21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership Book Review

It's been a long time since I've done a book review. This book was actually a requirement for my Leading Organizations class. Most textbooks or "required readings" don't interest me, but this book was very eye-opening. 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by the great John C. Maxwell helps break down what leadership is. Reading this book will help you learn what laws you excel at, and which ones you might need to work on. This isn’t like my past reviews! 

Maxwell goes to great lengths to explain each Law:

1. Law of the Lid: Overcoming your limit, your "Lid", in order to grow as a leader. I think of Sylvester Stallone with this law.
2. The Law of Influence: Without influence, all the other laws are impossible to grasp (laws that relate to people). It's the building block to leading others.
3. The Law of Process: Learning how to improve as a leader. Leadership does not happen in a day; it's a lifelong process. You have to ask yourself how you can continue to improve. 
4. The Law of Navigation: Knowing how to get where you want to go, and what is the most effective way to get there. It's like steering a ship.
5. The Law of Addition: Leadership isn't about advancing yourself, but advancing others. Being a leader means being of service to others. Adding value to others, instead of thinking selfishly, is an act of true leadership.
6. The Law of Solid Ground: Living with authenticity and genuineness is how to achieve this Law. If you want to earn trust, the foundation to true leadership, you must live with honor. Don't pretend to be something you're not.
7. The Law of Respect: You have to be a leader who deserves to lead. Respect is earned. Followers will follow only a leader who they consider more admirable and respectable than themselves.
8. The Law of Intuition: Great leaders know how to discern the nature of a person or a situation. Having excellent intuition is knowing how to handle unexpected or difficult situations.
9. The Law of Magnetism: Maxwell explains that leaders are like magnets. Leaders attract followers, but depending on who you are will determine who you attract. 
10. The Law of Connection: Knowing how to connect with people is an important part of leadership. Connecting emotionally is what will determine success or failure. 
11. The Law of the Inner Circle: You should have a small group of people who you can not only trust, but help you and the organization. Where you lack, either in abilities or skills, your inner circle can/should make up for.
12. The Law of Empowerment: As leaders, we cannot withhold knowledge or skills, simply because we want to remain "on top" or are resistant to change. If you have low self-esteem, you will not accomplish this law. To empower others, we have to be able to secure ourselves. 
13. The Law of the Picture: Simply put, you have to lead by example. Live out your picture so others may follow.
14. The Law of Buy-In: To get others involved, you must first get them to buy-into you. After that, they will decide if they want to buy-in your vision. You must have character in order to get people to buy-in. 
15. The Law of Victory: Leaders must have a mindset of victory for themselves and their team. Many famous leaders in history, like Winston Churchill or Abraham Lincoln, had a "never give up" attitude. Like Maxwell says, "You might have to go through Plan A-Z before succeeding."
16. The Law of Big Mo: Momentum, the "big mo," is a big help to leaders. Having momentum will give you reason to complete any task, no matter how big, difficult, or annoying. That gives anyone the enthusiasm to complete their job.
17. The Law of Priorities: The 80/20 rule states that "80% of our activities will lead to 20% of our results and that 20% of our activities leads to 80% of our results." Knowing which priorities should take your attention is difficult. Become laser focused, so other less-important tasks don't take away your focus on what should be done.
18. The Law of Sacrifice: If you don't sacrifice, you don't succeed. Maxwell emphasizes on this greatly. Leaders have to give up something in order to grow the organization. You cannot be fearful to make decisions. You have to be willing to sacrifice freedom for responsibility.
19. The Law of Timing: Great leaders know how to take advantage of a moment. They'll be able to read the situation, and know the right action to take, just like in the Law of Navigation.
20. The Law of Explosive Growth: Leaders will add onto them, in order to increase their productivity. Not only this, but they create another group of leaders, who can also grow their own group of leaders. 
21. The Law of Legacy: Leaders should know what sort of legacy they want to leave. Leaders shouldn't only leave a legacy of success, but a legacy of significance or how they helped others. What will your family, friends, coworkers, or organization remember about you? Think of what legacy you'd leave in one sentence, then live it out every day. 

To further understand what each of these laws are, you need to read this book. The three Laws I found relatable to me were The Law of Connection, The Law of Solid Ground, and The Law of Magnetism. I really encourage you to check out this book. I give this book 4 stars! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Which Laws apply to you? Comment down!!