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 Conference:  Real Teamwork 

 

Speaker:  Dr. John C. Maxwell 

Date:  November 05, 2004 

Location:  Rockford, IL – Rockford First Assembly of God.  

1. The Law of Significance says “One is too small a number to achieve greatness.” 

- “Self-made people don’t make much.” 

- “Nothing of significance can be accomplished by one person.” 

- “Great leaders take vision from me to we.” 

- “Everything that is significant began as a dream in one person’s heart.” 

- “For the dream to be realized, you need to develop a team to achieve it.” 

- “Teamwork makes the dream work.” 

- How do we as a team achieve significance?  We must have a significant vision 

– big dreams attract people; we must build a significant team – the size of your 

team will determine your level of achievement; must have significant 

commitment – competent & committed people make it happen. 

- Maxwell only hires people with leadership potential – it took him 12 years to 

figure this out. 

- QUESTION:  Is my dream bigger than myself? 

 

2. The Law of the Big Picture says “The goal is more important than the role.” 

- How do I get people to see the big picture?   

i. Clear vision – A picture of tomorrow that creates passion today. 

ii. Strong relationships – This is the most overlooked area; you won’t 

sacrifice for people you don’t get along with. 

iii. Unselfish attitude – Focus goes from me to we. 

iv. Continual communication 

v. Willingness to serve 

vi. Maturity & experience – “Experience is not the best teacher, evaluated 

experience is.” 

vii. Team success must be valued above personal success. 

- What do I/we need to do in order to help my company mature? 

- QUESTION:  Do I place the team above myself? 

 

3. The Law of the Niche says “All players have a place where they add the most value.” 

- “Highly successful work only within their niche.” 

- “Highly successful leaders find the right place for their people.” 

- Putting people in the right place: 

i. Find your own niche first. 

ii. Be open about your needs for a leader – staff to your weakness. 

iii. Study your team, know them well. 

iv. Communicate to each team member their fit. 

v. Communicate to the team member their strength in the place they fit. 

 

 

- Stop working on my weaknesses and start working on my strengths.  Get 

people around me whose strengths are my weaknesses. 

- People are average because they haven’t found their strength zone. 

- Counseling works on weaknesses, equipping works on strengths – strengths 

produce results. 

- QUESTION:  Do I do what I do best? 

 

4. The Law of Mount Everest says “As the challenge escalates, the need for teamwork 

elevates.” 

- “The bigger the challenge, the better the team you need.” 

- The law is about gathering and growing a team: 

i. What is your plan for personal growth?  “Growth is not automatic 

process.” 

ii. What is my plan to grow the team around me?  

- QUESTION:  Is my team ready for a Mount Everest Challenge? 

 

5. The Law of the Chain says “The strength of the team is impacted by its weakest 

link.” 

- Questions concerning the weak link: 

i. Is there a consensus on the team that this person is the weakest link? 

ii. Is this conclusion specific or objective? 

iii. List the weakness & specific concerns for the weak link. 

iv. Has this person received proper training? 

v. Has this person been given sufficient time? 

vi. Has this person been placed properly? 

vii. Has this person been given sufficient resources? 

viii. Has this person received honest feedback? 

ix. Does this person know/understand what is required? 

x. Will the weak link make enough progress to no longer be weak? 

xi. If yes to x., set deadline, if no, set deadline – don’t postpone the 

inevitable. 

- Always let people know where they stand – keep updated accounts. 

- When people are not doing well, assume I’m the problem. 

- “If you’re not growing with us, you’re not going with us.” 

- QUESTION:  Am I helping or hurting my team? 

 

6. The Law of the Catalyst says “Winning teams have players that make things 

happen.” 

- “Catalysts are ‘Get it done and then some’ people.” 

- Characteristics of a catalyst: 

i. Intuitive – They sense things that others do not sense that makes the 

team successful. 

ii. Communicators – They say things that others do not say that makes the 

team successful. 

iii. Initiators – They do things that others do not do that make the team 

successful. 

iv. Passionate – They feel things that others do not feel that makes the 

team successful. 

v. Creative – They think things that others do not think that makes the 

team successful. 

vi. Givers – They give things that others do not give that make the team 

successful. 

vii. Responsible – They carry things that others do not carry that make the 

team successful. 

viii. Gifted – They can do things that others cannot do that make the team 

successful. 

ix. Leaders – They influence people that others do not influence that 

makes the team successful. 

- QUESTION:  Do I make things happen for others? 

 

7. The Law of the Compass says “Vision gives team members direction and 

confidence.” 

- Checklist for a successful vision 

i. Clarity – Brings understanding to the vision. 

1. Can people repeat the vision to others? 

2. What do I want them to know? 

3. What do I want them to do? 

ii. Connectedness – Brings past/present/future together. 

iii. Purpose – Brings direction – the backbone. 

iv. Goals – Stepping stones in the right direction. 

v. Honesty – Brings integrity to the vision. 

1. “Don’t cast a vision for tomorrow as a cover-up for today” 

vi. Stories – Bring stories into the vision for warmth. 

vii. Challenge – “Purpose comes from stretching” – SAL 

viii. Passion – Brings fuel & energy to the vision. 

ix. Modeling – Must have a model for people to follow. 

- “People won’t reach for the future if they can’t touch the past.” (security) 

- “You can never ask too much of winners.” 

