.
Praise efforts.
Reward performance."

Particularly meaningful to me were the reminders that temporary setbacks (what some see as "failures") are good ways to learn how to be more effective. If we can combine lots of attempts with an ability to emotionally forget how they made us feel when the attempts didn't work, we can accomplish a great deal.

The book ends with how leaders can grow their potential. The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. is the example. Leaders become greater by giving up more in serving others.

May God bless you, Dr. Maxwell, and all those who read and apply this wonderful book!