21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership

( FOLLOW THEM AND PEOPLE WILL FOLLOW YOU )

The 21 Irrefutable Leadership Laws (Follow them and People will Follow You) by John Maxwell

The book of Dr. John C. Maxwell about leadership I want to share nuggets I have learned from his book, so other leaders will evaluate themselves and evaluate such as Pastors, Administrators, School Leaders such as Principals, and Leaders in Politics like Barangay Captain, Mayors, Vice Mayor, and Officials of the Government.

My takeaways:

Do not chase recognition as you lead. Leadership is really about helping others and not just looking for praise. Good leaders put their wants aside to focus on what other people need, and they do this freely, without expecting anything back.

People often think that leaders like pastors or school principals should be served by others, but that’s not true. Real leaders are all about giving, not getting.

Also, leaders should practice what they preach. If they talk about things, they haven’t experienced themselves, it doesn’t count. Those who’ve faced tough times can give better advice because they know what they’re talking about.

To sum up, being a leader means setting a good example. Leaders need to be honest and build strong, positive relationships with people. It’s through these connections that their leadership shines.

Number 1 LAW OF LID – Leadership Ability determines the level of effectiveness.

Leadership Ability is equivalent to effectiveness. Leadership ability has soft skills, talent, or skills in communication, negotiation, conflict resolution and decision-making. You have to have strength made in management roles. You should also be able to guide and encourage group of people and team towards achieving common goals. You help deliver the vision.

Ex: MC Do Fastfood Restaurant owners are effective in managerial roles but lacks leadership ability. That is why at first few years of their business failed but when they partnered with Ray Kroc they learned how to be a leader in life and in leadership ability.

Number 2 LAW OF INFLUENCE – The True Measure of Leadership Is Influence—Nothing More, Nothing Less

5 Myths Influence is Not LEADERSHIP

1. Management Myth

Best way to test whether a person can lead rather than just manage is to ask him to create positive change.

Manager can maintain direction, but often cannot change it.

System and Processes can do only so much, so to move people in a new direction, you need influence.

You can buy the title of being a leader if you can increase level of influence with others or else lessen it.

2. Entrepreneur Myth

They see needs and understand how to meet them that produces profit but not all of them are good with people

3. Knowledge Myth

Doesn’t mean you have higher IQ like philosophers and scientist you’re a leader.

4. Pioneer Myth

It doesn’t mean they are popular with fashion, style or movement they are leaders

5. Position Myth

It’s not the position that makes the leader, it’s the leader that makes the position.

Proof of leadership is found in the followers.

When they speak – people listened

When they suggest – they respected

When they lead – they followed

Leadership must be earned not of assigned position or appointed.

Now, to influence means

1. Character – (Who you are)

The inner person of you, the people can sense depth of your character.

2. Relationship (Who they Know)

The deeper and stronger relationship the potential for leadership, so as much as possible build enough relationships

3. Knowledge (What they know)

Aside from facts and data have collections of dynamic learnings

Know your vision and timing

4. Intuition (What they feel)

Leaders seek to influence INTANGIBLES such as energy, morale, timing and momentum

5. Experience (What they’ve been)

The greater the challenge you faced in the past, more followers give you chance in the present.

6. Ability (What you can do)

It means leading others to victory.

To influence means getting others to participate. True leadership ability followed by others without forcing them.

Number 3 LAW OF PROCESS – Leadership Develops Daily, Not in a Day

The secret is found in our daily agenda, if you continually invest in your leadership development letting your assets compound the result is growth over time

Becoming a leader is investing not like stock investing. Successful leaders are learners. The learning process is ongoing, and that is the result of discipline and perseverance. As a leader if you have personal growth plan – you attract high potential leaders. Leaders never stop learning they are learners, goal is to get better everyday.

4 Phases

Phase 1 what you don’t know doesn’t make you grow – know the leadership is influence.

Phase 2 Know how to lead, it’s not because you have position or authority.

Phase 3 When you recognize your lack of skill and begin the daily discipline of personal growth in leadership, things become exciting. you can be a great leader but it wont happen a day. Start paying the price now.

Start developing leadership today and someday you will experience the effects of the Law of Process

Phase 4 To Lead someone, learn today.

Obey the Law of Process and Pay the Price. Dedication is required for you to become a great leader. If you want to see yourself a champion, look at your daily routine. Its all about daily preparation. Prepare and train to become successful. Work it Out! Don’t give up! Leadership doesn’t develop in a day. It takes a lifetime

Difference of Event and Process

Event	Process
Encourages decisions	Encourages development
Motivates people	Matures people
Is a calendar issue	Is a cultural issue
Challenges people	Changes people
Is easy	Is difficult

If I need to be inspired to take step forward, I will attend event.

