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

by John C. Maxwell

If you have skills, you gained them through study and practice. If you have opportunities to give, you acquired them through hard work. If you possess wisdom, you gained it by intentionally evaluating the experiences you’ve had. The more intentional you have been in growing personally, the more you have to offer. The more you continue to pursue personal growth, the more you will continue to have to offer.

When we help others, we can see them as weak. When we try to fix others, we see them as broken. These attitudes make us feel superior. But when we serve others, we see them as valuable. That changes us. It becomes part of us.

You can’t win people’s buy-in with just words. And resources and opportunities won’t come to you until you’re moving forward.

“Any business or industry that pays equal rewards to its goof-offs and its eager beavers sooner or later will find itself with more goof-offs than eager beavers.” —MIKE DELANEY

Most organizations desire stability, but leaders want excitement. Most organizations desire structure, but leaders want flexibility. Most organizations place a high value on following rules, but leaders often want to think and work outside the box. If you want to gather leaders, you must create a place where they can thrive.

Just because you’ve trained people in leadership, it doesn’t mean they have become good leaders. Just because people are trained, it doesn’t mean they are transformed.