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The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You |  | Author: John C. Maxwell
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Category: Book
List Price: $25.99
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Rating:  45 reviews
Sales Rank: 958
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 10 Rev Upd
Pages: 336
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.4
ISBN: 0785288376
Dewey Decimal Number: 658.4092
EAN: 9780785288374
ASIN: 0785288376
Publication Date: September 18, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
In The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, John C. Maxwell combines insights learned from his 40-plus years of leadership successes and mistakes with observations from the worlds of business, polit
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 45
 A great leadership book made even better November 23, 2007
Walter H. Bock (Charlotte NC)
59 out of 64 found this review helpful
At the beginning of The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You by John Maxwell, the author reminds us that any book is fixed at a moment in time. Maxwell's first version of this book captured his best thinking as it was a decade ago.
But while the book has remained unchanged, its author has grown and matured. He has read more, worked with more people, and taught his principles over and over again. And so the book we get from this fifty-one-year-old author is a more mature and developed one than we got from John Maxwell when he was forty-one. That is a very good thing.
In the intervening decade Maxwell found that some laws needed to be combined. He also adds two new laws. The number of laws remains the same.
This book is better than the first version. You can count up the new stories and examples if you want, but the numbers aren't the story. The story is that this man who wrote one of the best books on leadership has added the growth, maturity and insights of a decade and made it even better.
As Maxwell outlines it on page 245, there has been a trajectory to his thinking. In the beginning he understood leadership development as primarily a process of personal development. That's still part of his thinking, but he's added understanding of the importance of a leadership team, and, especially, the importance of developing other leaders.
There are two key questions to ask and answer about any book like this. First: "If I read this book and apply what I learn, will I be a better leader?"
The answer to that is a resounding "yes." The content here is good and it's practical. Leadership is an apprentice trade. You learn most of it on the job, by trying things out, observing how you do, and adjusting how you do things in the future based on results and feedback.
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership gives you a great starting point for learning. At the end of each chapter there's a section on applying this lesson to your life. There's also a law (number 3) called "The Law of Process" that reminds you that "Leadership develops daily, not in a day."
There's no promise of magic here. But you can count on improved results if you use the book to guide your actions.
The second question to ask and answer is: "Is the book written well enough that I can move through it easily and learn its lessons?"
The answer to that one is another "yes." There's excellent use of stories and examples, which will help you learn and understand. Key points are highlighted throughout the book. The writing is smooth and easy to read.
There are some things to quibble with. I think his description of how Robert E. Lee wound up with the generals he did is simply, historically wrong. But you can leave that example out of the book and the chapter where it appears and still get value from both.
There are also things that may trouble individual readers. Maxwell learned his leadership trade as a pastor and it's obvious from several of his personal stories. That makes some people uncomfortable. Others think that you need to learn leadership in business or the military, because a church is a "soft" environment.
Don't believe it. Maxwell learned is trade in one of the most demanding environments for a leader. Pastors and other nonprofit leaders don't have many of the tools of reward that their business colleagues have. The lack the disciplinary tools that the military gives its leaders.
The result is that people who learn their trade in the nonprofit world develop skills of communication and persuasion that can escape leaders in other sectors. The lessons Maxwell learned will work anywhere.
If you're just starting out as a leader, this book can provide you with a self-development roadmap to guide you as you work to master the leadership craft. If you've been practicing leadership for a while, this book will give you a refresher as well as new insights.
Like Taking a Course from an Expert February 2, 2008
Happy Chappy (Elk Grove, California)
17 out of 18 found this review helpful
This book review will cover The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, 10th Anniversary Revised and Updated Edition, by John C. Maxwell. Maxwell has written numerous bestselling books on leadership. Maxwell's other works include, but are not limited to; Developing the Leader Within You, The 21 Indisputable Qualities of a Leader, Leadership 101, and The 360 Degree Leader. Maxwell has a gift for relating his points to personal and historical examples that emphasize his suggested rules of leadership. These 21 Irrefutable Laws include: The Law of the... Lid, Influence, Process, Navigation, Addition, etc.
With each Law, the author describes the theory behind the Law. For example, with the Law of Sacrifice, the theory is that a leader must be willing to sacrifice in order to achieve. He expounds upon his point by explaining that a leader gives up rights - in exchange for responsibilities - the higher the leader rises. The example that he gives in this chapter is the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. The author shows how the more sacrifice King made in terms of sacrificing his personal rights and freedoms, the more the Civil Rights movement gained. This is indicative of the way a leader must sacrifice for the good of the organization.
