The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership

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Summary: An inspirational book on leadership
Review: Before I read this book, I wondered how someone with a pastoral background can be an expert on leadership. As I read through the chapters, John C. Maxwell slowly convinced me that he is in fact an expert on leadership. His strong association with the church makes him even stronger advocate of leadership. His 21 irrefutable laws are worthy to be taken seriously, although there are some laws that may not be significant to all leadership scenarios. Maxwell illustrates many good examples of leadership like those of Henry Ford, Mother Teresa, Winston Churchill and Jimmy Carter.

I recommend this book to new and experienced leaders.

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Summary: Pocket-change theory is great
Review: Whether the rest of this book is good or bad, what Maxwell says on p. 57 is priceless and can be applied far beyond the concept of leadership. His idea is that when a leader makes good decisions, he puts "change" in his "pocket," but when he makes bad decisions, he pays out some of that change. If he makes too many bad decisions, he finds he has no more change and is out as a leader.

This can be applied to many things. In particular, it can be applied to the Democratic party, which once had a majority of the voters in its ranks and now has less than 40% of them. How did this happen? They kept making decisions that some in their ranks didn't like, but they didn't care, and they refused to compromise. They just kept making those kinds of decisions, and the voters just kept drifting away. In the last election, they reached deep into their pockets for voters, and came up short. They couldn't find enough even to beat a weak candidate like Bush.

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Summary: Becoming a better leader? Absolutely
Review:
I bought this book originally because I have a project to do for a course that I am taking in Communications in college. I often buy "self help books" such as "Flow" by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Steven R. Covey or Anthony Robbins books. I saw that this book was over two hundred pages so I thought, "great I'm sold." As I first started to read the book I learned that the author John C. Maxwell was minister. I don't plan on starting a church anytime soon so I was a bit skeptical. I was however to quick to judge.

Maxwell takes his thirty years of knowledge and boiled it down into an easy to read book for anyone who wishes to better themselves or their organization through better leadership. He outlines 21 laws of leadership using many known political, sports and professional icons. Although he does not give particular examples of how you can use these "laws" in everyday problems unlike "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People." Anyone with a little imagination can see how putting these laws into action can better any situation. If you are in a entry level position in a corporation such as myself. It clearly defines the difference between being a manager and being a leader. It also made me realize that the organization that I work for is has poor leadership and that is what causes so much turn over and unpleasantness with in the department.

When heading on in my career I now have better answers to give in an interview. One question that a lot of employers seem to ask is, " Are you a leader or a follower." Well if you say you are a leader then upper management may think that you will be unwilling to comply with tasks you feel insufficient. If you say you are a follower then they may feel that you are unable to come to your own conclusions about a problem and bother them with everything. My answer use to be I am a good leader, but I also know when to follow. My new answer will be, "I am a leader looking to further her education as such through mentoring of a higher level leader." I will then ask, "Do you feel that you are a manager or a leader?"

The book also gives you many illustrated stories about how other highly successful leaders came to be. As well as mistakes where people had a chance for great success but failed because of lack of leadership. Overall I would recommend the book to anyone who wants to further their education in becoming a better leader. As well as creating a better life for yourself and those who follow you.






Rating:
Summary: Best & Most Complete Single Volume on Leadership
Review: John Maxwell's 21 "irrefutable laws" mark the difference between a manager, who handles problems and allocates resources (including the unfortunately termed "human resources") and a leader, who implements a vision to take the organization to new levels. It's a critical distinction that too often is lost, in my experience (28 years in federal service). Maxwell's approach, though he doesn't call it that, is inherently Christian, emphasizing the basic dignity of every person. Well-organized and easy to read, a chapter a day for 21 days can turn around a person, and perhaps an organization.

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Summary: Must read!
Review: In continuing to develop my skills of an effective leader, this book was recommended to me. It is easy to read and full of great examples of the 21 different laws at work in the world. I have already passed on learnings to others and utilized my new found knowledge to improve myself in the workplace. A must read and great reference for the future.

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Summary: Clarity and Brevity
Review: ...are key virtues, and John Maxwell's "21 Laws" have both.

When this book was first recommended to me, I "read it because I had to" for my job. I felt a lot of snobbery toward it for a variety of reasons:

1. It was written by a minister, whose specialty is improving the quality of other religious ministries.
2. How could anything credible come from a source like that?
3. His speaking style is folksy and I assumed the same would be true of his writing style. It can get annoying.
4. He seems sexist to me, and that always loses my respect.
5. He fits my own stereotype of an obnoxious Civitan know-it-all; a Babbitty lower midwestern bundle of presumptions about the nature of life and leadership.

It was necessary for me to overcome my own prejudices to give his work fair hearing. If you do the same, you'll be glad.

The most revealing thing he has to say about leadership is that it is not just a path to more money. Given the commitments needed to be an effective leader, you have to choose leadership as a vocation. After you hear Dr. Maxwell describe what is required of leaders, it would be totally reasonable to choose another way to make money.

Leaders have to commit seriously to a broad set of disciplines to be effective. Some of his laws hit me so hard, after a career in health care leadership, that I felt I was waking up from a deep sleep. These stuck to my ribs:

1. Leaders cannot be microwaved; they must be "crock-potted."
2. Tbe Law of Connection means so much; the leader walks slowly through the people.
3. Great leaders never give up, but know when to change course.
4. "The Big Mo" produces huge leaps in tanglible progress, but is a function of the foundation the leader painstakingly lays first.

Unfortunately, John's many other works never achieve the same impact that this book does, and he cannot avoid compulsive "cross selling" in this and all his other books.

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Summary: A Leader's Must Read
Review: Reading him and actually watching him is not only insightful, but also amazing. Dr. Maxwell really knows a lot on "Leadership" and he has very practical theories (21 Laws). Reading the book gives immense pleasure and really teaches you a lot.

21 Laws is a must read for all Leaders, especially those in the Government!

Its difficult to say whether he is better speaker than a writer... one of the few who can master both. Thank you that we have a Dr. John Maxwell in our midst.

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Summary: Template for Leaders
Review: Dr. Maxwell's book provides a template for success. Anyone new to supervision or leadership can use these "laws" when starting a new position or taking over an existing group. I especially enjoy the easy writing style and immediate application of each law. I also recommend Optimal Thinking by Dr. Rosalene Glickman. Optimal Thinking provides the mental basis for leaders to perform their best consistently. Optimal Thinking provides the roadmap for leaders and their teams to rise above the average and the extraordinary to execute consistent peak performance.

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Summary: The reality of leading in business
Review: This is an excellent book of legendary leaders and management. We gain the opportunity to see the big picture, and learn from the successes and failures of others. If you believe that we should always be surrounding ourselves with more wise and experienced people, then this book will make sense to you. I will reiterate that this is not a step-by-step, tips, tricks, or get rich tomorrow book. Whether, you are an entrepreneur or climbing the corporate ladder, this book will help with your vision and relationships in business.