Attitude 101: What Every Leader Needs to Know Hardcover – January 1, 2003

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

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.