A PERSON OF INFLUENCE . . . NAVIGATES FOR OTHER PEOPLE
Helping people enlarge themselves and develop their potential makes it possible for them to go to a whole new level of living. But no matter how much they grow and learn, they will still face obstacles. They will make mistakes. They will run into problems in their personal and professional lives. And they will encounter circumstances that they won’t be able to get through well without some help.
John tells a story about a time when he decided to help a whole planeload of people get through a tough day together:
I travel a lot because of the speaking I do around the country, and sometimes that leads to unusual situations. I remember one particular evening when I was in the airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, getting ready to fly to Indianapolis, Indiana. I was on the phone up to the last minute, and then I dashed up to my gate and met Dick Peterson, the former president of INJOY, expecting to run onto the plane just before the doors closed. But to my surprise, the waiting area had about fifty or sixty people moping around in it.
I looked at Dick and said, “What’s going on?”
“Well,” said Dick, “it looks like we won’t get to fly out for a while yet.”
“What’s the problem?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” he said.
So I went up and talked to the agent at the gate, and he told me, “The flight attendants aren’t here yet, and we can’t allow anyone to board until they come.” Then he announced the same thing over the PA system, and I could see everyone in the waiting area kind of deflate. They looked miserable.
I looked at Dick, and I said, “You know, let’s see if we can help these people out.” So we went to a snack counter close by, and I told the woman there, named Denise, “I’d like sixty Coca-Colas, please.”
She stared at me a moment and finally said, “You want sixty?”
Then I explained to her, “There are a whole bunch of passengers down at that next gate who are disappointed, and they need something to boost their morale.”
“You’re not kidding? You’re going to buy one for everybody?” she asked.
She paused for a moment, then said, “Can I help?”
She, Dick, and I took those drinks down to the people at the gate, and I could see that they weren’t sure what to think. So I said, “May I have your attention, please? My name is John Maxwell. Since we’re not going to leave for thirty to forty-five minutes, I thought I would at least get you something to drink. It’s on the house.”
We started passing out the Cokes, and I could tell they thought I was weird. So did the airline personnel. But after a while I began to develop rapport with them, and when they found out the flight attendants were on the ground and would be at the gate soon, I was finally able to talk them into letting us get on the plane.
As soon as we all got on the plane, I saw a large basket of peanuts, granola bars, and goodies in the galley, and I thought to myself, Hey, they ought to have something to eat with that Coca-Cola. So I went down the aisle giving out the goodies. In only five minutes I had served them all something to eat, and they were drinking their Cokes. About this time the flight crew rushed aboard. They were very apologetic. They got on the plane’s PA system right away and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, we’re going to get started right away. As soon as we can, we’ll begin the beverage service.”
Well, they could hear a lot of laughter and chattering in the cabin, and one of the flight attendants said to the other, “What’s going on here?”
“Hi, my name’s John,” I said. “They’re not too worried about your service right now. I’ve already given everybody something to drink and some snacks to eat. In fact, would it be all right if I talked to everybody a moment?” They laughed and said, “Sure. Why not?”
As we taxied out to the runway, they let me talk. “Hi, folks,” I said, “this is your friend, John Maxwell. Please buckle up. We’ll be airborne in a few moments, and as soon as we’re in the air, I’ll be back again to serve you.”
We had a great time on that flight. I talked to everybody and helped serve drinks. When we landed, I asked if I could talk to everybody one last time. “Gang,” I said, “this is John. I’m so glad you were on this flight today. Didn’t we have a wonderful time?” Everyone clapped and cheered. “Now, when we get off, I’m going to go down to the baggage claim area. If any of you have any problems, please see me, and we’ll immediately take care of the situation.”
While I was down in the baggage area helping people find their luggage, a man came up to me and said, “This has been great. I’m from Florida, and I’ve got some grapefruit with me. Here, have a grapefruit.”
“Thank you very much,” I said. “You know, I’ve got a brother who lives in Florida—in Winterhaven.”
“That’s where I live!” he said. “What’s your name again? John Maxwell? Wait! Is your brother’s name Larry and his wife, Anita?”
