John C Maxwell - 6 Tough Lessons for Valuing People

Summary

In this heartfelt message, the speaker reflects on the importance of valuing people, especially in a culture where divisiveness prevails. Drawing from personal experiences, including lessons from his father, evangelism awakening, and challenges with leadership, the speaker emphasizes that true value comes from seeing others as worthy of love and respect, regardless of differences. With insights on servanthood, overcoming betrayal, and understanding ethics, the speaker urges others to turn away from negativity and choose to connect, serve, and value people, ultimately fostering unity in society.

Takeaways

• 😀 The importance of valuing people in today's divisive culture and how this approach aligns with Christian principles.
• 😀 Our culture often devalues people, leading to division rather than unity. The speaker encourages choosing to 'turn on the light' rather than curse the darkness.
• 😀 True value of people goes beyond those we naturally like, to also including those who are different or oppose us.
• 😀 The speaker's journey of learning to value people started with his father's example, who unconditionally loved and valued everyone.
• 😀 A key piece of advice from the speaker's father: 'If you value people, believe in them, and love them unconditionally, you'll always have people following you.'
• 😀 The speaker's realization from a hospital visit with a man named Jim led to a shift in his priorities—valuing people by sharing the gospel wherever they are, rather than just inviting them to church.
• 😀 The speaker emphasizes the lesson from Zig Ziglar: 'If you help others get what they want, they'll help you get what you want.' This led to a paradigm shift from seeking to gain from others to adding value to them.
• 😀 Serving people becomes an expression of valuing them. The difference between 'helping' and 'serving' is seen when you view others as valuable rather than just needing help.
• 😀 The 'hot stove lesson' taught the speaker not to let past hurts from people lead to a lifetime of isolation. While people can hurt you, they can also help you if you open yourself up to them.
• 😀 The speaker reflects on a corporate scandal (Enron) and underscores the importance of ethics, arguing that good values always trump laws. Without values, people will break laws regardless of rules.
• 😀 When the speaker recognized that his books were being read by non-Christian audiences, he felt called to influence and love people from all walks of life, learning that proximity to others leads to love, while distance leads to judgment.

Q & A

What is the main message the speaker is trying to convey?

The speaker is emphasizing the importance of valuing people, particularly in a time when society is increasingly divisive. He urges people to choose to be salt and light in the world by valuing others unconditionally, even those who are different from us.

How does the speaker define the current cultural challenge?

The speaker believes that the cultural challenge is twofold: society has lost its way in terms of values, and because of this, people no longer value others, especially those who are different or don't share the same beliefs or values.

Why does the speaker emphasize valuing everyone, not just those who share our values?

The speaker highlights that it's easy to value people who are similar to us, but true growth and positive change come from valuing people who are different. This includes valuing those who do not share our beliefs or values, which can be a difficult but necessary step for fostering unity.

What role did the speaker’s father play in shaping his values about people?

The speaker's father had a significant influence on him by setting an example of valuing everyone. The father’s advice was clear: if you value people, believe in them, and love them unconditionally, people will want to follow you. This principle guided the speaker throughout his life.

What was the speaker’s ‘evangelism awakening’ and how did it impact his view on valuing people?

The speaker’s ‘evangelism awakening’ occurred when he realized that he had prioritized church attendance over personal faith-sharing. After a man named Jim passed away before attending church, the speaker recognized that sharing faith and valuing people personally is more important than just getting them into a church.

What is the ‘Zig lesson’ and how did it influence the speaker’s approach to leadership?

The ‘Zig lesson’ refers to the advice from motivational speaker Zig Ziglar: 'If you help people get what they want, they'll help you get what you want.' This shifted the speaker’s approach from asking others to join his vision to focusing on serving others and helping them succeed.

How did the speaker’s experience with betrayal lead to a shift in his approach to valuing people?

After being betrayed by a close associate, the speaker initially isolated himself, but later realized that isolating people to protect himself also meant not allowing them to help him. He learned to let go of walls and embrace people, valuing them even when there was a risk of getting hurt.

What was the speaker's key takeaway from his experience with Enron’s corporate scandal?

The speaker’s experience with the Enron scandal led him to the conclusion that ethics are universal, not industry-specific. Good values apply everywhere, and it’s more important to value people and their well-being rather than manipulate or exploit them for personal gain.

What does the speaker mean by ‘values are above the law’?

The speaker suggests that laws alone cannot ensure ethical behavior; values are what truly drive good actions. A person with strong values will act ethically, even without the constraints of law, whereas a person without values will break the law regardless of legal repercussions.

How does the speaker define the difference between judging and loving people?

The speaker believes that the closer we are to people, the more we love them, and the farther away we are, the more we tend to judge them. Love and understanding come from being close to others, while judgment arises from distance.