Unveiling the Level 5 leader in me part 1

This is a study of two books written by John C. Maxwell, a renowned author of transformational leadership material. His work has transformed many at individual, organizational and at national levels. Having read the books, “The 21 irrefutable Laws of Leadership” and “The 5 levels of leadership”, this is an analysis of what each of them is about and how they relate to each other, in inspiring, directing and charting the journey of a successful leader.

This study emphasizes the thrust of the books mentioned above, with relevant examples of how they relate to my life, while clearly showing how they have impacted me. I clearly show how I am going to change, teach and apply these ideas in my life, as I embark on my journey to a level 5 leader.

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership

The 21 irrefutable laws of leadership is a book written by John C. Maxwell as an improvement of a previously written edition. These laws are fascinating as they give us a clear definition of what leadership is, in an easy to understand way. It also provides a means to measure where we are at each stage, and the strategies to maximize each law.  This has had a significant impact on me because previously, I had a strange definition of leadership, i.e. “being at the top of an organization while pulling the shots”. This meant that leaders are identified by what position they are in, not by how they lead. This book has helped me to understand that it’s more about how the leader leads, than what position they hold.

The author’s main thrust of this book is that a good leader needs to be able to do   more than one thing well, although no one does all these 21 laws well. On the other hand, John C. Maxwell emphasizes that “Leadership is leadership no matter where you are”, (21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership)  and adds four main principles of these laws including; 1) These laws can be learned, meaning that they can be acquired – some are much easier to acquire than others depending on the person;  2) Each law stands alone, thus, a leader doesn’t need one law in order to acquire another, yet they complement each other to make a better leader; 3) These laws carry consequences with them, in that when leaders apply them, they are followed, but if they violate the laws, they will not lead; and finally 4) These laws are the foundation of leadership. This means that the principles behind these laws must be understood by the leaders, then practiced and finally applied for there to be impact. 

           These principles have all demystified various myths for me. I used to think leaders are all born as leaders, they did not need to spend years learning anything since they had it in them already. This book has, however, allowed me to know that leaders can be made. They are made and they get better as they learn more, and master these laws of leadership. Moreover, when I first heard about these laws, I thought that a leader must know them all to be a good leader – “after all, we are born as leaders!” I kept thinking to myself. After reading this book, I have learnt that mastering and knowing which ones are my strengths and which ones are my middle ground and weaknesses, is the best way to start making a difference in my leadership journey.  It helps me to get a strategy of how to learn, unlearn and relearn whatever I must and steer my ship into influencing as many people as possible.

           All in all, the author is saying that these laws are simply tools used to help a leader lead better. The more laws a leader can master and apply, the better a leader they become, and the more they will be able to add value to those they lead.

Thank you for checking out my blog. Please check out part 2 of this blog here.