If I want to improve then I will engage in a process and stick with it.

Create your own personal growth plan, when you have this you attract high potential leaders

I came to realize no matter how good I am at management or giving directions, when there is no positive change or bringing positive change, it is not bringing leadership and influence.

Because leadership is not about highest educational attainment, not all about title or positions. But how you create a positive change in the lives of other people.

Number 4 THE LAW OF NAVIGATION – Anyone can steer the ship, but it takes a leads to chart the course

If you know where you want to go, you can help lead others to go on that way

Reflective Thinking – gives true perspective

• Gives emotional integrity to your thought-life
• Increases confidence in decision-making
• Clarifies the big picture and
• Takes good experience and makes valuable experience

Secret to Law of navigation is preparation

If prepared you can convey confidence. Trust of people is built too.

In the end it is not the success of the project that determines acceptance, support and success is in the size of the leader.

Number 5 LAW OF ADDITION – Leaders add value by serving others

It takes for one person to take credit when it takes so many people to build a successful organization.

Bottomline in leadership, is not how far we advance ourselves but how far we advance others. Achieved by serving others and add value to their lives.

Are you making things better for the people who follow you?

Positive or Negative impact on the people you lead.

Seek opportunity to do some good somewhere. Give time to some fellowmen. You don’t live on your own, your brothers are here too. Adding value to others through services doesn’t just benefit people being served.

Leaders experience the following

1. Fulfillment in leading others
2. Leadership with the right motive
3. Ability to perform significant acts as leaders
4. Development of leadership team
5. Attitude of service on a team

Best place for leaders is not always at the top position, most prominent or powerful place.

It is the place where they can serve best and add most value to other people.

Great leadership means great service.

4 TIPS

1. We add value, when we truly value others.

When a person moves into a position of authority, he or she gives up the right to abuse people. Leaders who add value by serving believes in their people before their people believe in them and serve others before they are served.

2. We add value to others when we make ourselves more valuable to others. You cannot give what you do not possess.

Skills are gained through study and practice. Opportunities are made through hardwork. Wisdom is through intentionally evaluating experiences. Personal growth can have more to offer.

3. Add value to others when we know and relate to what others value. That is why it is important to listen. An inexperienced leaders are quick to lead before knowing anything.

4. Mature leaders listen, learn and lead. They pay attention to emotions. They listen and learn from what others value.

5. We add value to others when we do things that God values.

Whenever you did one of these things to someone, overlooked or ignored, that was me you did it to me.

I was hungry you fed me

I was thirsty you gave me drink

I was homeless you gave me a room

I was shivering you gave me clothes

I was sick you stopped to visit

I was in prison you came to visit me

The attitude of leader affects atmosphere of the office. If you desire to add value by serving others, you will become a better leader. And your people will achieve more. Develop more loyalty and have a better time getting things done than you ever thought possible. That is the power of law of addition.

• Serve others without seeking credit or recognition. Continue until you no longer resent doing them.

Number 6 LAW OF SOLID GROUND – Trust the Foundation of Leadership

*When it comes to leadership, you just can’t take shortcuts, no matter how long you’ve been leading your people

Building Trust of Leaders

Consistently Exemplifying

1. Competence
2. Connection
3. Character

Since you are growing, the ability of a leader is forgivable especially when you are young but when character slips – trust is lost

You can fool your boss, but never colleagues or subordinates

Dr. Myles Munroe shared that

Character Manifestation is Tested through

1. Food, Drink and Sex or Appetite
2. Fame or popularity
3. Power and Money

Character -commits values, principles or morales

Comparing Samson with Joseph

Samson has ability, Joseph has character

Samson lost his position and vision while Joseph died in prestige.

Samson impressed man but Joseph impress God.

Character is more important than power.

Character is more important than strength.

Power of Character is important than position.

• No matter how beautiful you are, no matter how sexy, rich, no matter how many properties you have, no matter how popular you are, no matter how prestigious you are, your power is your character

Character makes trust possible and trust makes leadership possible that is the law of solid ground.

If you are to lead people, your character communicates with your life journey with good character, you can take bad and long trip into better.

But if character flawed, the longer the trip, the worst it happen.