“That’s correct.”
“I know them!” he said. “Anita serves on a board with me. I’m going to call them right now. They won’t believe it.” He hurried off toward a bank of phones. “I’ve traveled for years,” he said, “and nothing like this has ever happened before!”
What could have been a miserable plane ride of tired, grumpy people turned out to be an experience that nobody on that flight will ever forget. Why? Because one person decided to take others under his wing and help them through a potentially unpleasant situation. It’s a process that we call navigating.
Most people need help working through some of life’s difficulties. That plane flight probably wasn’t more than an inconvenience for most of those passengers, but they still enjoyed being coached through the experience by someone with a good attitude. That kind of assistance is needed and appreciated by most people, especially when life’s complicated problems hit closer to home, and people have a tougher time with them.
The people in your life with whom you have influence need your help, especially the ones who are trying to go to a new level, start a new venture, or enter a new phase of life. They need someone to lead and guide them. Mel Ziegler, founder of Banana Republic, outlined a leader’s ability to navigate when he wrote: “A leader discovers the hidden chasm between where things are and where things would better be, and strings up a makeshift bridge to attempt the crossing. From the other side he guides those who dare to cross his rickety traverse until the engineers can build a sturdier span for all.”1
Ziegler painted a vivid picture. But for most people, the leadership they need isn’t just a one-time event, a single chasm to cross. Most people need guidance on a fairly continual basis until they can get their lives together, and then they can be encouraged to make the trip under their own power. It’s more like an ocean voyage that you have to navigate them through than a chasm you have to coax them to cross. You’ve got to help them find their way, spot icebergs, and weather stormy seas, and you’ve got to take the trip with them—at least until they are on the right course and can learn to navigate on their own.
A NAVIGATOR IDENTIFIES THE DESTINATION
In the previous chapter, we talked about the importance of casting a vision of people’s future so that they are encouraged to grow. The next step is to show them their destination in a more concrete way. Most people who are dissatisfied and discouraged feel that way because they haven’t grabbed hold of a vision for themselves. It has been said, “To bury our dreams is to bury ourselves, for we are really ‘such stuff as dreams are made on.’ God’s dream for us is to reach our potential.” You have to help others discover their dreams and then get them moving toward them. If there is no movement, then there can be no navigation. And any movement will be progress only if it’s in the direction of the destination.
You may already recognize much of the potential of the people you’re trying to mentor, but you need to know more about them. To help them recognize the destinations they will be striving for, you need to know what really matters to them, what makes them tick. To do that, find out these things:
• What do they cry about? To know where people truly want to go, you need to know what touches their hearts. Passion and compassion are compelling motivators. It has been said that the great men and women of history were great not for what they owned or earned but for what they gave their lives to accomplish. Listen with your heart, and you are likely to discover the things for which others are willing to give themselves.
• What do they sing about? Frank Irving Fletcher observed, “No man can deliver the goods if his heart is heavier than his load.” There is a big difference between the things that touch people’s hearts and the things that weigh them down. In the long run, people need to focus a lot of energy on what gives them joy. Looking for enthusiasms in the people you mentor will give you another clue concerning their intended destination.
• What do they dream about? Napoleon Hill said, “Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul; the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.” If you can help people discover their dreams and truly believe in them, you can help them become the persons they were designed to be.
A NAVIGATOR PLOTS THE COURSE
When you consider people’s passions, potential, and vision, you are better able to see where they really want to go because you view them with more depth and discernment. Often, people say that their goal is happiness or success, but if they identify such a surface thing as their destination, they’re sure to be disappointed. As John Condry emphasized, “Happiness, wealth, and success are by-products of goal-setting; they cannot be the goal themselves.”
Once you as the navigator assist others in identifying a vision for their lives, you need to help them find a way to make it a reality. And that means plotting a course and setting goals. Joyce Myers said, “A #2 pencil and a dream can take you anywhere.” No doubt she understood the value of planning and putting goals in writing. That doesn’t mean that things always go as you expect, but you have to start with a game plan. A good rule of thumb is to set your goals in concrete and write your plans in sand.
