“Leadership ability determines a person’s level of effectiveness.”
John Maxwell
There was a time when I was leading Life Options where the organization was just stuck. We had funding challenges, advancement problems and I wasn’t working well with some of my employees. I searched out a book in my library and found “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership,” by John C. Maxwell. I grabbed the book and went to bed. I recognized myself in the first chapter. I was the one that was stuck.
The Law of the Lid is explained in the first chapter. Essentially, there is a lid on a person’s leadership ability and this lid determines his level of effectiveness. The lower a person’s ability to lead, the lower the lid on his leadership ability, and the lower his effectiveness. This is shown in the charts from the book below.
The chart on the left shows a competent or productive person without leadership skills. This person can work very hard to increase his or her dedication to success through sheer effort. Effectiveness may increase, say 25%. Let’s say that our leadership is at a level 4.
There’s another option. Let’s work really hard to increase our leadership skills to maybe a 7 and look what happens in the second chart. Leadership has a multiplying effect on effectiveness.
If the leader doesn’t grow, the organization doesn’t grow. Why do they fire the coach when the football team isn’t winning? If the coach were an extremely effective leader for the team, it would be winning more games.
A person’s impact is only a fraction of what it could be without leadership ability. Our ability to cast vision for our business…to get a team of like-minded people together…to unite those people behind a common vision…to get their goals in alignment with the team goals… to get the right people on the bus and the wrong people off the bus… is determined by how well we lead.
How do we become more effective?
1. Pursue leadership skills and personal growth by reading, attending conferences and engaging a mentor or coach.
2. Be accountable to someone for your growth.
3. Become aware of and stop doing things that don’t work.
4. Find ways to add value to others. That increases your influence and therefore your ability to lead.
How is your organization growing? What are you doing to grow? Are you adding value to your followers?
The question is not how you can raise your lid, but are you willing to do whatever it takes to do so.
Make it a great week!
Jan
Jan McDonald
The John Maxwell Team
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