The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You by John C. Maxwell

From the Publisher

In The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, John C. Maxwell combined insights learned from his 40-plus years of leadership successes and mistakes with observations from the worlds of business, politics, sports, religion, and military conflict. Some highlights of the revised edition of this New York Times bestseller, which has sold more than a million copies, are:

• All-new recording of the revised and updated text read by the author.


• Every chapter has been revised.


• 2 chapters - "The Law of Addition" and "The Law of the Future" - are entirely new.


• 5 chapters are 75% revised.


• Application pieces follow every chapter.


• Leadership evaluation is included.

Product Details

• Table of Contents
• Read an Excerpt

Table of Contents

Read an Excerpt

INTRODUCTION

I have the privilege of teaching leadership across the country
and around the globe, and I often get the opportunity to talk with
people who are attending one of my conferences for a second, third,
or even fourth time. At a recent conference here in the United States,
a man in his late fifties whom I had met several years before came up
and spoke to me during a break. He grabbed my hand and shook it
vigorously. "Learning leadership has changed my life," he said. "But
I sure wish I had heard you twenty years ago."

"No, you don't," I answered with a chuckle.

"What do you mean?" he said. "I would have achieved so much
more! If I had known these leadership principles twenty years ago,
I'd be in a totally different place in life. Your leadership laws have
fueled my vision. They've given me the desire to learn more about
leadership and accomplish my goals. If I'd learned this twenty years
ago, I could have done some things that I had never even dreamed
possible."

"Maybe you would have," I answered. "But twenty years ago, I
wouldn't have been able to teach them to you. It has taken me my
entire lifetime to learn and apply the laws of leadership to my life."

As I write this, I am fifty-one years old. I've spent more than thirty
years in professional leadership positions. I've founded four companies.
And I focus my time and energy on doing what makes a positive
impact in the lives of people. But I've also made a lot of mistakes along
way--more than most people I know. Every success and every
failure has been an invaluable lesson in what it means to lead.

As Itravel and speak to organizations and individuals, people frequently
ask me to define the essentials of leadership. "If you were to
take everything you've learned about leadership over the years and
boil it down into a short list," they ask, "what would it be?"

This book is my answer to that often-asked question. It has taken
me a lifetime to learn these 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. My
desire is to communicate them to you as simply and clearly as possible.
And it sure won't hurt if we have some fun along the way.

One of the most important truths I've learned over the years is
this: Leadership is leadership, no matter where you go or what you
do. Times change. Technology marches forward. Cultures vary from
place to place. But the true principles of leadership are constant--whether you're looking at the citizens of ancient Greece, the
Hebrews in the Old Testament, the armies of the last two hundred
years, the rulers of modern Europe, the pastors in local churches, or
the businesspeople of today's global economy. Leadership principles
stand the test of time. They are irrefutable.

As you read the following chapters, I'd like you to keep in mind
four ideas:

1. The laws can be learned. Some are easier to understand and
   apply than others, but every one of them can be acquired.
   
   


2. The laws can stand alone. Each law complements all the others,
   but you don't need one in order to learn another.
   
   


3. The laws carry consequences with them. Apply the laws, and
   people will follow you. Violate or ignore them, and you will not
   be able to lead others.
   
   


4. These laws are the foundation of leadership. Once you learn the
   principles, you have to practice them and apply them to your life.

Whether you are a follower who is just beginning to discover the
impact of leadership or a natural leader who already has followers,
you can become a better leader. As you read about the laws, you'll recognize
that you may already practice some of them effectively. Other
laws will expose weaknesses you didn't know you had. But the greater
the number of laws you learn, the better leader you will become. Each
law is like a tool, ready to be picked up and used to help you achieve
your dreams and add value to other people. Pick up even one, and you
will become a better leader. Learn them all, and people will gladly
follow you.

Now, let's open the toolbox together.