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by John C
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The 21 Irrefutable Laws Of Leadership shows you that leadership is learned not inherited and that you can become a leader too, if you internalize some of the universal principles at play in any leader-follower-relationship.
The 21 Irrefutable Laws Of Leadership shows you that leadership is learned not inherited and that you can become a leader too, if you internalize some of the universal principles at play in any leader-follower-relationship.
The number one element that empowers a leader to be successful (and lead the way in the first place) is trust. Even a tourist guide needs his group to trust him, because otherwise, why would they bother walking behind him for two hours?
Maxwell calls this the Law of Solid Ground. Without a good foundation of trust, it’ll be hard for a leader to do her work.
According to Maxwell, trust is built mainly on three things:
Honesty. Fairness. Good judgement.
They’re all related. If you can’t judge a situation well, you’ll likely not treat everyone fairly, which in turn makes you seem dishonest. However, fairness is the easiest one to start with and focus on, because it simply means you’ll play by the same rules as everyone else.
It’s easy to remain fair, because it’s our default mode as human beings. What makes it hard is that it’s also both tempting and easy to take a shortcut here and there and quickly “adapt the rules” to a specific situation – but this never works out well.
When leaders think they’re above the rules, trouble follows – take Richard Nixon, for example, who thought legal rules wouldn’t apply to him and deemed an illegal break-in as an okay thing to set up.
Trust gets people to put what you say into action. But to do that, they have to listen to you first, and that’s where respect comes in. A leader is by definition at the front of the group, and therefore, ahead of everyone else. This is the exact thing followers want from a leader. Having someone who’s more skilled, more determined and more courageous than they are go first and say: “It’ll be okay, follow me.”
Initially, followers will be drawn to you because of something you did that they respect. However, it’s important that you keep earning this respect over time, and one way to do that is to loyally devote yourself to their well-being.
For example, while Gandhi never employed violence as a means of demonstrating, he continued to risk being hurt himself every time he led another protest, which got him a lot of respect.
Being so loyal to your followers that you’re willing to get hurt for them is rare, and that’s what makes the Law of Respect such a powerful rule of leadership.
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Get the complete summary in the appA leader must always stand on solid ground. Stick to the rules you represent.
Your followers must respect you, but that respect has to be earned on a constant basis.
Hating losing is a good thing if you’re a leader – it keeps you focused on winning.
"The 21 Irrefutable Laws Of Leadership" is a strong fit if you want practical ideas around leadership, business, management—especially themes like a leader must always stand on solid ground. stick to the rules you represent; your followers must respect you, but that respect has to be earned on a constant basis. The MinuteRead summary distills these concepts into a focused read, whether you're deciding whether to buy the book or applying its lessons at work.
John C. Maxwell, the #1 New York Times bestselling author, coach, and speaker who has sold more than 40 million books, has been identified as the #1 leader in business by the American Management Association® and the world’s most influential leadership expert by Business Insider and Inc. magazine. Dr. Maxwell has also received the Horatio Alger Award, as well as the Mother Teresa Prize for Global Peace and Leadership from the Luminary Leadership Network. His organizations—Maxwell Leadership, EQUI…
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