Book

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership

Follow Them and People Will Follow You

John C. Maxwell

Thomas Nelson, 1998

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Frequent motivational author John C. Maxwell, a former pastor, squarely based these 21 laws of leadership on enduring values. These guidelines are meant to inspire, not innovate, as they offer techniques to make leading by principle a practical reality. Maxwell's straightforward, insightful rules are well worth the time you will spend reading them. getAbstract recommends this gem of simplicity as a game book for building stronger teams and becoming a better leader.

Summary

"The Law of the Lid: Leadership Ability Determines a Person's Level of Effectiveness"

Brothers Dick and Maurice McDonald had a talent for the restaurant business. As American culture became dependent on cars, they developed methods to serve food to customers on the run. They eventually streamlined their business, and primarily sold hamburgers. People in the restaurant business traveled to their hamburger joint to learn their efficient methods.

Yet, the McDonald brothers failed when they attempted to franchise their idea. Why? Because they lacked overarching leadership ability. Their partner, Ray Kroc, had the vision and skill to make McDonald's a marketplace phenomenon. Dedication to success is important, and so is talent and intelligence, but without leadership ability, you'll only get so far.

"The Law of Influence: The True Measure of Leadership Is Influence - Nothing More, Nothing Less"

True leadership cannot be bestowed, it must be earned. In 1996, a London Daily Mail poll showed that the public considered Mother Teresa and Princess Diana to be the most caring two people in the world, though neither held political office. People listened to them...

About the Author

Consultant and former pastor John C. Maxwell writes frequently about leadership and regularly gives workshops on leadership principles. He is the author of several other books, including The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork and Winning with People.

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T. W. 1 decade ago

I have read the book and I will use the summery as a refresher. Best basic book on solid leadership I have come across.
C. N. 1 decade ago

Dr. Maxwell is a well-knkown scholar of leadership development in organizations. His models are based on Christian philosophies and ethics. However, one has to be careful when quoting or utilizing Maxwell's work. Religious factors may be a source of future conflict in one's company based on its mission statement and corporate culture.
- 1 decade ago
  
  Maxwell has actually done his best to avoid too much religious notations in his books and he always warns before talking about religion. From that perspective I would say that he is quite safe choice to quote in organizations (except the ones who are overly atheist or such).
  
  Christian philosophies and ethics shouldn't hurt anyone itself. Actually many of the other leadership knowledge is vastly based on Christian ideas, but people just don't know that.
J. O. 1 decade ago

This abstract is from the old version of the book. There is newer one available with couple of laws removed and merged. However, this is that kind of knowledge about leadership that it will probably never grow out of date. Therefore, I suggest reading this abstract and getting the newer version of the book, because if you manage to apply even some of these laws in your life, people around you will start noticing the difference! So, download it now and start learning! :)