This is the first of 21 weekly posts based on John Maxwell’s 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.
Law No. 1 – The Law Of The Lid.
The Law of the Lid states that leadership ability is the lid that determines a person’s level of effectiveness. In other words, whatever the capabilities are of an individual in a leadership position will determine the lid on their potential to lead. Let’s think about this for a minute … if you know someone who is in a leadership position and is not very successful at leading, they probably have a low lid or lessor ability to lead. If they are leading well they most likely have a high lid and greater ability to lead. To simplify this concept, simply ask yourself “How much influence do they have on those they are leading?”
John Maxwell has said that simply put “Leadership is Influence” and the greater the impact we want to make as leaders will be determined by our influence on those around us. If we are not competent leaders, we will struggle to influence others. If we are unable to influence others, than we are probably not leading anyway.
Consider these thoughts…
People generally will not follow those that have a lower lid than they do.
People are drawn to leaders that have a higher lid than they do.
Based on those comments, consider the following…
What is your leadership lid?
What is the leadership lid of the person who is leading you?
I would suggest that if you truly want to raise your Lid as a Leader, you should consider the level of the people you are spending the most time with and the educational or intellectual value of the books you are reading. The only way to raise your lid is the raise your competence as a leader.
Next week we will look at Law No. 2 – The Law Of Influence
Barry Smith www.buildingwhatmatters.com 5/16/12
