Posts by John Maxwell
The Law of the Lid
Leadership Ability Determines a Person’s Level of Effectiveness I often open my leadership conferences by explaining the Law of the Lid because it helps people understand the value of leadership. If you can get a handle on this law, you will see the incredible impact of leadership on every aspect of life. So here it…
Read MoreThe Ten Commandments of Handling Conflict
“I love mankind – it’s people I can’t stand.” Charlie Brown, in Charles Schulz’ timeless comic strip, “Peanuts” Charlie Brown had a point: relationships with other human beings are wonderful – in theory. In reality, they can be difficult and messy. But nothing determines our success in life as much as our ability to work…
Read MoreWherever You Go, There You Are
Travel is a big part of my work now. And no matter how heavy my schedule is, it’s not a hardship because I get to connect with and pour into so many wonderful people. One connection that I especially enjoy is one-on-one, when I set aside time to chat and answer questions before or after…
Read MoreLeaving A Legitimate Legacy
For this day before the United States’ Independence Day, I’ve been thinking about America’s Founding Fathers, and the legacy they left us over 200 years ago. The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights – these documents describe the system of government they worked so hard to establish. And they didn’t just write…
Read MoreBuilding a Unified Team
Just because you assemble great players does not mean you have automatically have a great team. I have always loved basketball, and I played throughout high school. Entering my junior year, our team was loaded with talent, and we were projected to contend for the state title. I was one of two juniors in our…
Read MoreThe Most Important Leadership Week of My Life
Last Sunday, I returned home from the most important leadership week of my life. It was spent in Guatemala, June 9-16, where I was privileged to witness and participate in life transformation on an international scale. We were in Guatemala as part of my nonprofit organization EQUIP’s Global Transformation initiative. This effort was begun last…
Read MoreHis Gift Made Room for Him
Almost two years ago, on a trip to the African continent, I was privileged to speak in Cape Town, South Africa. While there, I received a very meaningful gift from my friend Shaun Battleman: a visit and private tour of Robben Island. If you haven’t heard of Robben Island and the prison that used to…
Read MoreCrafting a Diverse Leadership Team
“I can do what you can’t do and you can do what I can’t do. Together we can do great things.” ~ Mother Teresa Insecure leaders don’t like diversity. They shortchange their organization because they’re uncomfortable with people who have different skills than they do. They’re threatened by the thought of someone else being better…
Read MoreThe Risk Test
Last time I wrote about the difference between good timing and procrastination, and included some tests you could apply to find out whether you were putting off decisions that needed to be made. Just like there are two sides to every coin, there are two extremes when it comes to taking action. Procrastinators are at…
Read MoreProcrastinating, or practicing good timing?
You have a decision to make. But you just aren’t sure about it. So you put it off. Sometimes that’s a wise move, because the timing isn’t right. In my book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, I teach the Law of Timing, which says, “When to lead is as important as what to do…
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