To help people plot their course, give attention to these areas:
WHERE THEY NEED TO GO
You would be amazed by how far off track some people can get when trying to reach their goals. As E. W. Howe wrote in Success Is Easier Than Failure, “Some people storm imaginary Alps all their lives, and die in the foothills cursing difficulties that do not exist.” People who have not yet experienced success often have no idea what it takes to get from where they are to where they want to go. They throw themselves into a labyrinth of activity because they don’t recognize that they can take an easier path. As the navigator, you are to show them the best course.
We heard an amusing story about a husband who wanted to help his wife because he suspected she had a hearing problem. One night he positioned himself across the room from her with her back to him, and softly he said, “Can you hear me?” He didn’t get an answer from her, so he moved closer and repeated, “Can you hear me now?” Still nothing. He moved closer and asked, “Can you hear me?” He heard no response, so finally he repeated the question from directly behind her. She turned to face him and said, “For the fourth time, yes!”
Too many people out there are similar to that husband. They want to succeed and help others, but their misunderstanding or lack of knowledge hinders them. A good navigator recognizes the blind spots in others, gently identifies them, and helps people overcome them.
HOW THEY NEED TO GROW
When you are navigating for others, remember that they can’t make the whole trip in a day. They have to grow into their goals and take things one step at a time. An experiment performed by Alfred J. Marrow, a company president with a Ph.D. in psychology, illustrated this fact. He was interested in finding a way to help new unskilled employees reach optimum performance and match the standards of his skilled, experienced employees as quickly as possible.
Marrow decided to divide some new employees into two groups. With the first, he asked the unskilled workers to match the production of the skilled ones by the end of twelve weeks. With the second group, he established escalating weekly goals. Each week’s goal was slightly more ambitious than the one from the week before.
In the first group with the single goal, only 66 percent of the workers were able to meet his expectations. But the second group with the intermediate goals performed significantly better and was able to match the production averages of the company’s experienced laborers more quickly.2
As you work with people, help them to figure out not only their long-term destination but also the smaller steps along the way. Help them identify attainable goals that will give them confidence, and they’ll make progress.
A NAVIGATOR THINKS AHEAD
Few things are more discouraging than being blindsided, especially when someone who could have helped you stands by and watches it happen. That’s why thinking ahead for others is part of your task as a navigator. As people’s leader and mentor, you have been places they have not yet gone, had experiences they have not been through, and gained insights they have not yet developed. You have the ability to prepare them for what they are going to face. If you don’t, you’re not helping them the way you should, and you are no longer performing one of your most important functions as a leader. American humorist Arnold H. Glasow saw the significance of this: “One of the tests of leadership is to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency.”3 That’s something the less-experienced persons you’re helping cannot at first do on their own.
Here are four things you should help them understand as they get under way:
1. EVERYBODY FACES PROBLEMS
Someone quipped, “If you keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, you just don’t understand the problem.” As you mentor people and help them grow, you may find that they expect to someday reach a point in their lives when their problems disappear. But they need to realize that everybody has problems. No matter how successful they become, they will continue to face difficulties. Or as writer and artists’ advocate Elbert Hubbard said, “The man who has no more problems to solve is out of the game.”
2. SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE FACE MORE PROBLEMS THAN UNSUCCESSFUL PEOPLE
Another common misconception is that successful people have achieved because they didn’t have problems. But that isn’t true. In his book Holy Sweat, Tim Hansel tells this story:
In 1962, Victor and Mildred Goertzel published a revealing study of 413 famous and exceptionally gifted people. The study was called Cradles of Eminence. These two researchers spent years trying to understand the source of these people’s greatness, the common thread which ran through all of these outstanding people’s lives. The most outstanding fact was that almost all of them, 392, had to overcome very difficult obstacles in order to become who they were. Their problems became opportunities instead of obstacles.4
Not only do people overcome obstacles to become successful, but even after they have achieved a level of success, they continue to face problems. The bad news is that the higher people go—personally and professionally—the more complicated life gets. Schedules get tighter, money issues increase, and greater demands are put on successful people. But the good news is that if they continue to grow and develop themselves, their ability to deal with problems will also increase.
