John Maxwell’s 21 Laws of Leadership: part 1

Your leadership ability determines the lid, or maximum, of your potential. The lid creates a ceiling on what you can achieve; therefore, the higher the lid, the higher your potential. This is #1 on the list because you must believe & commit to this law to make the other 21 laws of leadership effective in your life, meaning you must be willing to make the daily effort to improve your leadership skills to achieve the greatness you aspire to.

Sports are a clear example of this because the outcomes are so immediate. You either win or lose at the end of the competition. Consistent & exceptional training is often the deciding factor in sports which continues to raise the lid, thus the potential to win (and be a leader in that field). Another example is the origin of the McDonald’s fast-food chains. Ray Kroc, who led the company to worldwide greatness, was not the creator of this burger concept. The McDonald brothers had a small and successful restaurant, but their leadership abilities, while robust in a store operation, did not allow them to expand successfully. There was a lid on their potential because of this inability to lead beyond a few restaurants. Ray Kroc invested in systematizing the McDonald’s franchise business & make it scalable. His leadership ability was exceptional in this area, thus raising the lid on the business's potential.  

You may be deemed a leader by a job title, but that does not determine you as a successful leader. One of the best ways to know if someone is a leader is to watch how influential they are in the lives of others. When they speak, people listen and often act on their words. Becoming a true leader is when people listen to you and change their behavior to replicate you or perform work on your behalf. As Maxwell states, “The true measure of leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less.”

There are five myths about leadership:
1.     Leadership is Managing (false) – Just because you are deemed a leader by position title does not mean you possess actual leadership traits. Managing is often an operational perspective, but leadership creates positive change and moves people in a new direction.
2.     All Entrepreneurs are Leaders (false) – Entrepreneurs are skilled at seeing and pursuing an opportunity, but often they must partner with others to make this pursuit successful. One can be an entrepreneur and not possess the leadership skills to grow a business to maximum potential.
3.     The Knowledge Myth – Knowledge does not equal leadership. Knowing and understanding facts are essential to superior leadership, but it does not guarantee leadership skills. For example, many knowledgeable people in academia do not have the ability to lead.
4.     The Pioneer Myth – To be a pioneer and blaze a new trail in an area does not mean you are a great leader. Similar to an entrepreneur, a pioneer saw an opportunity and pursued it.
5.     The Position Myth – a leadership position or title does not mean you are a true leader. The position is the lowest level of influence with which a subordinate’s actions often only respond to a monetary incentive.

John Maxwell states “Leaders have only one thing in common: Vision and Foresight. They see before other people and they see more than other people.” They must understand and manage today, anticipate tomorrow, and cast a vision for the future. Leadership is more of a verb than a noun.

Most important is what you do incrementally over time. Leadership can be a learned skill; one does not lead out of personality but out of the process. Investing in the stock market is a good analogy for leadership. The compounding effects of incremental improvements lead to a lifetime of wealth creation. The ability to lead is simply a skill set that can be learned. This skill set includes respect, experience, discipline, people skills, communication, emotional strengths, and timing. Successful Leaders are learners and committed to daily improvements. This law highlights the difference between an event and a process. The process matures people and is often like freezing water where very little happens until nearing 32 degrees, in which a significant change is evident.

Law #4. The Law of Navigation: “anyone can steer the ship, but it takes a leader to chart the course.” Navigators see more & before others, and they plan more & before others. This law is the combination and skillful balance of:
- optimism & realism,
- intuition & planning, &
- faith & fact.

This balance is characterized by the critical traits of a Navigator as outlined below:

1.     Do not exaggerate situations and keep emotions from clouding your judgment. Analogous to the Wagon Wheel, there are drastic moves in feelings up and down if you reside on the outer rim as the wheel of life turns. And the closer you are to the hub of the wheel, the more you become emotionally grounded. Navigators can manage the rise and fall of emotions while navigating situations. Two factors assist Navigators in charting a successful course, delaying emotions while maneuvering problems. First, remain grounded by defining your internal and external definition of success. Second, constantly pursue being bigger on the inside than on the outside. This comes from having more faith than fear and drawing from a set of values that keep you directed on the right path & persevering.

2.     Navigators analyze past experiences to learn from them, knowing past failures offer more valuable lessons than successes. The larger the organization, the more the Navigator must see ahead because the larger an organization, the harder it is to change the course in midstream.

3.     Navigators understand the current conditions, estimate costs, and make future projections before committing to something. Navigation is honestly dealing with facts to understand the obstacles and adequately map a plan.

4.     Navigators listen to others. One person cannot see & understand everything needed, so a good navigator must seek other resources, experts, and team members.

5.     Navigators balance both fact and faith. You are confident in your abilities but must deal with facts. Jim Collin in Good to Great calls this the Stockdale Paradox and states, "You must retain faith that you will prevail in the end, but you must also confront the most brutal facts of your current reality." You are realistic about the current state but optimistic about the future, having faith in your success.

John Maxwell came up with this acronym to assist in navigation:

PLAN AHEAD

P = Predetermine the course of action
L = Layout your goals
A - Adjust your priorities
N = Notify key personnel

A = Allow time for acceptance
H = Head into action
E = Expect problems
A = Always point to success
D = Daily review of your plan

A leader's motives matter, and purposefully adding value to your employees, team members, customers, and all stakeholders should be the goal. Leaders have either a positive or negative influence on those they lead, so there is one critical question: are you making things better for those who follow you? Human beings are naturally selfish; therefore, this law must be purposeful.  Whatever your field, your intention should always be to add value by focusing on others, pursuing that which will better their lives. In addition, it is contagious, and others see the value added and inherently want to continue it to others. When you serve others, their success becomes your success.

Maxwell notes 4 guidelines for adding value to others:

1.     First, genuinely value others.  Maxwell describes this as “Leaders who add value by serving, believing in their people before the people believe in them, and they serve others before they are served.”

2.     Make ourselves more valuable to others. We can’t give what we do not possess, so we must intentionally pursue growth in order for us to continually be of value to others.

3.     Know and relate to what others value. We must learn about our peoples’ hopes, dreams, and aspirations to better understand motivations and properly assist in achieving them. True leaders listen, learn, and then lead.

4.     Do things that God values. God values people, so He desires respect and service for others.

Maxwell states, “The bottom line in leadership isn’t how far we advance ourselves, but how far we advance others.”

 To be optimally effective, leaders must do all 21 laws well. Since this is unlikely for most people, a team must be constructed around possessing all 21 traits. They must add value to the team by supplementing any laws that the leader misses. You need to give the team members ownership of objectives and, with this, the praise & reward for success. Practicing the law of navigation, and charting the course, is a path that creates “wins” for the team, clients, and all stakeholders.