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
Ministry Health Web Site
http://genesis.acu.edu/ministryhealth/
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