Peter Spung’s Reviews > Thinking for a Change: 11 Ways Highly Successful People Approach Life and Work [Paperback] [Oct 05, 2014] JOHN C. MAXWELL > Status Update

The Afterthought includes a self-assessment quiz on the 14 chapters which include the 11 thinking skills. Then advice is offered based on the low, medium and high score for each chapter / skill. For example, for a skill that scored low, bring someone onto the team who is proficient and scores high on that skill. The author encourages you to think well, making it your greatest tool for creating the world you desire.

Skill 11: Bottom‑line thinking brings clarity, sharpens decisions, boosts morale, and secures the future, as shown in Frances Hesselbein’s leadership. Identify the true bottom line and make it your focus, build a strategic plan to reach it, align people with it, and create a consistent system to monitor progress so you gain maximum return and unlock your full potential.

Skill 10: Unselfish thinking focuses on others’ journeys and collaborates for shared growth, modeled by George Washington Carver. It brings fulfillment, adds value, strengthens character, and creates lasting impact. Practice servant leadership, notice others’ needs, give quietly, check your motives, act now, and build a legacy that lifts people higher and inspires those who follow.

Skill 9: Shared thinking lifts you beyond solo limits by combining strengths, because none of us is as smart as all of us. It accelerates progress, strengthens ideas, sparks innovation, and multiplies value. Value others’ insights, shift from competition to cooperation, set clear agendas, involve the right people, reward good thinkers, and cultivate a culture where ideas grow together.

Skill 8: Questioning popular thinking frees you from old ideas, conventional wisdom, and groupthink. Popular thinking can discourage real thought, offer false hope, resist change, and produce only average results. How? Think before you follow, value different perspectives, question your own assumptions & successes, try new approaches, and get comfortable with discomfort to achieve uncommon results.

Skill 7: Reflective thinking asks daily what you learned, what to share, & what to do. It puts experiences in perspective, adds emotional distance from on experience, strengthens decision‑making, clarifies the big picture, and turns good moments into valuable ones. Set time aside, remove distractions, review your day, ask deep questions about values, relationships & experiences, and cement learning through action.

Skill 6: Possibility thinking expands what you believe can be achieved, as George Lucas did with Star Wars. It opens options, attracts opportunities, fuels big dreams, lifts you above average, energizes commitment, & keeps you from quitting. Stop focusing on impossibilities, ignore limiting voices, look for potential in every situation, dream bigger, challenge the status quo, & draw inspiration from great achievers.

Skill 5: Strategic thinking gives direction today and expands tomorrow’s potential. Planning your life and living your plan simplifies challenges, prompts the right questions, prepares you for uncertainty, reduces errors, and builds influence. Break issues down, ask Why before How, identify real obstacles and resources, develop a plan, place people well, and repeat the process to drive lasting progress.

Realistic thinking grounds you in truth without limiting creativity. It helps leaders define reality, manage risks, set achievable targets, and build credibility. It minimizes disappointment, supports wise planning, and turns dreams into action. Do your homework, weigh pros and cons, consider worst‑case outcomes, align plans with real resources, stay anchored in facts, and think with clarity.

Skill 2: Focused thinking unlocks potential. Like Crayola staying true to children's art supplies, focus channels energy, matures ideas, and brings clarity. Prioritize what matters, remove distractions, set goals, track progress, and adjust. Doing a few things well requires giving up many. Choose impact over breadth and stay committed to what matters most.