John Maxwell has influenced my life more than any other author or speaker. Even as a teenager I recall reading and learning from his books, soaking in the never changing leadership principles and aligning my life with who I wanted to become. Joining John Maxwell’s team of coaches and meeting one of my favourite authors in person earlier this year led me to the decision to bring his expertise to many more here in Toronto.
But before I share the details about the event, let me share with you my top 3 favourite leadership laws I’ve learned from John Maxwell.
Leadership Law #1: The Law of the Lid
The law of the lid states that Leadership ability determines a person’s level of effectiveness. We can see this law on a daily basis as we meet people with level 10 dreams, unable to fulfil them simply because their leadership level is on a level 4 or 5. In order to improve your results, you must improve yourself. Raise your lid to increase your effectiveness.
Leadership Law #2: The Law of Influence
Leadership is often misunderstood. If you don’t believe me, check out these leadership myths we hear on a daily basis. True leadership cannot be awarded, appointed, or assigned. It comes only from influence, which must be earned. The law of influence states that The true measure of leadership is influence – nothing more, nothing less. True leadership always begins with you. Who you are matters. But leaders need to go beyond this point into focusing on their relationships. The deeper the relationship, the stronger the potential for leadership.
Leadership Law #3: The Law of Empowerment
Even though there are many more laws when it comes to leadership, I believe that this one is the key. Only secure leaders give power to others. I was born in a communist country where the only leadership style I had ever seen used was based out of control and fear. The law of empowerment was as foreign to me as a language I had never heard before. Yet, after moving to Canada and getting to know ‘Western culture’, I must say that control and fear are not exclusively in totalitarian systems. There are many so called leaders who keep their partners, teams, even clients in fear, simply because they themselves have their own insecurities. I wholeheartedly agree with John Maxwell on this one…
[Tweet “You don’t need a title or proof of income to lead.Only secure leaders give power to others.”]
If you like these principles, I challenge you to take it to the next step and have a closer look at your own life and leadership style. Which of the above laws applies to you at this point? What can you change or improve?
This is just the tip of the iceberg of John Maxwell wisdom. If you are in Toronto or the GTA, I’d be honoured to have you join me at the upcoming L2 Toronto: Learn-Lead event that I’m co-organizing with Joyce Dias this October. Join us to…
- Learn to lead effectively
- Learn to ask good questions to open the doors to opportunities that weren’t available before.
- Learn to become a better leader
Bring a friend, bring your team and join us on Friday October 17, 2014 to learn from the #1 leadership experts in United States John Maxwell, Linda Kaplan and Tim Sanders. Click here for tickets and information.