John Maxwell: The Leadership Expert

" The principles of leadership never change," says John Maxwell. They stand the test of time. “It’s still true that leadership is leadership, no matter where you go or what you do,” he says. Cultures differ from place to place. Technology marches forward. Times change. But the principles of leadership are constant – whether in ancient Greece, in ancient Israel, the modern world, internationally, or in local churches. Since 21 Laws was released 10 years ago it has become a perennial best-seller helping many people. But John says that within that time we all change, learn, and grow. After the release of 21 Laws and its appearance on four best-seller lists, John has spoken in dozens of countries and fielded thousands of questions about them. Two of the Laws, actually being subsets of other Laws, were merged in this revision. He’s also added two more Laws which soon became obvious as he taught in developing countries. “I found that in many of those places, leadership was focused on position, privilege, and power,” he says. In his paradigm, John took for granted that leadership primarily was a form of service and had never identified a law to teach that principle. The second oversight had to do with modeling leadership and impacting the culture of an organization. The two new Laws are: The Law of Addition: Leaders Add Value by Serving Others, and The Law of the Picture: People Do What People See. Serving others and showing others the way are two critical components of successful leadership. Leadership can be acquired and learned. Good leaders need to know more than one thing about leadership, but no one does all 21 laws well. To compensate for that, develop a leadership team. Four ideas to keep in mind are: The Laws can be learned – some are easier to understand and apply but every one of them can be learned. The Laws can stand alone – Each law complements the other but you don’t need one in order to learn another. The Laws carry consequences – apply the laws and people will follow you or violate the laws. These Laws are the foundation of leadership. Leadership can be learned. Among the Laws John develops and teaches are: The Law of the Lid – which says leadership ability determines a person’s level of effectiveness; it is always the lid on personal and organizational effectiveness. Brothers Maurice and Dick McDonald perfected the hamburger restaurant model named after them, but it took Ray Croc’s leadership ability to make it a worldwide food phenomenon. The Law of Process – which says leadership develops daily, not in a day. President Theodore Roosevelt, the ultimate man of action – boxer, horseback rider, explorer and big-game hunter, etc continued in a self-improvement process that didn’t end until his death when he died in his sleep with a book under his pillow. The Law of Intuition – which says leaders evaluate everything with a leadership bias. Everyone is intuitive. Not all people are intuitive in the area of leadership, but every person possesses intuition. Why does John say that? Because people are intuitive in their area of strength. For instance, John and his wife Margaret have different strengths – his is communication, hers is artistic. When Margaret asked him how she could prepare for a speaking engagement, John’s answer frustrated her because he responded based on how he would approach it. But Margaret’s keen artistic and creative sense allows her to beautifully decorate their homes and even pick out John’s clothes. If not for her help, John would not have the look he needs in a high profile profession.