- QUESTION:  Has my vision gone from Me to We? 

 

8. The Law of the Bad Apple says “Rotten attitudes ruin a team.” 

- What is an Attitude? 

i. It is the “advance man” of our true selves. 

ii. Its roots are inward but its fruit is outward. 

iii. It is our best friend or our worst enemy. 

iv. It is more honest and more consistent than our words. 

v. It is an outward look based upon past experiences. 

vi. It is a thing which draws people to us or repels them. 

vii. It is never content until it is expressed. 

viii. It is the librarian of our past. 

ix. It is the speaker of our present. 

x. It is the prophet of our future. 

- Your attitude is a choice. 

- An attitude compounds when exposed to others. 

- Bad attitudes compound faster than good ones. 

- Attitudes have the power to lift up or tear down a team. 

i. Great Abilities + Rotten Attitudes = Bad Team 

ii. Great Abilities + Bad Attitudes = Average Team 

iii. Great Abilities + Average Attitudes = Good Team 

iv. Great Abilities + Good Attitudes = Great Team 

- QUESTION:  Does my attitude help or hinder my team? 

 

9. The Law of Countability says “Teammates must be able to count on each other 

when it counts.” 

- I must be competent in my responsibilities. 

- Character is essential. 

- Consistency is required. 

- QUESTION:  Can my team count on me? 

 

10. The Law of the Price Tag says “The team fails to reach its potential when it fails to 

pay the price.” 

- Q:  When does a person/team/organization stop growing? 

- A:  When it fails to pay the price required for growth. 

- Price Points: 

i. The price must be paid by everyone. 

ii. The price must be paid all the time. 

iii. The price compounds if not paid early. 

- You seldom get more than you paid for! 

- Always stretch people to get out of their comfort zone, not gift zone. 

- QUESTION:  What am I paying for today that will help me reach my potential 

tomorrow? 

 

11. The Law of the Scoreboard says “The team can make adjustments when it knows 

where it stands.” 

- “The scoreboard tells the whole story.” 

- How to find a successful day: 

i. Morning:  What is today’s main event?  What gives me the greatest 

return? 

ii. Evening:  5-10 minutes of reflection – How did I do with today’s main 

event? 

- He also scorecards his daily dozen – probably 1 to 5. 

- “The marathon didn’t make me a successful runner.  The daily marathon 

training did.”  SAL 

 

- QUESTION:  What adjustments am I making for my team based upon the 

scoreboard? 

 

12. The Law of the Bench says “Great teams have great depth.” 

- Place high values and expectation on all players. 

- Strategically place players in the right place (High school basketball story 

about out of position.) 

- Recruit high, release low – you must have a picture of what people look like. 

- Train & develop ALL players – training & mentoring must become a lifestyle – 

Not an event, but a lifestyle 

- Bring your bench players into the game to play; they only gain game time 

experience through playing in the game. 

- The more depth, the longer run and the less turnover is felt. 

- QUESTION:  Am I adding depth to my team? 

 

13. The Law of Identity says “Shared values define the team.” 

- Personal value – Something that influences and guides my behavior. 

- Organization’s value – Something that influences and guides the team’s 

behavior. 

- The Values of an Organization are Like: 

i. Glue – They hold an organization together. 

ii. A Foundation – They provide stability for the company to grow. 

iii. A Ruler – They set the standard for the team’s performance. 

iv. A Compass – They give direction and guidance. 

v. A Magnet – They attract like-minded people. 

vi. An Identity – They define and identify the team 

- “If your values are the same as your team’s values, you become more 

valuable!” 

- QUESTION:  Are my values and the Team’s values the same? 

 

14. The Law of Communication says “Interaction fuels action.” 

- QUESTION:  How would my teammates answer these questions about me? 

 

15. The Law of the Edge says “The difference between two equally talented teams is 

their leadership.” 

- Identifying the leader: 

i. Lead by action and not by title/position (responsibility). 

ii. Lead all of the time, not some of it (consistency). 

iii. Lead by taking repeated risks, not by past performance (credibility). 

iv. Lead by putting others first (facilitator of people). 

- QUESTION:  Do I qualify to be a team leader? 

 

16. The Law of High Morale says “When you’re winning nothing hurts.” 

- Why Teams Need High Morale: 

i. High Morale is the Great Exaggerator. 

1. When you’re winning nothing hurts. 

2. When you’re losing everything hurts. 

ii. High Morale is the Great Energizer. 

iii. High Morale is the Great Elevator. 

iv. High Morale is the Great Eliminator. 

v. High Morale is the Great Emancipator. 

- QUESTION:  Am I lifting or lowering my team’s morale? 

 

17. The Law of Dividends says “Investing in the team compounds over time.” 

- How do I invest in my team? 

i. Make a decision to start and invest in your team. 

ii. Gathering the best team possible. 

iii. Pay the price to develop the team. 

iv. Giving credit for the success of the team. 

v. Watching to make sure the investment is paying off. 

vi. Create new opportunities for the team to stretch. 

vii. Giving the team the best possible chance to succeed 

- QUESTION:  Am I experiencing the compounding results of being on a team? 

 

General Application: 

1. When studying any Maxwell law, always ask these questions:   

a. Where are we the strongest?   

b. Where are we the weakest? 

c. Do I possess this quality?   

d. Do others on this team possess this quality?