A study of leadership skills would feel incomplete if I did not include John Maxwell’s writings on the subject. He is an established authority on the topic, has written dozens of respected books and is a sought-after speaker around the world.

This particular book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, is one of my favorites for many reasons. 

• It is a fast, easy read, although the best way to read this book is to reread it one chapter a week, digesting and applying each principle each week so it truly sinks in.

• It is an extremely in-depth study of the many facets of leadership.

• He provides several real-life examples of how each principle was applied by well-known leaders throughout history and the end results. He also exposes what happened with well known leaders when they did not make use of the principle.

• He very honestly shares his personal failures and successes with each principle, explaining how he learned from each experience.

• These principles apply whether you are captain of your high school basketball team or the CEO of a multi-million-dollar company.

Here is a sample of some of the laws:

• The law of empowerment
• The law of the inner circle
• The law of magnetism
• The law of connection
• The law of respect
• The law of sacrifice
• The law of timing

It is not surprising that all of the laws have the foundation of good character and trust. Great leadership demands strong character and trustworthiness. At Launch Leadership Development we aim to help our students grow those traits.

This will be a great reference book for anyone, no matter what their career path, because whether you are in a leadership position or not, leadership skills smooth the way through change and bring teams together. This book will be a reliable guide mapping out common situations that leaders face.

To learn more about leadership from John Maxwell, check out this video!

-Jan Jones