3. MONEY DOESN’T SOLVE PROBLEMS
Another faulty belief is that money solves all problems. The opposite is actually true—people with money tend to be less content and have additional problems. For example, Ernie J. Zelinski cites a survey showing that a higher percentage of people making more than $75,000 a year are dissatisfied with their incomes than of those making less than $75,000 a year. He also noted:
A larger percentage of the rich have alcohol and drug problems than the general population. I have a theory about how well off we will be with a lot of money. If we are happy and handle problems well when we are making $25,000 a year, we will be happy and handle problems well when we have a lot more money. If we are unhappy and don’t handle problems well on $25,000 a year, we can expect the same of ourselves with a lot of money. We will be just as unhappy and handle problems as ineffectively, but with more comfort and style.5
The bottom line is that you should try to help people understand that money is no substitute for the basic problem-solving skills they need to develop. Financial problems are usually a symptom of other personal problems.
4. PROBLEMS PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR GROWTH
As you look ahead and help people, realize that while problems can cause pain, they also provide an excellent opportunity for growth. The people of Enterprise, Alabama, understand that idea. In their town stands a monument to the Mexican boll weevil, erected in 1919. The story behind it is that in 1895, the insect destroyed the county’s major crop, cotton. After that disaster, local farmers began to diversify, and the peanut crop of 1919 far exceeded the value of even the best ones comprised of cotton. On the monument are the following words: “In profound appreciation of the boll weevil and what it has done as the herald of prosperity. . . . Out of a time of struggle and crisis has come new growth and success. Out of adversity has come blessing.”
As you have certainly observed, not everyone approaches life’s problems in the same way. Historian Arnold Toynbee believed that all people react in one of four ways under difficult circumstances:
1. Retreat into the past
2. Daydream about the future
3. Retreat within and wait for someone to rescue them
4. Face the crisis and transform it into something useful
As you help others, let them know there may be rough waters ahead. Show them that it’s wise to plan ahead as best they can. And when trouble comes, encourage them to face it and try to become better as a result.
A NAVIGATOR MAKES COURSE CORRECTIONS
We’ve heard that back before the time of sophisticated electronic navigational equipment, the ship’s navigator used to take a reading of the stars at a particular time in the middle of the night, determine how far off course the vessel was, and make adjustments to its course. No matter how accurately the original course had been laid out or how carefully the helmsman had followed his orders, the ship always got off course and needed adjustments.
People are the same way. No matter how focused they are or how well they plan, people will still get off course. The problem comes when they have difficulty making course corrections—either because they don’t know they’re off course, or because they don’t know what they should do to fix things. Not everyone is a natural problem solver. For most people, it’s a skill they must learn. John Foster Dulles, secretary of state during the Eisenhower administration, proposed that “the measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether it’s the same problem you had last year.” As the navigator, you can help people avoid that situation.
TEACH THEM NOT TO LISTEN TO DOUBTING CRITICICS
In the book Principle-Centered Leadership, Stephen Covey tells how Columbus was once invited to a banquet where he was given the most honored place at the table. A shallow courtier who was jealous of him asked abruptly, “Had you not discovered the Indies, are there not other men in Spain who would have been capable of the enterprise?”
Columbus made no reply but took an egg and invited the company to make it stand on end. They all attempted to do it, but none succeeded, whereupon the explorer tapped it on the table, denting one end, and left it standing.
“We all could have done it that way!” the courtier cried.
“Yes, if you had only known how,” answered Columbus. “And once I showed you the way to the New World, nothing was easier than to follow it.”
The truth is that it’s a hundred times easier to criticize others than to find solutions to problems. But criticism gets you nowhere. Help the people within your influence ignore the critics and keep their eyes on the big picture. Show them that the best way to silence critics is to solve the problem and move on.
COACH THEM NOT TO BE OVERWHELMED BY CHALLENGES
A rookie Major League Baseball player faced pitcher Walter Johnson for the first time when Johnson was in his prime. The batter took two quick strikes and headed for the dugout. He told the umpire to keep the third strike—he had seen enough.
