This quarter’s Book Corner examines John C. Maxwell’s book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. If you’re like me, twenty-one of anything seems like a lot!
In the first few pages, however, Maxwell writes, No one does all 21 laws well. What a relief! That immediately incentivized me to keep reading.
He then addressed some preliminary information about the 21 laws, so I’ll do the same. He’s got more good news for us:
In this article, I’ll highlight 3 of the 21 laws that I found particularly interesting and helpful: the law of process, the law of magnetism, and the law of connection. For each law, I’ll share an excerpt from the book, followed by a short discussion.
Law #3 – The Law of Process
First, let’s hear from the author about the law of process:
Leaders are learners. The goal each day must be to get a little better, to build on the previous day’s progress. … It is the capacity to develop and improve their skills that distinguishes leaders from their followers. … Too often, we get discouraged because we don’t see great leaps in our growth. What we need to remember is that most changes occur gradually. Sometimes we are so close to having a compounding victory and we don’t know it. If we give up before the change, we miss it. Persistence pays. Consistency compounds.
Have you found this to be true? Looking back on your life, have you ever given up on a project, job, opportunity, or relationship too soon?
The law of process pushes me to have more grit—to remember that new skills take time to master. It teaches me to be patient and persistent, so I can soon experience a “compounding victory.”
Law #9 – The Law of Magnetism
The law of magnetism is all about how our behavior has a direct impact on the type of people we attract at work. Specifically, Maxwell draws a straight line between how we deal with problems and what type of person gravitates towards us. Here’s what he says:
People who view life as a series of opportunities and exciting challenges don’t want to hear others complain about how bad things are all the time. Attitude is one of the most contagious qualities a human being possesses. People with good attitudes tend to make people around them feel more positive. Those with a terrible attitude tend to bring others down.
Yikes! This caused me to seriously self-reflect. Do I see life—even the hard parts—as a “series of opportunities and exciting challenges?” The story we tell ourselves matters. If we can train our brains to avoid complaining and instead embrace change and uncertainty, we will attract other people with the ability to do the same—and get much more accomplished.
Law #10 – The Law of Connection
Brace yourself; Maxwell has some harsh words for us:
Nothing is more effective than sincere, accurate praise, and nothing is more lame than a cookie-cutter compliment.
He goes on with some more practical advice about making connections with the people we work with:
Go where your people are. Make yourself available to them. Learn people’s names. Tell them how much you appreciate them. Find out how they’re doing. And most important, listen. Leaders who relate to their people and really connect with them are leaders that people will follow to the ends of the earth.
So, how do you stack up? Do you know everyone’s name in your division? Are you generous with your recognition? Are you brave enough to give constructive feedback to those who need to hear it? The law of connection involves our time and our willingness to be vulnerable and go beyond a mere surface relationship with our coworkers.
How will you connect with your colleagues this week?
Conclusion
You may have noticed a theme in these laws: They all require action on our part. For many of us, following the irrefutable laws of leadership will require change.
I’ll let the author, John C. Maxwell, have the final word:
The best way for you to reach your potential, improve your team, help your organization, and make a difference is to attract, develop, and lead leaders rather than just followers. Leaders who develop leaders experience an incredible multiplication effect that can be achieved in no other way.
The ability to both give and receive feedback relates to all three leadership laws discussed in this article. To quote Bill Gates, “We all need people who will give us feedback. That’s how we learn.” To up your feedback game, join us virtually on November 1, 2024 for my half-day class, “Giving and Receiving Feedback.” See you there!
Allison Horak is a speaker, trainer, and attorney. She helps organizations work more effectively through better leadership and communication practices.