I have a tenuous relationship with leadership.
The role of the President of the United States of America comes to mind when I think of high-stakes leadership. When I peer into that role, I wonder how narcissistic one must be to believe they are “the one” to lead well over 300M people to a better quality of life.
I’m acutely aware that people will lose their minds without a disciplined temperament and believe only they can “fix it”.
However, I’m compelled to fixate on the mess left by poor leadership. I often see people suffer from decisions made by inflated egos atop mile-long org charts, politicians with silver tongues, and local leaders with selfish goals. On the other hand, I see and have experienced amazing leaders who inspire me to be better.
That’s why I chose to be a leader and read The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.
The book’s author, John C. Maxwell, conveys 21 essential laws of leadership based on his life’s journey to maximum leadership effectiveness. Toward the end of the book, he dwells on a specific area of leadership with which I have a tenuous relationship, called legacy. I often wonder what the point of leaving a legacy is; I’ll be dead. However, I also focus on death as a meditation, so I appreciate the perspective.
The laws are:
Lid, Influence, Process, Navigation, Addition, Solid Ground, Respect, Intuition, Magnetism, Connection, Inner Circle, Empowerment, Reproduction, Buy-In, Victory, Big Picture, Priorities, Sacrifice, Timing, Explosive Growth, Legacy
It’s a solid list and is heavily influenced by Stephen R. Covey’s 7 Habits, given his foreword.
One of my principles is to Achieve Effectiveness, so I value all of the above, but I also Follow Lagom, so here are some laws I would throw in.
Mindfulness and Moderation
Especially to balance Explosive Growth, which is an American obsession that continues to boggle my mind.
This quote speaks volumes:
The Good
The laws are solid. They ring true as sound areas to focus your personal development. As I develop my leadership philosophy, my mind wanders in many directions. Leadership is complex, so the author’s ability to bring order to its mystique is appreciated.
The Bad
I’m not religious. While I appreciate that John prefaced his religious views before espousing them, introducing religious beliefs in a book rubs me wrong. Religion often leads to cults, and I catch a whiff of the cult in the book, especially at the end when John’s disciples espouse momentum and legacy.
The Ugly
Toward the end of the book, it started sounding like a cult leader pushing his value system on his followers. I’m bought into the laws, but I won’t join the cult.
Conclusion
This book is for you if you’re a parent, community leader, or you call the shots at work. You’ll find great advice that will help you bring your A-Game. If you’re a fan of doing your best, you’ll find the laws indispensable.
My next step is to use the workbook to dive deeper into the material and apply the laws while honestly measuring my ability to follow each.
I hope you enjoyed this review, and I wish you the best of luck in your leadership role.