The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You [Paperback]

John C. Maxwell (Author), Stephen R. Covey (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 18, 2007

What would happen if a top expert with more than thirty years of leadership experience were willing to distill everything he had learned about leadership into a handful of life-changing principles just for you? It would change your life.

John C. Maxwell has done exactly that in The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. He has combined insights learned from his thirty-plus years of leadership successes and mistakes with observations from the worlds of business, politics, sports, religion, and military conflict. The result is a revealing study of leadership delivered as only a communicator like Maxwell can.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

John C. Maxwell offers lively stories about the foibles and successes of Lee Iacocca, Abraham Lincoln, Princess Diana, and Elizabeth Dole in The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. Readers can expect a well-crafted discussion that emphasizes the core attitudes and visions of leadership. Maxwell uses the same tell-it-like-it-is approach that he honed in the bestselling Developing the Leader Within You. For instance, when explaining "The Law of Influence," Maxwell states that "job titles don't have much value when it comes to leading. True leadership cannot be awarded, appointed or assigned. It comes only from influence and that can't be mandated." Even after Princess Diana was stripped of her title, Maxwell says she was still able to lead a global effort toward banning land mines because of her sophisticated ability to influence others.

If readers are looking for a step-by-step formula, Maxwell's list of "laws" will probably seem too chatty and anecdote driven. There are no specific tips on what readers can do during the next workday to help them become stronger leaders. On the other hand, Maxwell's background as a pastor gives him an inspirational voice and a spiritual context to leadership that many business and church leaders appreciate. --Gail Hudson --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

John C. Maxwell is an internationally recognized leadership expert, speaker, and author who has sold over 13 million books. His organizations have trained more than 2 million leaders worldwide. Dr. Maxwell is the founder of EQUIP and INJOY Stewardship Services.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson; 2nd edition (September 18, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785289356
• ISBN-13: 978-0785289357
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #330,755 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John C. Maxwell is an internationally recognized leadership expert, speaker, coach, and author who has sold over 19 million books. Dr. Maxwell is the founder of EQUIP and the John Maxwell Company, organizations that have trained more than 5 million leaders worldwide. Every year he speaks to Fortune 500 companies, international government leaders, and organizations as diverse as the United States Military Academy at West Point, the National Football League, and the United Nations. A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Business Week best-selling author, Maxwell has written three books which have each sold more than one million copies: The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, Developing the Leader Within You, and The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader. You can find him at JohnMaxwell.com and follow him at Twitter.com/JohnCMaxwell.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars More philosophy than how-to, March 28, 2000

By 

Paul Granese - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership (Audio Cassette)

Maxwell's book describes the Laws of leadership by way of describing traits that leaders possess. It offers insight into the characteristics of a leader but does little to show you how to develop these traits yourself.

The audiobook was a good commute companion and the tape is filled with good anecdotes and examples (reminded me of Paul Harvey) which made it more interesting. Don't expect to walk away with any working knowledge of developing your leadership abilities though.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A bit simplistic but valuable all the same, February 24, 2000

By 

Bhanu Dhir "[e-mail]" (UK) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership (Audio Cassette)

OK if you are an experienced manager you probably know this already - but it is always nice to be reminded. Easy to follow with an anecdote or two for each of the 'laws' - some from Maxwell's own experience, some from history and some from contempories.

What distinguishes this from the trite are his views on the relationship between sacrifice and leadership, his PLAN AHEAD acronym and the law of explosive growth.

A good reminder of what we need to aspire to and why.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT OVERVIEW OF LEADERSHIP FOR GROWTH, September 13, 2004

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 109,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership (Follow Them and People will Follow You) (Paperback)

There are many books written every year on leadership, and they all tend to have the same weakness: They focus on just part of the problem. THE 21 IRREFUTABLE LAWS OF LEADERSHIP is a valuable exception because it looks at leadership in both companies and nonprofits at the same time, drawing on appropriate lessons from both. What I particularly liked was how he provided examples of how to overcome bad sistuations as well as how to grow faster from good ones. This clearly is the most encyclopedic approach to the subject of leadership that I have had the pleasure to read. The lessons seemed right to me based on my many years of studying what makes the most successful leaders have the best results. For anyone who is a leader or aspires to be one, THE 21 IRREFUTABLE LAWS OF LEADERSHIP will be very valuable. Then you can expand your reading to get more detail in the areas where you need the most help. If you follow the principles of this book, you will avoid most of the problems that stall progress in organizations. Good luck to you!