Introduction from the book
Many people view leadership the same way they view success, hoping to go as far as they can, to climb the ladder, to achieve the highest position possible for their talent. But contrary to conventional thinking, I believe the bottom line in leadership isn’t how far we advance ourselves but how far we advance others. That is achieved by serving others and adding value to their lives.”
JOHN C. MAXWELL
Here they are, all the 21 from Maxwell’s book:
1. The Law of the Lid: Leadership Ability Determines a Person’s Level of Effectiveness.
2. The Law of Influence: The True Measure of Leadership Is Influence—Nothing More, Nothing Less.
3. The Law of Process: Leadership Develops Daily, Not in a Day.
4. The Law of Navigation: Anyone Can Steer the Ship, but It Takes a Leader the Chart the Course.
5. The Law of Addition: Leaders Add Value by Serving Others.
6. The Law of Solid Ground: Trust Is the Foundation of Leadership.
7. The Law of Respect: People Naturally Follow Leaders Stronger Than Themselves.
8. The Law of Intuition: Leaders Evaluate Everything with a Leadership Bias.
9. The Law of Magnetism: Who You Are Is Who You Attract.
10. The Law of Connection: Leaders Touch a Heart Before They Ask for a Hand.
11. The Law of The Inner Circle: A Leader’s Potential Is Determined by Those Closest to Him.
12. The Law of Empowerment: Only Secure Leaders Give Power to Others.
13. The Law of the Picture: People Do What People See.
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.
16. The Law of the Big Mo: Momentum Is a Leader’s Best Friend.
17. The Law of Priorities: Leaders Understand That Activity Is Not Necessarily Accomplishment.
18. The Law of Sacrifice: A Leader Must Give Up to Go Up.
19. The Law of Timing: When to Lead Is As Important As What to Do and Where to Go.
20. The Law of Explosive Growth: To Add Growth, Lead Follower–To Multiply, Lead Leaders.
21. The Law of Legacy: A Leader’s Lasting Value Is Measured by Succession.
Some key lessons from this amazing book are as follows:
- Anyone can steer the ship, but it takes a leader to chart the course
- Only secure leaders give power to others
- Leaders touch a heart before they ask for a hand
- Trust is the foundation of leadership
- You don't have to be a "born leader." You can apply yourself and become a much better leader than you are.
Rating and Recommendations
I've read a lot in the field of leadership, and in my opinion, Maxwell is tops. He's not only humorous and easy-to-read, his analysis of the essentials of leadership is brilliant. So my rating for this book is 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐.
I would recommend this book to all cos it gives great insight on what it takes to be a “real” leader.