John C. Maxwell – The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You

One of the best-selling leadership books of all time, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by dr. John C. Maxwell, was left unread somehow, until I discovered the audiobook version, which led me in 3+ hours through its content, while commuting.  John C. Maxwell is an internationally recognized leadership expert, speaker, coach, and author who has sold over 19 million books. Dr. Maxwell is the founder of EQUIP and the John Maxwell Company, organizations that have trained more than 5 million leaders worldwide. His lessons, packaged into 21 laws of leadership, traits of leaders or competences are important for every leader out there, that wishes to improve. According to Maxwell it’s enough to to pick and practice just one law and see improvements, though it would be even better to apply more laws. In the updated 2007 version of The 21 Laws of Leadership every law has been sharpened, illustrations and stories added, and an evaluation tool provided.

1. The Law of the Lid—Leadership Ability Determines a Person’s Level of Effectiveness: leadership is different from management. What’s been done succesfully on a local basis needs leadership to bring it further. The McDonald’s case is a powerful illustration here.
2. The Law of Influence—The True Measure of Leadership Is Influence—Nothing More, Nothing Less. It’s not enough to be upfront, you have to have followers, influence people’s behaviour.
3. The Law of Process—Leadership Develops Daily, Not in a Day. Leadership has to be practiced, developed and challenged every single day. Think of it as a process, not an instant success formula.
4. The Law of Navigation—Anyone Can Steer the Ship, But It Takes a Leader to Chart the Course. Which of the two exploration teams reached the South Pole first? Amundsen or Scott? Why? Amundsen was a true navigator, planning the whole journey, not just the next action.
5. The Law of E. F. Hutton—When the Real Leader Speaks, People Listen. Same as the influence principle. A real leader connects and engages. People will recognize that and react by listening and following.
6. The Law of Solid Ground—Trust Is the Foundation of Leadership. Difficult to obtain, easy to loose.
7. The Law of Respect—People Naturally Follow Leaders Stronger than Themselves.
8. The Law of Intuition—Leaders Evaluate Everything with a Leadership Bias. People attact like-minded, in leadership as well. Maxwell shares his experiences in a church, formerly made up of artists, after his assignment neglecting them, while attracting people with leadership skills.
9. The Law of Magnetism—Who You Are Is Who You Attract. It’s the leader people trust. Actions speak louder than words.
10. The Law of Connection—Leaders Touch a Heart Before They Ask for a Hand. And if they do so, people will follow….maybe automatically.
11. The Law of the Inner Circle—A Leader’s Potential Is Determined by Those Closest to Him. The importance of the right staff members.
12. The Law of Empowerment—Only Secure Leaders Give Power to Others. You can’t do it all by yourself. Leadership needs followers, not a position or CxO title.
13. The Law of Reproduction—It Takes a Leader to Raise Up a Leader. Leaders raise other leaders.
14. The Law of Buy-In—People Buy Into the Leader, Then the Vision.
15. The Law of Victory—Leaders Find a Way for the Team to Win, at any costs.
16. The Law of the Big Mo—Momentum Is a Leader’s Best Friend. You need some luck. And if you’re a strong leader with momentum within reach, there’s no guarantee you will succeed in your next position.
17. The Law of Priorities—Leaders Understand That Activity Is Not Necessarily Accomplishment. Execute and finish what you start. Being busy is not enough, deliver results. Prioritize and get things done.
18. The Law of Sacrifice—A Leader Must Give Up to Go Up. Lessons of dr. Martin Luther King are used as illustration of this. No pain, no glory.
19. The Law of Timing—When to Lead Is As Important As What to Do and Where to Go. Lessons of the Katrina hurricane in 2005 available for everyone. Momentum and need for leadership when an organization, city or country is in crisis.
20. The Law of Explosive Growth—To Add Growth, Lead Followers—To Multiply, Lead Leaders. Grow other leaders. Maxwell does this through the Million Leaders Mandate: offering leadership training globally.
21. The Law of Legacy—A Leader’s Lasting Value is Measured by Succession. Start with the end in mind. What’s your legacy as a leader?

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