Normally it takes me forever to write a review of a book I've read, but tonight I'm feeling inspired to write. I just finished "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership" by John C. Maxwell. He's a relatively well-known leadership author and trainer who's probably more well known in church leadership circles. One of my mentors gave me a different book by John C. Maxwell a couple years ago, so I read that one. When I was at Goodwill with Uncle Bex a couple weeks ago this one caught my eye for a several reasons:
- It's about leadership and personal development
- The author's name was familiar
- One of the irrefutable laws in the table of contents was the Law of Intuition. Uncle Bex and I often have discussions and debates about intuition, so this particular subject caught my eye.
I've been reading a chapter or two a day for the last several weeks and enjoyed the book. Some days when my attitude was tending to sink a bit, I'd read a chapter while eating supper and it helped give a better focus. Like most leadership books, there is that main thread that runs through it related to creating trust, establishing relationships with people, being consistent, and working on improving every day.
This book reminded me again why I think Abraham Lincoln was a great leader, and it gave me a fresh appreciation for Theodore Roosevelt and Winston Churchill. In the introduction of the book, I also found this passage to be encouraging: "The laws can be learned. Some are easier to understand and apply than others, but every one of them can be acquired."
I'll try to keep the review short. As you might guess, the book has a chapter for each leadership law. I think I'll give a super brief summary of the table of contents and one (or two) of my favorite quotes from each chapter.
- The Law of the Lid - Leadership ability determines a person's level of effectiveness. "Wherever you look, you can find smart, talented, successful people who are able to go only so far because of the limitations of their leadership."
- The Law of Influence - The true measure of leadership is influence - nothing more, nothing less. "If you are a businessperson and you really want to find out whether your people are capable of leading, send them out to volunteer their time in the community. If they can get people to follow them while they're serving at the Red Cross, a United Way shelter, or their local church, then you know that they really do have influence - and leadership ability." "He who thinks he leads but has no followers, is only taking a walk."
- The Law of Process - Leadership develops daily, not in a day. "The secret of our success is found in our daily agenda. -Tag Short"
- The Law of Navigation - Anyone can steer the ship, but it takes a leader to chart the course. "Leaders who navigate do even more than control the direction in which they and their people travel. They see the whole trip in their minds before they leave the dock." "Sometimes it's difficult balancing optimism and realism, intuition and planning, faith and fact. But that's what it takes to be effective as a navigating leader."
- The Law of E.F. Hutton - When the real leader speaks, people listen. "Being in power is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't. -Margaret Thatcher" "Don't listen to the claims of the person professing to be the leader. Instead, watch the reactions of the people around him. The proof of leadership is found in the followers."
- The Law of Solid Ground - Trust is the foundation of leadership. "Trust is the foundation of leadership. People will forgive occasional mistakes based on ability, especially if they can see that you're still growing as a leader. But they won't trust someone who has slips in character. In that area, even occasional lapses are lethal. All effective leaders know this truth."
- The Law of Respect - People naturally follow leaders stronger than themselves. "When people respect someone as a person, they admire her. When they respect her as a friend, they love her. When they respect her as a leader, they follow her."
- The Law of Intuition - Leaders evaluate everything with a leadership bias. "Leadership is really more art than science. The principles of leadership are constant, but the application changes with every leader and every situation. That's why it requires intuition."
- The Law of Magnetism - Who you are is who you attract. "If you think your people are negative, then you better check your attitude."
- The Law of Connection - Leaders touch a heart before they ask for a hand. "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." "To lead yourself, use your head; to lead others, use your heart."
- The Law of the Inner Circle - A leader's potential is determined by those closest to him. "People who are able to lift up others and boost the morale in an organization are invaluable, and they are always a tremendous asset to a leader's inner circle."
- The Law of Empowerment - Only secure leaders give power to others. "If you are able to continually empower others and help them develop so that they become capable of taking over your job, you will become so valuable to the organization that you become indispensable." "A key to empowering others is high belief in people."
- The Law of Reproduction - It takes a leader to raise up a leader. "People cannot give to others what they themselves do not possess. But just because a person is a leader, it does not necessarily mean that he will raise up other leaders."
- The Law of Buy-In - People buy into the leader, then the vision. "People don't at first follow worthy causes. They follow worthy leaders who promote worthwhile causes."
- The Law of Victory - Leaders find a way for the team to win. "When the pressure is on, great leaders are at their best. Whatever is inside them comes to the surface and works for or against them." "You can't win without good athletes, but you can lose with them. This is where coaching makes a difference. -Lou Holtz"
- The Law of the Big Mo - Momentum is a leader's best friend. "It takes a leader to create momentum. Followers catch it. And managers are able to continue it once it has begun."
- The Law of Priorities - Leaders understand that activity is not necessarily accomplishment. "The things that bring the greatest personal reward are the fire lighters in a leader's life. Nothing energizes a person the way passion does."
- The Law of Sacrifice - A leader must give up to go up. "When you become a leader, you lose the right to think about yourself. -Gerald Brooks"
- The Law of Timing - When to lead is as important as what to do and where to go. "Reading a situation and knowing what to do are not enough to make you succeed in leadership. Only the right action at the right time will bring success. Anything else exacts a high price. That's the Law of Timing."
- The Law of Explosive Growth - To add growth, lead followers - to multiply, lead leaders. "Leaders who develop followers grow their organization only one person at a time. But leaders who develop leaders multiply their growth, because for every leader they develop, they also receive all of that leader's followers."
- The Law of Legacy - A leader's lasting value is measured by succession. "Achievement comes to someone when he is able to do great things for himself. Success comes when he empowers followers to do great thing with him. Significance comes when he develops leaders to do great things for him. But a legacy is created only when a person puts his organization into the position to do great things without him."
This book review reminds me of two other book reviews that have been lingering in "draft" state for a year or two now. Maybe I'll get to them sometime soon.
