P RAISE FOR
THE 17 INDISPUTABLE LAWS OF TEAMWORK
Dr. Maxwell, a proven expert on leadership, wisely recognizes that every great leader must rely on others to create success. In The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork, the complexities of teamwork are simply arranged into a meaningful process for building and empowering a team.
Rich DeVos, Co-Founder, Alticor
Owner and Chairman, NBA Orlando Magic
The 17 laws are all true. I have seen their proof in the teams Ive coached, and John has done a remarkable job of distilling them into individual, meaningful, teachable principles. Just start with one or two-soon, youll be applying all 17 of the laws of teamwork, once you see the effect they can have on your own team.
Pat Head Summitt
Womens Basketball Coach, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
You will find this book indispensable whether your team is your family, your business, or your ball club. Maxwells laws are timeless. No matter what kind of team youre building, this book can help you. Maxwell really knows his stuff!
Chris Mortensen
ESPN Commentator
John Maxwell, Americas leadership coach, has done it again. Only this time the subject is teamwork. Johns new book is the definitive analysis of teamwork. Youve got to read it and then spread the word.
Pat Williams
Sr. Vice President of the Orlando Magic
I have had the privilege of taking players to the highest level in my sport, so I know what it takes to build a championship team. In his latest book, John Maxwell brings the same keen insight to the subject of teamwork that he did to leadership in his previous book. I wholeheartedly recommend The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork.
Dan Reeves
Head Coach, The Atlanta Falcons
John Maxwell personifies effective leadership. He is both talented and learned. In The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork he shares his analytical scholarship, illustrated with real-life situations.
Fred Smith, Sr.
Contributing Editor, Leadership Today
An entrepreneur needs Maxwells book to create the team to give his life to the dream.
Lowell W. Paxson,
Chairman Paxson Communications Corporation
PAX TV
John Maxwell has done it again. Here is a book about teamwork that is insightful and stuffed full of memorable anecdotes, creative illustrations, and down-to-earth, practical advice. I thoroughly enjoyed it and you will too!
Pat MacMillan
CEO, Team Resources, INC.
Atlanta, GA
I really enjoyed reading The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork. It fits very much in my philosophy.
Bobby Bowden
Head Football Coach
Florida State University
Having coached high school football teams and then having built a business team from 85 agents to 225,000 at A. L. Williams, I applaud John Maxwell for The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork. I would recommend this book to any leader, no matter how large or small their team may be. Everyone still loves a winner and this book is full of proven winners.
Art Williams
Founder A. L. Williams
Individuals score points, but teams win games. In The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork, individuals will learn how to score more points so their teams will win more games.
Zig Ziglar
Author/Motivational Teacher
Copyright 2001 by John C. Maxwell
All rights reserved. Written permission must be secured from the publisher to use or reproduce any part of this book, except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles.
Published by HarperCollins Leadership, an imprint of HarperCollins Focus, LLC.
Scripture quotations noted KJV are from the KING JAMES VERSION.
ISBN 0-7852-7434-0 (hc)
ISBN 0-7852-6558-9 (ie)
Library of Congress Control Number 2001 132671
06 07 08 09 10 11 QW 23 22 21 20 19 18
Information about External Hyperlinks in this ebook
Please note that footnotes in this ebook may contain hyperlinks to external websites as part of bibliographic citations. These hyperlinks have not been activated by the publisher, who cannot verify the accuracy of these links beyond the date of publication.
CONTENTS
1. THE LAW OF SIGNIFICANCE
One Is Too Small a Number to Achieve Greatness
Whats your dream? Lilly Tartikoffs is to cure cancer. Shes not a scientistnor does she need to be. All she needs to know is the Law of Significance.
2. THE LAW OF THE BIG PICTURE
The Goal Is More Important Than the Role
What would prompt a former U.S. president to go cross-country by bus, sleep in a basement, and do manual labor for a week? The answer can be found in the Law of the Big Picture.
3. THE LAW OF THE NICHE
All Players Have a Place Where They Add the Most Value
If you were the leader of the free world, how would you decide what job to give the person whos capable of doing any jobincluding yours? If you wanted everyone to win, youd use the Law of the Niche.
4. THE LAW OF MOUNT EVEREST
As the Challenge Escalates, the Need for Teamwork Elevates
Tenzing Norgay and Maurice Wilson were experienced climbers with the right equipment. So why did one man die on the mountain while the other conquered it? Only one knew the Law of Mount Everest.
5. THE LAW OF THE CHAIN
The Strength of the Team Is Impacted by Its Weakest Link
Does it matter if thousands of your employees are doing a great job and only one person makes a wrong turn? Just ask the company that paid more than $3 billion in damages and was bound by the Law of the Chain.
6. THE LAW OF THE CATALYST
Winning Teams Have Players Who Make Things Happen
What do you do if December 31 is rapidly approaching and your salespeople are hopelessly behind on their goal for the year? Dave Sutherland can tell you. His team made its goal because hes always lived by the Law of the Catalyst.
7. THE LAW OF THE COMPASS
Vision Gives Team Members Direction and Confidence
When Abby Kohnstamm began working for IBM, she found that the company that had set the pace for innovation in American business for much of the twentieth century was adrift and losing billions of dollars a year. Why? The answer can be found in the Law of the Compass.
8. THE LAW OF THE BAD APPLE
Rotten Attitudes Ruin a Team
They were expected to crush the competition. They had the talent and the ambition to win. But instead of dominating, they selfdestructed. If only theyd known about the Law of the Bad Apple.
9. THE LAW OF COUNTABILITY
Teammates Must Be Able to Count on Each
Other When It Counts
Maybe people dont die in your organization when somebody drops the ball. But it can happen to people in this family business. Thats why the Law of Countability is so important to them.
10. THE LAW OF THE PRICE TAG
The Team Fails to Reach Its Potential When
It Fails to Pay the Price
The company could have been the worlds largest retailer. Instead it was forced to close its doors after 128 years of business. Why? The leaders were paying for ignoring the Law of the Price Tag.
11. THE LAW OF THE SCOREBOARD