Customer Reviews

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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!

What an excellent book! I couldn't put it down. I've witnessed some of these Laws being used by different Leaders over the years, but never really thought about them as a whole until reading this book. I can't begin to list all the many ways this book has helped me as a young Leader, striving to be a GREAT LEADER. If Executives haven't read this book, they are really missing out on the keys to being a Great Leader. Spread the word!

This hugely popular leadership guru has an ego to match, telling stories about how great he is at creating new leaders and inspiring people at his conferences. And when he's not telling stories about himself, he's telling stories that have very little to do with the laws they are supposedly propping up. During the second and third listen through the tapes, I kept thinking, "That has almost nothing to do with what he's saying."
Perhaps he deals with it in other books, but Maxwell never lets on to what leadership really is. He claims it's "influence," but why not just talk about influence then? And what are the goals of leadership? By not addressing the goals of leadership, Maxwell merely feeds on the narcisicism of his readers, who long to be "leaders" themselves because being a leader is cool.
Stick to Max De Pree's Leadership in an Art for some truly thoughtful and humble reflections from a man who really was a great leader.

Definately not for those who are looking for a how-to manual in managing people. Maxwell is distinctly targeting experienced leaders who are looking to become more effective, and he provides food-for-thought as opposed to practical advice. While I can appreciate Maxwell's background is derived primarily from his Christian leadership experiences, the religious overtones were far too frequent for my taste. - audio version

I see this as a leaders manual. All the necessary tool for successful leadership are contained in this book. it is a great purchase for those in leadership and those who endeavour to sharpen their leadership skills.

Great Book, excellent.... I'd recommend reading this book if you are or will be in a leadership / management position.

John Maxwell's 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership apply to every organization. Despite the formal positions that people hold, leadership matters. If you see a nature special and see the Wildebeests when they are about to cross the crocodile infested river, one Wildebeest will jump in and run across. The others will follow in a giant splashing mass. I'm never sure if the first one is a leader by choice or if he was pushed, but he's a remarkable animal. That's leadership.

Leadership is everywhere only we don't always recognize it because people have titles and are thought of as the leaders. For example, in the U.S. we have the President of the U.S., also known as POTUS by the secret security agents. But as Maxwell's book points out, the 21 laws show President Bush lacking demonstrable leadership abilities. Perhaps it was Vice President Cheney that everybody listened to when he spoke, but it was not Bush. This is an example of the E.F. Hutton law. People in the room would understand that Cheney would follow through and get it done, even though the decision was likely wrong, and that is one rule of leadership.

If people tend to go along with you, follow your lead, then you're a leader. Maxwell feels that we can all learn to be leaders. This is an inspiring book and quite informative.

John Maxwell's audiobook is a breath of fresh air for those of us who are yearning to lead more effectively, but don't know how. The 21 Laws of Leadership shows you step by step how to navigate the common mistakes leaders make and lets us know how to stay our course. I would highly recommend this audiobook for anyone looking to make an impact in their organization, family & church. John Maxwell does the reading and is easy to listen to. Definitely make this a part of your Success library.