The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership

Reviewed by Gary McCoy

In the 25th anniversary edition of the “21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership,” author John C. Maxwell provides a revised and updated version of his popular book. The book’s subtitle encapsulates his view on the subject, “Follow Them and People Will Follow You.”

I had heard of Maxwell’s book on leadership but had never read it before, so I have no frame of reference to compare with the original version published in 1998. An introduction to the book states that, “Maxwell has gone through every word of this book and updated it for the next generation of leaders. He has added new insights to these timeless laws and included lessons learned since he originally wrote the book. And he has included some exciting new stories that apply the laws to today’s world of business.”

I have to say each law is very easy to understand, and Maxwell’s stories provide real-world examples of how the laws operate. What I appreciate about Maxwell is that he admits, “Nobody does all the laws well. That’s why you need to build a team.”

Maxwell is a firm believer that: “Any endeavor you can undertake that involves other people will live or die depending on the leadership.” As you work to build your organization, Maxwell exhorts readers to remember five things:

• Personnel determine the potential of an organization.

• Relationships determine the morale of the organization.

• Structure determines the size of the organization.

• Vision determines the direction of the organization.

• Leadership determines the success of the organization. At the end of the book, Maxwell encourages readers to examine themselves by using his “21 Laws of Leadership Evaluation.” When considering the 21 laws, if you score from 8-10 (with 10 being the highest) on any of the laws, this is what Maxwell deems your strength zone. If you achieve a score of 6-7, then these are areas to target for growth. If you score from 1-5, then this is a weakness where Maxwell encourages you to “hire staff or partner with others in this area to lead successfully.”

Whether you are an experienced leader or just beginning your journey, this is a book that has valuable insights to offer. n

Have a favorite business book you would like to tell us about or review? Send your suggestions to Springs magazine editor Gary McCoy at gary@smihq.org.