And I'm glad I did. As always, it is cover-to-cover with great stuff including an article by John Maxwell titled "Players vs. Pretenders." Here are some excerpts from the article:
In every organization there are those who would rather act the part than do their part. I've classified these people as pretenders. Pretenders can slow an organization down, steal momentum and damage relationships. They live for themselves. When an organization needs "we" people, the "I" people change or get exposed.
Difference Between Players and Pretenders
Players have a servant's mindset.
Pretenders have a selfish mindset.
Albert Einstein illustrated this point brilliantly: Strange is our situation here upon Earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to divine a purpose. From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: that man is here for the sake of other men -- above all for those upon whose smile and well-being our own happiness depends, and also for the countless unknown souls with whose fate we are connected by a bond of sympathy.
Players are mission conscious.
Pretenders are position conscious.
Players will give up a position to achieve a mission, and pretenders will give up a mission to achieve a position. There are also worried about what their titles are and where they are on the promotion ladder.
Players are job-happy.
Pretenders are job-hunters.
Pretenders can't do it where they are, but think they could do it better where they are going. Pretenders always think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.
Players can deliver the goods.
Pretenders promise the goods.
Author Thomas Sowell says, "We hear about the haves and the have-nots. Why don't we hear about the doers and the do-nots?"
Players love to see others succeed.
Pretenders are only interested in their own success.
Rabbi Harold Kushner said it best: "The purpose of life is not to win. The purpose of life is to grow and to share. When you come to look back on all that you have done in life, you will get more satisfaction from the pleasure you have brought into other people's lives than you will from the times that you outdid and defeated them.
This is but a small portion of the article by John Maxwell. You have more word that running out to purchasing this edition will be well worth it -- of course I strongly recommend that you subscribe -- just don't forget and leave it at home.
