John C. Maxwell

I expected a lot from this book but it turned out to be quite repetitive and obvious. The message that you must not give up under any circumstances (except when you realize that you are doing something you weren't meant to do by God?) was repeated throughout the book, and after this claim you will read some story about someone who has succeeded in life and succeeded after failing repeatedly. Towards the end these anecdotes started feeling quite repetitive as well, although some of them were show more somewhat interesting.

What this book does not tell are those stories where people tried throughout their lives and never succeeded in spite of embracing the teachings of this book. Actually, this book claims that such a scenario is not possible, but I assure you that it is.

The book also seems to claim that there is this small elite of successful people who are successful because they are persistent and never give up. And then there are the rest, who just lie in their misery, blame others of not being successful themselves, whine all the time about the circumstances and do not take responsibility of their actions. I know there are people who are like that, but they are definitely a minority. Most adults who could be considered as "mediocre" are not like that. There are many other similar questionable claims in this book that are not backed by any data, and some claims that are just not true even though they might be inspirational to someone.

I'm not saying that the basic message of the book about learning to embrace failures, learning to analyze the reasons of your failures, taking responsibility and reflecting your own attitudes etc. is wrong, but these are age old teachings that this book makes sound so shallow and naive because of the mediocre writing and repetitiveness that reminds me of some trance-like religious convention. The book was also a very fast and easy read, and many times I found myself thinking if this book was actually written just to make some easy money for the writer, for it has so little of anything actually new or insightful to offer.

Maybe this book is useful, if you are really quite unsure of yourself and need a lot of positive reinforcement, or if you feel like you cannot handle failure at all. But it should not be read as a realistic description about how life actually works. In the end life and success is way more complex than Maxwell claims. show less

Early on in my ministerial career I consumed John Maxwell books like Tic Tacs. I couldn't get my hands on them fast enough. Each one seemed better than the next.

Whether it was a shift in his writing style or a migration of my own thinking, I drifted away from Maxwell. I often felt that his later writings on leadership principles where too far afield from biblical leadership principles. He seemed to overemphasize vision and goals and almost ignore (at times) the importance of individuals and show more pastoring people through tough times, even if they were incompetent. As a result, I haven't picked up a Maxwell book in quite some time - maybe a decade or so.

When I was given Leadership Gold, I did everything I could to suppress a disdainful sigh. I assumed I would file it away in the "never to be read" stack. Alas, I found myself reading it recently. And it blew me away! I found Maxwell to be self-effacing, humble, people-centered, and, exceedingly wise.

I took Maxwell's own advice and read Leadership Gold in short bursts over a long period of time so as to properly digest it. I'm not ready to say that I was wrong about all of Maxwell's previous works, but I loved this one. Each chapter was insightful. Please don't mishear me: I'm not saying I agree with all of his assertions, but more often than not, he asked questions that stimulated my thinking. I found myself evaluating own leadership abilities. I can honestly say that I will be a more astute leader having read this book.

John Maxwell is back on my radar. show less

Leadership 101: What Every Leader Needs to Know is Maxwell's condensation of his major talking points in leadership. It's a short book filled with soundbites and a few anecdotes. But I gleaned a few things.

Leadership is influence, and we all influence people throughout our day. Hence, we can all be leaders. Having more people in reach of your influence is a function of your development as a leader.

Bill Hybels' book on leadership (he often partners with Maxwell) was influential in my life. show more Hybels requires everyone in leadership positions at Willow Creek to be actively reading about leadership. I have taken that to heart so that I include books on leadership (including biographies and memoirs) in my regular rotation. Maxwell espouses that continuous reading and learning as critical for leaders. In 1969, he sent letters to key leaders in whatever industry he was working in soliciting 30 minutes of their time for $100. He interviewed them and tried to learn what they knew.

Maxwell endorses the Pareto principle: 20% of resources generate 80% of the results, so invest most of your time in the 20% of activities that generate the most revenue, the top 20% of your workforce, etc.

Your influence will be measured by what happens after you leave, so not planning a succession means you are not succeeding. Maxwell learned that one the hard way, the first church he helped build fell apart after he left-- he hadn't prepared them to continue in his absence. I think this point falls under Covey's point to "begin with the end in mind."


Volunteer organizations like churches are the most leader-centric organizations; the director/pastor cannot offer monetary incentives for productivity, so people have to be responding to the leadership-- there is some intrinsic reward here. Hence, the leader should work hard to develop people in his influence so that those people find it worthwhile to follow.

I have to think: How does this apply to government (or a union situation), where workers may not face fear of firing and there are no monetary incentives or opportunities for advancement that can be offered? I think that's similar to the voluntary organization, the leader can motivate employees by investing in their own development as a reward. Perhaps that investment means they leave the organization for a better position, but that's just part of the cost of having employees' motives aligned with the goal of the organization.

This book is short, hence I recommend it with 3.5 stars. show less

This review originally appeared on my blog at www.gimmethatbook.com.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

If you are feeling down, all you need to do is pick up a John C. Maxwell book and you are guaranteed to become empowered fast. To me, there is nothing greater than the mini pep talks on every page.

So many books encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and work on learning new things. In this latest work by the management genius, Maxwell tells you how to increase your capacity by show more concentrating on things you are good at. I found this refreshing and unique. Most of us take our strengths for granted and concentrate on things we struggle with, hoping to get better at them. Imagine if you worked on things you ARE good at; how much better would you be with practice?

Some of Maxwell’s suggestions are easily implemented, such as always assuming there is a solution to a problem, discussing your ideas with mentors before they are “perfect” and using your gifts to help others who may need a push forward.

I believe you are always learning and growing. Maxwell holds the same view – no matter what you are doing, there are always things you can take away to benefit either yourself or others. His writing style is clear without being preachy, with generous examples thrown in using real people and actual situations.

On every page you can find a phrase or sentence that can be used as a daily affirmation or work focus point – which is the golden part of this book. I fully intend to buy a hard copy and highlight the things I find valuable.

The author’s love of inspiring others shines through loud and clear. He has created an empire of empowerment with his books and lectures, and you can tell he truly loves his fellow man. No one cares more about your personal growth than Maxwell, and that is refreshing. He’s like a businessman’s Mr Rogers – no judgement, always upbeat and full of confidence.

Simon Sinek is all about the “why”, while John Maxwell is about the “how”. The combined information from these books creates a powerful message for managers, which in turn creates a harmonious and wondrous work message for staff. show less