What character communicates:

1. Consistency
2. An inner strength
3. Even you don’t feel good you still continue

Ex. Billy Graham- lived high values everyday, modelled high character more than half century. He personifies integrity, commits only if he can keep it.

• Potential
• Weak character is limiting. One who is honest, disciplined and hardworking can greatly achieve dreams rather deceitful, impulsive  and lazy.

When leader’s character is strong it promotes strong belief in themselves and their organization thereby ability to release others’ potential

• Respect: how leaders earn respect

Respect is gain when making sound decisions, admitting mistakes and putting what’s best for his followers and organization ahead of personal agenda

A leaders’ good character builds trust among his followers. But when a leader breaks trust he forfeits his ability to lead. That’s the law of solid ground.

TIPS FOCUS on INTEGRITY, AUTHENTICITY and discipline

1. INTEGRITY – commitment to yourself, be ultra mega honest with yourself, don’t tell white lies, don’t judge, be truthful, even, when it hurts.

AUTHENTICITY – be yourself with everyone

DISCIPLINE – do the right thing everyday no matter how you feel.

• Broken trust at home – repair it first before professional relationship, say sorry if you betrayed and been hurt.

Number 7 LAW OF RESPECT – People follow leaders stronger than them

GAINING RESPECT

1. NATURAL LEADERSHIP ABILITY

When people respect you as a person, they admire you, when they respect you as a friend, they love you. When they respect you as a leader, they follow you.

• RESPECT FOR OTHERS

When leader show respect – to those less power, lower position than theirs – they gain respect from others.

If you continually respect others and consistently lead them well, you will continue to have followers.

• COURAGE – mission was clear and fearless
• DETERMINED – good leaders do what is right, even at risk of failure, criticism and gives followers HOPE.
• SUCCESS – people want to be part of success, good track records
• LOYALTY – leaders stick to the team until job is done
• VALUE  added to OTHERS.
• Dedication to add value to others

When ask commitment or change they follow.

The leader must know, must know he knows and must be able to make it abundantly, clear to those about him that he knows.

Smith is well respected he taught about life and basketball.

Others don’t follow you when your rate as leader is 7 and you are trying to make others follow with 8,9, 10.

Number 8 LAW of INTUTION – Who you are dictates what you see

Reader of resources to achieve goals. Readers of people know their hopes, fears and concerns. Leaders Intuition knows thinking patterns

1. Naturally understand leadership

-instinctively move and understand people from point A to point B

2. Nurtured to understand leadership

3. Never understand leadership

A leader has to read the situation and know instinctively what play to call

TIPS for being a reader of people’s trends

1. FEELINGS OR FACTS
2. Sense if something is RIGHT
3. Read people’s emotions
4. Read books on relationships
5. Engage people in conversation
6. Become people watchers
7. Recruit, Empower and motivate others
8. Who is the best person to take?
9. What resources can help us?
10. Finance?
11. How to encourage team to success?

Number 9 LAW OF MAGNETISM – Who you are is who you attract

You draw people to you who possess the same qualities you do

Leaders help shaped culture of organization based on who they are and what they do

ATTITUDE

 People with good attitudes tend to make people around them feel more positive.

Those with a terrible attitude tend to bring others down.

People attract and attracted to others of similar background.

VALUES – attracted whose values are similar to them

ENERGY – attract same high-high/ low-low

GIFTEDNESS – attracted to talent and excellence, bosses follow people who can build organization

LEADERSHIP ABILITY – if you are 7 you attract 5 or 6

Number 10 LAW  OF  CONNECTION – Leaders touch heart, BEFORE ask for a hand

President Bush – made others felt they were understood and validated

You can’t move people to action unless you first move them with emotion and love comes first before head.

The stronger the relationship you form with followers, the greater the connection, you forge – more likely those followers will be want to help you.

People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

Relate to people as individuals. Focus on talking to one person even if you are speaking to thousands.

HOW TO CONNECT

1. CONNECT With yourself, believe in yourself first
2. Communicate with openness and sincerity
3.  Know your audience
4. Live your message
5. Go to where they are
6. Focus on them not on yourself
7. Believe in them
8. Offer direction and hope

TO LEAD YOURSELF – USE HEAD

TO LEAD OTHERS – USE HEART

Number 11 LAW OF INNER CIRCLE – A Leader’s Potential Is Determined by Those Closest to Him

You can do what I cannot do, I can do what you cannot do, together we do great things – Mother Theresa.

It’s lonely at the top, better take someone with you, seek inner circle people help you improve.

