Twenty-one Irrefutable Laws of Leadership (John Maxwell)

1. Law of the Lid—leadership ability is always the lid on personal and organizational effectiveness. If a person’s leadership is strong, the organization’s lid is high. But if it’s not, then the organization is limited.

2. Law of Influence—true leadership cannot be awarded, appointed, or assigned. It comes only from influence, it must be earned. Influence is earned by---

a. Character

b. Relationships--you’re a leader only if you have followers, and having followers requires the development of relationships

c. Knowledge—grasp of the facts, understanding of dynamic factors and timing, and vision for the future.

d. Intuition—ability to deal with numerous intangibles.

e. Experience—the greater the challenges you’ve faced as a leader in the past, the more likely followers are to give you a chance in the present.

f. Past Success—Nothing speaks to followers like a good track record.

g. Ability—followers follow those who can deliver.

3. Law of Process—the ability to lead is a collection of skills, nearly all of which can be learned and improved. But the process doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time. To lead tomorrow, learn today.

4. Law of Navigation—navigators see the trip ahead—they see the whole trip in their minds before they leave the dock. They examine the conditions before making commitments. They get ideas from many sources—they listen to their leadership team, spend time with members outside the organization who can mentor them, always think of relying on a team, not on themselves. Stockdale Paradox—you must retain faith that you will prevail in the end and you must also confront the most brutal facts of your current reality.

5. Law of Addition—the bottom line in leadership isn’t how far we advance ourselves but how far we advance others—by serving others and adding value to their lives. The critical question—are you making things better for the people who follow you? The best place for a leader isn’t always the top position. It’s the place where he or she can serve the best and add the most value to other people. Mature leaders listen, learn, and then lead. The attitude of the leader affects the atmosphere of the audience—The handshake of the host affects the taste of the roast—Ben Franklin.

6. Law of Solid Ground—trust is the foundation of leadership. People will forgive occasional mistakes based on ability, but they won’t trust someone who has slips in character. You may fool your boss, but you’ll never fool your colleagues or subordinates. Character makes trust possible, and trust makes leadership possible.

7. The Law of Respect—followers are attracted to people who are better leaders than themselves. Respect is gained by:

a. Natural leadership ability

b. Respect for others

c. Courage

d. Success

e. Loyalty

f. Adding value to others

8. Law of Intuition—not all people are intuitive in the area of leadership, but every person possesses intuition. People are intuitive in their area of strength. Intuition depends on facts plus instinct. Good leaders see everything with a leadership bias—they read their situation, trends, resources, people, and themselves.

9. Law of Magnetism—Who you are is who you attract--effective leaders are always on the lookout for good people. Teams are mostly built around common characteristics—attitude, background, values, energy, giftedness.

10. Law of Connections—leaders touch a heart before they ask for a hand. You can’t move people to action unless you first move them with emotion. Effective leaders connect with people. You have to relate to people as individuals, even in a group. Go to them, focus on them, not on yourself, value them, believe in them.

11. Law of the Inner Circle—a leader’s potential is determined by those closest to her. Do they have high influence with others; do they bring a complementary gift to the table; do they have a strategic position in the organization; do they add value; do they positively impact others? Hire the best staff you can find, develop them as much as you can, and hand off everything you possibly can to them. (Who do you want “on the bag?” )

12. Law of Empowerment—only secure leaders give power to others. Leading well is not about enriching yourself—it’s about empowering others. Three reasons leaders fail to empower others:

a. Desire for job security

b. Resistance to change. “It is the nature of man as he grows older to protest against change, particularly change for the better.” John Steinbeck

c. Lack of self-worth—self-conscious people are rarely good leaders.

13. Law of the Picture—people do what people see—followers are always watching what you do—Survey question: what is the one trait that is most important in a leader? Response: Leading by example (26%); strong ethics or morals (19%); knowledge of the business (17%); Fairness (14%); overall intelligence and competence (13%); recognition of employees (10%). Editor note—I wonder if these would hold true today—this book was first written in 1998)

14. Law of Buy-In—people buy into the leader, then the vision.

15. Law of Victory—the alternative to winning is unacceptable to good leaders. Victory happens when there is unity of vision, diversity of skills, and a leader dedicated to victory and to raising players to their potential. Don’t accept Plan B.

16. Law of the Big Mo—Momentum is a leader’s best friend, inspires people to do their best, gives leaders more credit than they deserve. But it takes a leader to create momentum—someone with a vision, assembles a good team, and motivates them.

17. Law of Priorities--activity is not necessarily accomplishment. Guidelines for prioritization—what is required, what gives the greatest return, what brings the greatest personal satisfaction?

18. Law of Sacrifice—you have to give up to go up. In the model of management there is very little wiggle room. If you want a management jog you have to accept the responsibility and accountability that goes with it. The higher the level of leadership the greater the sacrifice.

19. Law of Timing—the wrong action at the wrong time leads to disaster; the right action at the wrong time brings resistance; the wrong action at the right time is a mistake; the right action at the right time (editor’s note—lucky) leads to success.

20. Law of Explosive Growth—how do you get the organization from where it is to where you want it to be: develop yourself, develop your team, develop others.

21. Law of Legacy—a leader’s lasting value is measured by succession. Be intentional—know the legacy you want to leave, live the legacy you want to leave, choose who will carry your legacy, make sure to pass the baton.

From the Essex Institute Leadership Practices Inventory—Five attributes of effective leaders:

1. Challenging the process

2. Inspiring a shared vision

3. Enabling others to act

4. Modeling the way

5. Encouraging the heart

(Leadership—21 Rules)

David Erdmann