When faced with tough problems, just about anybody is likely to get discouraged. That’s why it’s a good idea to coach people through their problems, especially early on in the mentoring process while you’re first helping them to navigate. Encourage them to maintain a positive attitude, and give them strategies for problem solving.
Management expert Ken Blanchard recommends a four-step problem-solving process that includes (1) thinking about the problem in order to make it specific, (2) forming theories for solving it, (3) forecasting the consequences of carrying out the theories, and (4) then choosing which method to use based on the big picture.
There are no impossible problems. Time, thought, and a positive attitude can solve just about anything.
ENCOURAGE THEM TO SEEK SIMPLE SOLUTIONS
There are a couple of keys to the most effective method of problem solving. The first is recognizing that the simple way to solve a problem is better than the most clever one. An example from the life of Thomas Edison illustrates this point well. It is said that Edison had a unique way of hiring engineers. He would give the applicant a lightbulb and ask, “How much water will it hold?” There were two ways the engineers usually went about solving the problem. The first way was to use gauges to measure all the angles of the bulb, and then use those figures to calculate the surface area. That approach sometimes took as long as twenty minutes. The second way was to fill the bulb with water and then pour the contents into a measuring cup, which usually took about one minute.6 Edison never hired the engineers who used the first method. He didn’t want the engineers to impress him—he wanted them to provide simple results.
The second element in effective problem solving is the ability to make decisions. Thomas J. Watson, Jr., former head of IBM, believed that solving problems quickly was essential to making progress. “Solve it,” he declared. “Solve it quickly, solve it right or wrong. If you solve it wrong, it will come back and slap you in the face, and then you can solve it right. Lying dead in the water and doing nothing is a comfortable alternative because it is without risk, but it is an absolutely fatal way to manage a business.” And it’s also a terrible way for people to manage their lives. Help others realize when they need to make course adjustments, find simple solutions that they think will work, and then execute them without delay. Don’t let them continue traveling off course for any length of time.
INSTILL CONFIDENCE IN THEM
One pitfall of helping others with their problems and mistakes is that they can doubt themselves. Continually encourage the people you help. George Matthew Adams said, “What you think means more than anything else in your life. More than what you earn, more than where you live, more than your social position, and more than what anyone else may think about you.” The size of the persons’ confidence and the quality of their attitude are more important than the size of any problem they may face. If your people remain confident, they will be able to overcome any obstacle.
A NAVIGATOR STAYS WITH THE PEOPLE
Finally, a good navigator takes the trip with the people he is guiding. He doesn’t give directions and then walk away. He travels alongside his people as a friend. As you come alongside some of the people within your influence and mentor them, you and they may experience difficult times together. You won’t be perfect and neither will they, but just keep in mind Henry Ford’s words: “Your best friend is he who brings out the best that is within you.” Do your best to follow that objective, and you will help a lot of people.
Once people learn to become effective problem solvers and can navigate for themselves, their lives begin to change dramatically. No longer do they feel powerless in the face of life’s difficult circumstances. They learn to roll with the punches—and even to duck a few. And once problem solving becomes a habit, no challenge seems too large.
The ability to navigate problems and overcome obstacles is a skill that anyone can learn, but it takes practice. Become a navigator in the lives of others. You will be able to use your influence to help them move up to the next level in their lives, and if you assist them during their darkest hours, you will make friends of them for life.
NAVIGATING FOR OTHER PEOPLE
• Identify their destinations. Think about the three people you’ve decided to enlarge. What are their destinations? Observe what makes them cry, sing, and dream. Write those things down here:
Person 1: 
Cry:
Sing:
Dream:
Person 2:
Cry:
Sing:
Dream:
Person 3:
Cry:
Sing:
Dream:
• Look ahead. Based on your experience and knowledge of these people, list the difficulties you think they are likely to face in the near future:
1. 
2.
3.
• Plan ahead. How can you help them navigate through these potential problems? Write down what you can do and when you should do it.
1.
2.
3.