21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell
In leadership, everything has a rise and fall. This book by John C Maxwell contains the 21 rules that would equip anyone to be in a leader's position. You may be willing to attain the skills and qualities that a leader possesses and hence want to know the secrets that make one able to lead. This book will provide you with an in-depth study of human psychology and how you can train yourself to be fit to lead.
How many of us are comfortable with the title 'leader'? Many of us would say “maybe” so people don't call us smug or because we don't have the same confidence as those who say “yes.” But in any way, we do so without the full understanding of the word and its qualities.
The author suggests celebrating both the smaller and larger elements of being a leader. He goes on to share a rather profound statement that says, “I have realized that leadership is thought to be something superior and mostly beyond for us. We tend to make it all about the challenge of big things like changing the world or starting a whole new wave of something, and we do this to such an extent that we start devaluing the leadership we show every day. We don't fully savor the moments that we indeed were a great leader at.” It is also important to note, leadership is not defined by one decision or one result; there is a multitude of contributing attributes.
In the book '21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership', John Maxwell gives a fresh definition of leadership by giving us the belief that anyone can be a leader as long as we decide to run this path as a marathon and not just a sprint. He shows a leader's persona through some tried and tested techniques and qualities that he called 'Laws.’ Not all have these 21 qualities or need all of them to become a good leader. Even a single trait in a person is the beginning, and like any other job or work, where you improve through continuous practice and hard work, the same is with leadership.
This book by Maxwell highlights these 21 laws to practice as a safe start for people aspiring to be good leaders as these rules are concise and very useful. He emphasizes his statements with real business stories and anecdotes. He has perfectly defined every chapter in the book with pragmatic strategies and tasks to grow your leadership qualities.
He shares industry-wide instances going from sports (Michael Jordan), technology (Steve Jobs), history and politics (Abraham Lincoln) to retail (McDonald's), or religion (Mother Theresa) to make a point of his rules. At the same time, he does not desist from examples of leaders who fell short of what was expected by them, as Henry Ford did.
This book helps people develop the ability to differentiate between managing and leading. Managers mostly focus on maintaining the system that gets mixed with leading, but leaders are the ones who bring change. It is the distinction between the two, and the reader will relate to it very well.
"Seven Steps to Success
1) Make a commitment to grow daily.
2) Value the process more than events.
3) Don't wait for inspiration.
4) Be willing to sacrifice pleasure for opportunity.
5) Dream big.
6) Plan your priorities.
7) Give up to go up."
― John C Maxwell
There are 21 laws given in this book. I’ve included some of my favorite laws in detail below:
1. The law of Lid:
It states that there is a limit or a lid to simplify our potential determined by the leadership ability we have. As we grow and nourish our abilities as a leader, we grow our ability to impact the world automatically. If our leadership ability grows, so does our strength to impact the world.
2. The law of influence:
Influence is the capacity to produce the desired outcome. Maxwell refers back to this law of his several times in the book. It says that the true measure of leadership puts an influence on nothing more and nothing less. Influence is what aids in fulfilling the dreams and goals of a leader, and without influence, a leader will always lack the ammunition to reach his goals.
3. The law of process:
Leaders are learners, and their ability to develop and improve the skills sets a leader apart from his followers. The learning process is a constant one and the result of self-discipline and patience.
4. The law of navigation:
Anyone can steer a ship's direction, but a true leader has what it takes to chart the course with extreme care by seeing where they wish to go and charting the most effective path to go there. This holds very true for individual leaders and teams. If a leader cannot navigate his followers through rough waters, he is liable to sink the ship.
5. The law of addition:
The law of addition puts a focus on advancing others and not ourselves. Leadership is a service to others, and a true leader emphasizes creating value for the rest. The best area to serve is where we can add most of the value to others.
6. The law of solid ground:
The solid ground is the meaning of solid character, to live with integrity, discipline, and authenticity. Trust is the basis of leadership. It is either earned, or it isn't. Character is the source of belief and trust. We build our character by being very honest, even if it hurts.
7. The law of respect:
We should be very strong and worthy of respect if we want others to respect us, be willing to follow us, and have a good opinion. This is because people naturally follow others with leadership skills and stronger traits than they themselves possess.
8. The law of intuition:
The great leaders have a good intuition, the sense they should head in a particular direction. Intuition is the strength to discern the true personality of a person or a situation. Just like any other leadership skill, intuition can also be developed. Leadership intuition is that inner thought or perception to make a particular difference in any organization or realize what to do at a specific challenging time.
9. The law of magnetism:
Maxwell explains leaders as magnets. They are constantly attracting people and often attracting new leaders in themselves. It is only because of this that the organizations go through growth.
10. The law of connection:
The connection is to join or bring one thing to another, start it, and be on the same wavelength. Maintaining a connection with other people is vital in leadership.
11. The Law of the Inner Circle:
12. The Law of Empowerment:
13. The Law of the Picture:
14. The Law of Buy-In:
15. The Law of Victory:
16. The Law of Big Mo:
17. The Law of Priorities:
18. The Law of Sacrifice:
Leaders often trade freedom for responsibility. In any company where more than one person is working, the bigger the company gets and the higher we go, the more we have to be willing to give up. A leader should give up to go up.
19. The Law of Timing:
Leading is as important as what we should do and where we must go. This is because not at all moments we are created equal. Effective leaders know very clearly when they should grab the moment and move forward or back off. Higher-level leaders can see risks and opportunities before the rest and plan everything being a very timely.
20. The Law of Explosive Growth
21. The Law of Legacy:
Leaders who leave behind a legacy also leave a very strong print on our hearts as they choose to make a difference in this world. Maxwell says that leaders who practice the legacy law are very rare. But the ones who actually practice this law leave a history of success in the organizations, family, friends, and anywhere they go. These people lead with dignity and always happen to be a reason for a change in the world.
The total 21 laws of this book are a true source of inspiration for those willing to be in the shoes of leaders. You can read the book or join the Avid Listeners Book Club and participate with us reading another value-add book.
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