Number 12 LAW OF EMPOWERMENT – Only Secure Leaders Give Power to Others

Help them reach their potential, that means being on their side. Encouraging them, giving them power, and helping them to succeed.

LEADING WELL is not about enriching yourself – it’s about empowering others

1. Keep raising followers -develop pattern of achievement, excellence and leadership that will be recognized and rewarded.
2. Don’t resist – consistently improve.
3.  Have strong sense of self-worth

Number 13 LAW OF THE PICTURE – People do what people see

Great leaders always seem to embody two seemingly disparate qualities. They are both highly visionary and highly practical.

MISSION – provides purpose – Why

VISION – provides picture – What

STRATEGY – provides plan – HOW

The leaders effective modelling of the vision makes the picture come alive

Nothing is more convincing than living out, what you say you believe.

Leading myself, is the toughest, when we work improving ourselves, more likely to follow.

Number 14 LAW OF BUY-IN – People buy into the leader, then the VISION

The leader finds the dream and then the people. The people find the leader and then the dream.

YOU ARE THE MESSAGE.

Share ideas hopes and dreams for the work we were doing. Take people where they need to go. Only if people buy into you.

Number 15 LAW OF VICTORY – Leaders Find a Way for the Team to Win

Without victory, there’s no survival

Mandela strength of character is dedication to victory of his people.

TEAM’S DEDICATION to VICTORY

1. Unity of Vision
2. Diversity of Skills
3. A leader dedicated to victory and raising players to their potential

It takes a leader to provide motivation, empowerment and direction

Leaders who practice law of victory have no PLAN B, they keep fighting.

Number 16 LAW OF THE BIG-MO – Momentum is a Leader’s best friend

MOVE FORWARD, VERY SLOWLY

Maxwell wrote books for 50 years on leadership and success. To add value to people.

Getting started is a struggle once you move forward you start great things.

Momentum puts victory within reach

If you can’t make some heat, get out of the kitchen.

FROM the LEADER: STARTED THE MOMENTUM ( VISION, PASSION, AND ENTHUSIAM AND ENERGY)

You cannot kindle a fire in any other heart until it is burning within your own.

Start with a little progress.

Number 17 THE LAW OF PRIORITIES LEADERS UNDERSTAND THAT ACTIVITY IS NOT NECESSARILY ACCOMPLISHMENT

A leader is the one who climbs tallest tree, surveys entire situation, and yells wrong jungle – STEPHEN COVEY

1. REQUIRED : delegate what’s not required but necessary
2. GREATEST RETURN : Work on your strength

Delegate it  – activity is not necessarily accomplishment

GREATEST REWARD

Do what you love. Be successful and help others be

Number 18 LAW OF SACRIFICE A leader must give up to go up

Sacrifice – the heart of leadership

1. NO SUCCESS WITHOUT SACRIFICE

Give up to go up

• Give up – putting OTHERS AHEAD OF YOURSELF

Rights get low, while responsibilities get up

When you become a leader, you lose the right to think about yourself.

Each one who leads gives up other opportunities.

• Keep giving up to stay up

-anytime step is right, leader shouldn’t hesitate to make a sacrifice

4. the higher the level of leadership, the greater the sacrifice

– the price not many people are willing to PAY!

Number 19 Law of Timing – When to LEAD is an important as to what to do and where to Go

1. Wrong action at the wrong time leads to disaster
2. The right action at the wrong time brings resistance
3. Wrong action at the right time is a mistake
4. Right action at the right time results in success

Manager – do things right

Leader – do right things

Number 20 LAW OF EXLOSIVE GROWTH – TO ADD GROWTH, LEAD FOLLOWERS, TO MULTIPLY, LEAD LEADERS

If you develop yourself, you can experience personal success.

If you develop a team, your organization experience growth

If you develop leaders, your organization can achieve explosive growth.

The greater the impact of leaders the greater the opportunities to receive.

1. Leaders are hard to find
2. Leaders are hard to gather
3. Leaders are hard to keep

Number 21 LAW OF LEGACY – Leaders lasting value is measured by succession

 What is your LIFE SENTENCE?

We must Pass the baton.

Leadership is Not measured by buildings we built, institution we established or what our team accomplished during our tenure.

Impact on others lives how well people we invested in.

What do you think mi amore, does this principles apply to your leadeship journey?

Let me know, hope I can help and encourage you to develop more of your leadership skills.

Thank you for reading this content coming from the book of Dr. John C. Maxwell, a leadership expert trainer.