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

John C. Maxwell (Author), Zig Ziglar (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 18, 1998

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

About the Author

John C. Maxwell is an internationally respected leadership expert, speaker, and author who has sold more than 19 million books. He is the founder of EQUIP, a non-profit organization that has trained more than 5 million leaders in 126 countries. Read his blog at JohnMaxwellOnLeadership.com.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson; 1st edition (September 18, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785274316
• ISBN-13: 978-0785274315
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (204 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,166 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.

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#6 in Books > Business & Investing

#11 in Kindle eBooks > Business & Investing

#45 in Books > Self-Help

#47 in Books > Religion & Spirituality

#6 in Books > Business & Investing

#11 in Kindle eBooks > Business & Investing

#45 in Books > Self-Help

#47 in Books > Religion & Spirituality

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

258 of 269 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Maxwell has nailed it with this book on leadership! September 6, 1998

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

"Don't ever say 'always,'" my mother told me. So when someone says "irrefutable" I'm quick to challenge such a too-complete assertion. But the more I've read of Maxwell's "21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership," the more I think he's nailed it.

John Maxwell has been learning and teaching leadership throughout his entire career as a Wesleyan pastor and seminar speaker. He lives and breathes leadership. And in this book he has distilled the art of leadership into 21 "simple" laws. Well, not so simple, maybe, but at least understandable.

#1 "The Law of the Lid" asserts his basic premise that leadership ability determines the ultimate level of a person's effectiveness. If you have gifts and abilities, you'll make a greater impact the better leader you become. While some people may be blessed with a natural aptitude for leadership, Maxwell contends that leadership "skills" are learnable. You don't have to be a "born leader." You can apply yourself and become a much better leader than you are.

#2 "The Law of Influence." Here's another bedrock proposition: Leadership = Influence, no more and no less. Many church and secular leaders grossly misunderstand this point. They think that Leadership = Power. Maxwell argues that your leadership scope is how many people you influence, not how much organizational power you can wield from your position or office. On the basis of these two concepts, Maxwell constructs a whole philosophy of leadership. He explains the laws of "Solid Ground," "Respect," "Intuition," "the Inner Circle" and many others.

Some are especially intriguing. "The Law of E.F. Hutton," for example, is based on a TV ad campaign that ended with the motto: "When E.F. Hutton speaks, people listen." Maxwell's Law #5 says you can quickly tell who the real leader/influencer in a group is, because when this person speaks, everyone at the table listens, nods, and begins to express assent. Maxwell learned this at his first church where he discovered the real leader was Claude, even though Claude wasn't even the church moderator. Maxwell then learned to influence Claude and let Claude lead the others.

You can see how practical this kind of book could be. We bumble around for much of our lives, and stumble over these "laws," trying to learn to be leaders, often not understanding what went wrong. With some clear direction -- and that's what Maxwell provides -- you'll be able to grow more quickly as a leader.

Don't expect a "spiritual" book, however. While the "laws" are solidly founded on Scriptural principles, they are expressed in a non-religious manner. For years, Maxwell has been called on by mega-corporations to teach leadership to their executives, so this and some of his more recent books are designed to be read with profit by both Christian and business audiences.

I've read a lot in the field of leadership, and in my opinion, Maxwell is tops. He's not only humorous and easy-to-read, his analysis of the essentials of leadership is brilliant. If you're a church leader, you'll want to read this, and then buy a copy for your pastor at Christmas. If you're a pastor, this is a book to absorb and then circulate among your lay leaders to raise their level of leadership. This will also be an appreciated gift to a business executive.

91 of 99 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Resource for Leaders January 11, 2001

By D. Keating VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

John Maxwell's book is by far the best leadership book I have read in the past few years. I wish I had this material available to me years ago, so that I was better prepared for the leadership challenges I would face as an officer in the US Army. I have read many leadership books the past decade in order to better develop my own skills, but none of them has put together all the pieces like John Maxwell does in this book.

Basically, the book covers Maxwell's 21 laws of leadership. Each chapter describes the law in detail, and provides many historical examples to help reinforce the principle. I think that he has done a great job of taking a lot of material and focusing in on the key points that help make a leader successful. The book's structure also allows you to put the book down for a few days, and not lose your focus or understanding when you get a chance to return to it. I particularly liked this approach since I never seem to have enough time for professional reading these days. Lastly, the material is easy to understand and apply to any leadership situation, which makes it a great resource for those leaders looking for a way to have an immediate impact on their organization.

As a military officer, I understand the principle role that leadership plays in an organization's success. During my short career (10 years), I have been in both great and lousy units. Each time, I can trace the unit's performance directly to its leader and his/her ability to influence its members to accomplish the mission and take care of its people. My personal experience only helped reinforce the material, and verified in my mind that John Maxwell is "on-target" with his laws.

I highly recommend this book for any leader. Whether you are just starting out on your career, or have been in a leadership position for years, I think this book can make an impact on your performance.

41 of 44 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Simply 21 Truthful Characteristics and Lots of Stories September 3, 2001

By Jake Well

Format:Hardcover

This book is a descent book on leadership, but if you are actually looking to take your first steps forward to being a great leader, this book isn't a guide to help you get there, but to tell you that you are, or aren't.

This book is more helpful in identifying and aiding people in the understanding of leadership qualities or characteristics. I wouldn't really call them 'laws', but they are characteristics that a leader must have in order to be successful to lead their organization, whatever that is.

I found the book to tell too many stories, especially where many of them were identical in their themes, but with different scenarios. I felt they concentrated too much on sports and his experiences with the church. Countless number of times he would say, 'When I was a pastor at Skyline, my church in San Diego...', and then generally lead on to some story that I felt lacked depth - although the stories did demonstrate the law in the chapter.

I think there should have been more focus on business, with only very few examples of Apple, McDonalds, etc. With over 15 examples related to sports and his church, I didn't relate very well being an entrapreneur in the high-tech field.

Needless to say, all these 'laws', (or rather leadership qualities) are indeed true and this book is a good resource for assessing yourself to see if you are the leader you thought you were. Obviously the stories are just assertion material, so the laws will uphold for anyone who wishes to start learning leadership.

As for developing skills? It's really up to you. this book will help you identify where you are weak so that you can improve, but as to what path to take for improvement, you are left alone in the dark. I would say this book is 3 1/2 stars.