John C. Maxwell - The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership

THE 21 IRREFUTABLE
LAWS OF
LEADERSHIP

1998 and 2007 by John C. Maxwell

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Published in association with Yates & Yates, LLP, Attorneys and Counselors, Orange, California.

Scripture quotations noted CEV are from THE CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH VERSION.
1991 by the American Bible Society. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations noted The Message are from The Message: The New Testament in Contemporary English. 1993 by Eugene H. Peterson.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Maxwell, John C., 1947
The 21 irrefutable laws of leadership : follow them and people will follow you / John C.
Maxwell. -- 10th anniversary ed.
p. cm.
Includes new foreword by Stephen Covey and two new appendices.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-0-7852-8837-4 (repak)
ISBN 978-0-7852-8935-7 (IE)
1. Leadership. 2. Industrial management. I. Title. II. Title: Twenty one irrefutable laws of leadership.
HD57.7.M3937 2007
658.4'092--dc22

2007018067

Printed in the United States of America

07 08 09 10 11 QW 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

This book is dedicated to Charlie Wetzel, my writing partner since 1994. Together weve written more than forty books, and Ive enjoyed our collaboration on every one. As I have labored to add value to others by identifying and teaching leadership principles, Charlie, you have added value to me and my efforts. Your insights and skills as a wordsmith have been enjoyed by millions of readers. As a result, you have made a greater impact on more people than has anyone else in my inner circle. For that I thank you.

CONTENTS

Leadership Ability Determines a Persons Level of Effectiveness
Brothers Dick and Maurice came as close as they could to living the American Dreamwithout making it. Instead a guy named Ray did it with the company they had founded. It happened because they didnt know the Law of the Lid.

The True Measure of Leadership Is InfluenceNothing More, Nothing Less
Abraham Lincoln started with the rank of captain, but by the time the war was over, he was a private. What happened? He was a casualty of the Law of Influence.

Leadership Develops Daily, Not in a Day
Theodore Roosevelt helped create a world power, won a Nobel Peace Prize, and became president of the United States. But today you wouldnt even know his name if he hadnt known the Law of Process.

Anyone Can Steer the Ship, but It Takes a Leader to Chart the Course
Using a fail-safe compass, Scott led his team of adventurers to the end of the earthand to inglorious deaths. They would have lived if only he, their leader, had known the Law of Navigation.

Leaders Add Value by Serving Others
What kind of a Fortune 500 CEO works on a folding table, answers his own phone, visits hourly employees as often as possible, and is criticized by Wall Street for being too good to his employees? The kind of leader who understands the Law of Addition.

Trust Is the Foundation of Leadership
If only Robert McNamara had known the Law of Solid Ground, the war in Vietnamand everything that happened at home because of itmight have turned out differently.

People Naturally Follow Leaders Stronger Than Themselves
The odds were stacked against her in just about every possible way, but thousands and thousands of people called her their leader. Why? Because they could not escape the power of the Law of Respect.

Leaders Evaluate Everything with a Leadership Bias
How does Steve Jobs keep reinventing Apple Computer and taking it to the next level? The answer can be found in the Law of Intuition.

Who You Are Is Who You Attract
How did the Confederate armyunderstaffed and underequippedstand up so long to the powerful Union army? The Confederates had better generals. Why did they have better generals? The Law of Magnetism makes it clear.

Leaders Touch a Heart Before They Ask for a Hand
As the new leader, John knew that the most influential person in the organization could torpedo his leadership. So what did he do? He reached out using the Law of Connection.

A Leaders Potential Is Determined by Those Closest to Him
Lance Armstrong is hailed as the greatest cyclist who ever lived. People credit his toughness. They credit his brutal training. What they miss is the Law of the Inner Circle.

Only Secure Leaders Give Power to Others
Henry Ford is considered an icon of American business for revolutionizing the automobile industry. So what caused him to stumble so badly that his son feared Ford Motor Company would go out of business? He was held captive by the Law of Empowerment.

People Do What People See
Easy Company withstood the German advance at the Battle of the Bulge and dashed Hitlers last hope for stopping the Allies advance. They were able to do it because their leaders embraced the Law of the Picture.

People Buy into the Leader,Then the Vision
They freed their nation by passively protesting, even when it cost them their lives by the thousands. What would inspire them to do such a thing? The Law of Buy-In.

Leaders Find a Way for the Team to Win
What saved England from the Blitz, broke apartheids back in South Africa, and won the Chicago Bulls multiple world championships? In all three cases the answer is the same. Their leaders lived by the Law of Victory.

Momentum Is a Leaders Best Friend
The two-minute film was meant to show off the power of the companys animation technology. What it did was engage the power of the Big Mo leading to billions of dollars in revenue.

Leaders Understand That Activity Is Not Necessarily Accomplishment
They called him the wizard. His priorities were so focused that if you give him a date and time, he can tell you exactly what drill his players were performing and why! It won him ten championships. What can the Law of Priorities do for you?

A Leader Must Give Up to Go Up
What would you give up for the people who follow you? This leader gave his life. Why? Because he understood the power of the Law of Sacrifice.

When to Lead Is As Important As What to Do and Where to Go
Leaders at every level dropped the ball: the mayor, the governor, the cabinet secretary, and the president. Not one of them understood the potential devastation that can come when a leader violates the Law of Timing.

To Add Growth, Lead FollowersTo Multiply, Lead Leaders
Is it possible to train more than a million people around the globe? It is if you use leaders math. Thats the secret of the Law of Explosive Growth.

A Leaders Lasting Value Is Measured by Succession
What will people say at your funeral? The things they say tomorrow depend on how you live today using the Law of Legacy.