Leadership Gold: Lessons I've Learned from a Lifetime of Leading (Hardcover)

by John C. Maxwell (Author)
Key Phrases: today matters, pussy cat, ducks into eagles, Keep Learning, John Maxwell, The Secret (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Maxwell (the bestselling The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership) shares 26 nuggets of wisdom based on his nearly 40 years of leadership. A practical guide, complete with exercises and "mentoring moments," this collection offers a blend of advice, professional wisdom and personal recollection. Each chapter provides insight into a specific aspect of effective management. Some, such as "The Best Leaders Are Listeners" and "Keep Learning to Keep Leading," are hardly groundbreaking, but others such as "Don't Send Your Ducks to Eagle School" (a phrase borrowed from Jim Rohn) and "For Everything You Gain, You Give Up Something" provide perspective into less-explored facets of successful leadership. Maxwell also covers some of the more challenging aspects of his topic: defining personal success, guarding against unrealistic thinking and determining why people quit. Throughout, Maxwell includes call-out quotes from well-known leaders such as Jack Welch and Frances Hesselbein as well as from surprising voices like J.K. Rowling and Joyce Brothers. A solid addition to a crowded field, this book will be of value to seasoned leaders as well as those just starting out. (Apr.)
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From Booklist
Depending on individual calendars, there’s a leadership lesson to be learned every seven days—or biweekly. Based on the recommendations of Maxwell—consultant, trainer, speaker, author (The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, 1998, is his most recent best-seller)—each chapter contains enough information to ponder its implications solo or in concert with team members. The 26 chapter headings, as to be expected, are provocative and thought-inducing, supported by application exercises (usually, in question form) and “mentoring moments,” suggestions for using this in groups. Just ruminate on these statements: “Never work a day in your life.” “You get answers only to the questions you ask.” “Keep learning to keep leading.” “People quit people, not companies.” Almost every heading can be buttressed by recent research, news, even books; as one example, there’s no secret about employees’ major reason to change jobs: their immediate manager. Enjoy, and consider, this collection of lessons. --Barbara Jacobs

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (April 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785214119
• ISBN-13: 978-0785214113
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #95,241 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finding gold "on the other side of complexity", May 20, 2008

By	Robert Morris (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I have read most of John Maxwell's previous books and reviewed several of them. In recent years, it seemed to me that he was recycling many of the same ideas, albeit finding new applications for them. In this volume, he offers his perspectives on "years of living in a leadership environment and learning through trial and error what it means to be a leader. The lessons I've learned are personal and often simple, yet they can have a profound impact. I have spent my entire life mining them. I think of each chapter as a gold nugget. In the hands of the right person, they can add tremendous value to their leadership." He hastens to point out that he is still learning, that many others have made significant contributions to this book, that what he learned can also be learned by nearly anyone else, that much of what he shares is the result of leadership mistakes he has made over a period of 40+ years, and that the value of the material will depend almost entirely on the extent to which she or he effectively applies the lessons learned.

In my opinion, this is Maxwell's most valuable book thus far because it combines the strengths of a vivid memory, a keen mind, a caring temperament, unadorned eloquence, and a sincere desire to help enrich the lives of others. He carefully organizes his material within 26 chapters. In each, he focuses on a "golden nugget" of insight. When concluding, he suggests that the danger of a book like this "is that it is easy to breeze through it, understanding the concepts that are contained in it but not actually [begin italics] doing [end italics] anything with them." In this context, I am reminded of Thomas Edison's suggestion that "vision without execution is hallucination."

I especially appreciate Maxwell's skilful use of two sections that provide "Application Exercises" to complete a self-audit on the key points in each chapter and a "Mentoring Moment" that suggests how to share with others (e.g. direct reports) the lessons learned so that they can also benefit from them. Hopefully, this will help them, in turn, to help others to benefit from "the leadership gold." He also clusters sequences of key points highlighted with bold face. I also appreciate Maxwell's strategic use of dozens of relevant aphorisms from various sources, located in the margins of each chapter. For example:

"Criticism is something you can avoid easily - by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing." -Aristotle

"The signs of outstanding leadership appear primarily among the followers." - Max Depree

"The business schools reward difficult behavior more than simple behavior, but simple behavior is more effective." - Warren Buffett

"Nothing else distinguishes effective executives as much as their tender loving care of time." - Peter Drucker

"The only thing worse than training employees and losing them is not training them and keeping them." - Zig Ziglar

"It's wonderful when the people believe in their leader. It's more wonderful when the leader believes in the people." - John Maxwell

"I am more afraid of an army of one hundred sheep led by a lion than an army of one hundred lions led by a sheep." - Count Talleyrand

"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." - J.K. Rowling

To a much greater extent than in any of his more than 40 other books, Maxwell trains his reader to master the Socratic method (i.e. rigorous, relentless interrogation) by using that method when presenting the "leadership gold" he has mined throughout his life and career thus far. Extending the metaphor, he helps his reader to recognize the "fool's gold" that so many so-called leaders cherish: announce rather than inquire, intimidate rather than encourage, threaten rather than nourish, ridicule weakness rather than recognize strength, etc. These people tend to be what Jean Lipman-Blumen characterizes as "toxic leaders, destructive bosses, and corrupt politicians."

I highly recommend this book to anyone preparing for or who is only recently embarked on a career that could lead to leadership responsibilities. Also, to those who now have such responsibilities and recognize the need to increase their effectiveness as well as the effectiveness of those entrusted to their care. (One of the "toxic" leader's least attractive qualities among many is her or his absolute certainty that there is nothing more to learn.) Those such as I who have already read several of Maxwell's other books will find much that is familiar in this volume. In fact, there are no head-snapping revelations, nor does Maxwell make any such claim. I do not damn with faint praise when suggesting that he presents the "lessons learned from a lifetime of leading" with simplicity. On the contrary that's a compliment. Oliver Wendell Holmes once asserted, "I would not give a fig for simplicity on this side of complexity but I would give anything for simplicity on the other side of complexity." So would John Maxwell as he continues to learn, to teach, and to lead.

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars GREAT MANUAL BUT NOTHING NEW, April 8, 2008

By	E. Ramirez "Christ Is King" (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a Maxwell follower for years I can tell you that the content of this book keeps with his tradition of simplicity, practicality, and solid principles. From that end of it, it is Maxwell all the way. However, it is important for readers to know that this book really contains nothing "new". This is rather a compilation of his many books and lectures compressed into a manual he calls "GOLD". Its a great book to teach from, but if youre looking for something "NEW" from John, this is not a book to offer you that. This is just John marketed in yet another way.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Golden, April 21, 2008

By	I. Helpyou - See all my reviews

John Maxwell's books are great! This book is a wonderful compilation of the author's lifetime of writing books on leadership. The "how to" aspect of this book and the setup as a manual is reminiscent of the classic Dale Carnegie book, "How to win friends and influence people," and the current new dynamite little handbook by Norman Thomas Remick, "GOING BEYOND Leadership of Character: Keys to Unlock the Secrets of HOW TO BE A GREAT LEADER." If you read just one book, it must be Mr. Maxwell's "Leadership Gold". Read "Leadership Gold", the Carnegie book, and the Remick book and you've got all you need to rise to the top of your profession.