The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow… (1999)

Rated: B-
Good stuff, but rather generic. Wouldn't really call these "Laws" as just as concepts -- good ideas. A little disjointed. I expected more. ( )

Good read, but need to go over the various laws several times to see how they inter-relate.

Read this in 1998. Still have to map out the connections between the laws. The arrangement of this work could have been better written, in order to understand the content. The content itself is wonderful. ( )

I use to think of leardership as being for business, but this book has opened my eyes and made me understand the leadership can be in anything you do or are. This is one book that will stay in my libary for future reference. I recommend this book to everyone. ( )

John C. Maxwell has had a long and storied track record in leadership positions. As a pastor and businessman, he has had the ability to step outside just the church or business spheres individually and look at what leadership principles work regardless of the context in which they are administered. In The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, Maxwell enumerates those principles he has found to be most important for any leader's success.

The book itself is a quick read. The basic content in each chapter is a few explanatory paragraphs about the principle in question, followed by lots of illustrations. This makes the book fun, lighthearted and engaging, and as you read you begin to ask yourself how you are doing in each area. This is the lasting benefit of Maxwell's work--taking those two or three nagging questions the book raised in your mind and committing to working on them as you lead.

This is not an exhaustive list of all of the traits a good leader needs, nor should it be viewed with a formulaic approach (even though the subtitle suggests that these are the case). Rather, it is a list of one leader's insights over a lifetime. If you will allow yourself to read instrospectively with the motive of becoming a better leader, there can be benefit to the book. If you do not intuitively recognize many of the "laws" in the book, you may need to step down from leadership entirely! ( )

Good organizing principles of leadership. ( )