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

by John C. Maxwell

“It’s not the position that makes the leader; it’s the leader that makes the position.”

Leaders seek to recognize and influence intangibles such as energy, morale, timing, and momentum.

“It is the capacity to develop and improve their skills that distinguishes leaders from their followers.” Successful leaders are learners.

Persistence pays. Consistency compounds. As martial arts legend Bruce Lee said, “Long-term consistency trumps short-term intensity.”

This is the first point to be made: and the first action to be taken is to pull ourselves together.2

Drawing on experience means looking inward. Examining conditions means looking outward. No good leader plans a course of action without paying close attention to current conditions. That would be like setting sail against the tide or plotting a course into a hurricane. Good navigators look at the present and try to anticipate the future so that they can count the cost before making commitments for themselves and their team. They examine not only measurable factors such as finances, resources, and talent, but also intangibles such as timing, morale, momentum, culture, and so on.

The bottom line in leadership isn’t how far we advance ourselves, but how far we advance others.

Are you making things better for the people who follow you?

A servant’s mind-set pervaded their thinking. Albert Einstein, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for physics in 1921, asserted, “Only a life lived in the service of others is worth living.” He understood that great leadership meant great service.

“You don’t build trust by talking about it. You build it by achieving results, always with integrity and in a manner that shows real personal regard for the people with whom you work.”10

“The only thing that walks back from the tomb with the mourners and refuses to be buried is the character of a man. This is true. What a man is survives him. It can never be buried.”

“It wasn’t profit over people,” said Hendrick. “It was people over profits, and the profits came.”

Don’t shave the truth, don’t tell white lies, and don’t fudge numbers. Be truthful even when it hurts. To develop authenticity, be yourself with everyone. Don’t play politics, role-play, or pretend to be anything you’re not.

President Lyndon Johnson once said that when you walk into a room, you don’t belong in politics if you can’t tell who’s for you and who’s against you.

Improvement is impossible without a change.

“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

French general Napoleon Bonaparte said, “A leader is a dealer in hope.” When you genuinely believe in people and can communicate that belief, you give them hope and a better future.

“As iron sharpens iron, friends sharpen the minds of each other.”4

President Theodore Roosevelt stated it: “The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and the self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.”

“Great leaders gain authority by giving it away.” —JAMES B. STOCKDALE

Only secure leaders are able to give themselves away.

“Nothing is more confusing than people who give good advice but set a bad example.” I would say a related thought is also true: “Nothing is more convincing than people who give good advice and set a good example.”

“Nonviolence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man.”1

Leaders Who Attract Followers . . . Spend Time with Others Leaders Who Lead Leaders . . . Invest Time in Others

Leaders Who Attract Followers . . . Grow by Addition Leaders Who Lead Leaders . . . Grow by Multiplication

A legacy is created only when a person puts his organization into the position to do great things without him.