Maxwell suggests that all of the Irrefutable Laws are important for a leader, but admits that it is rare for everyone to do each perfectly. This is where the Law of Inner Circle comes in. The author opines that a leader's potential is determined by those closest to him/her. Thus, if you are weak in certain areas, you can strive to get better. But if you know that you have a weakness in a specific area, you should ensure that your inner circle comprises leaders that have the skills you lack. A real life example that Maxwell gives is Lance Armstrong. Although Armstrong was a wonderful bike rider, he always credited his team for helping him reach the great achievements he enjoyed in the Tour de France. The author quotes another great leader in Mother Teresa - whose life embodied many of the Laws; especially Sacrifice and Legacy - who stated, "You can do what I cannot do. I can do what you cannot do. Together we can do great things." This is one of the examples that Maxwell uses to drive points home.
Every chapter in this book covers a Law, and every Law is like a quick course on Leadership. Leadership can be learned, but the effort must be put forth to recognize your strengths and to work on your weaknesses. There are several self-quizzes and exercises in this book to help you achieve your potential in these 21 Laws. Maxwell writes, "To become an excellent leader, you need to work on it everyday." Leaders must strive for excellence and they must strive to prepare others to take over for them when they move on. This is an excellent book on leadership. Maxwell has a way of speaking directly to the reader.
Reading this book was a rewarding experience that had me wearing out the yellow highlighter as there were valuable insights on page after page.
I highly recommend this 5 star book
Great for new managers February 15, 2008
Karen Gittings (Arlington Tx)
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
I am a Corporate Trainer and Product Developer. This book is an essential new manager read. What a great congratulatory gift for someone receiving a promotion to their first management position. Great for an office book club.
How Leadership Works February 6, 2008
Dennis DeWilde (Cleveland area, Ohio USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
In this revision of his 10 year-old best-seller about how leadership works, John C. Maxwell demonstrates that leadership learning never ends. The proof of this learning is in the deletions and additions to his irrefutable laws! Although I still find some overlap (i.e. the Law of Solid Ground, the Law of Respect, and the Law of Buy-in are all about a leader's character and the all important trust factor), these updated irrefutable laws provide plenty of insight into how leadership works, as well as offer a great deal of useful advice on how to make them work for you.
In this revised Maxwellian version of a leadership framework, servant leadership (the Law of Addition) with its relational aspects of heart (the Law of Connection), head (the Law of Intuition), and hands (the Law of the Picture) still serves as the leadership foundation. The external influence is addressed in the Law of Timing, but Maxwell's most powerful observation may be the Law of Explosive Growth, where he observes that leaders who concentrate on leading leaders are those most capable of growing their business.
I enjoyed the lessons from history that he uses to explain each law, and find that his personal examples add a touch of practicality to his sometimes too cleverly named laws. This revised edition is recommended for any student of leadership.
Dennis DeWilde, author of
"The Performance Connection"
Great Book for the Inexperienced Leader December 14, 2009
S. Spiegel (Pittsburgh, PA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
John C. Maxwell's book is enlightening and fresh. He has given me an entirely new perspective on leadership. Although I am not currently in a position to lead, he has inspired me to do so. He uses encouraging and inspiring language that is easy to read and hard to put down. He is very blunt and presents the material in a very "common-sense" way.
Maxwell really focuses on what is important. Each chapter outlines one of the 21 laws. He discusses the importance of earning your employee's trust, having influence over them, and growing with your followers. He also stresses the importance of training your successor. He is extremely blunt about the fact that a leader with no followers is no leader at all. A true leader is defined by the people who they attract, not by a title or rank. Maxwell states that leadership cannot be appointed or assigned, it has to be earned. He says, "The true meaning of leadership is influence- nothing more, nothing less," and "Trust is the foundation of leadership." Two statements that seem like common sense, but some leaders lack.
One thing I found the most interesting was his claim that managing is not true leadership. Managers typically focus on maintaining the system, but leaders are able to create change. This is the difference between the two. This is a concept that has never occurred to me before, but makes sense to me now.
Maxwell also makes use of many personal anecdotes and examples that make the material very easy to grasp for readers. He has a lot of leadership experience to speak of.
I highly recommend this book for anyone in all walks of life. Whether you are currently in a leadership position, at the bottom of the corporate ladder, or on the verge of retirement, you will learn something from Maxwell. With a little direction from him, you will be on your way to becoming a true leader.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 45
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