Leaders are everywhere. They're people we look up to and who we aspire to be. This book talks about the importance of leaders, how leaders lead in every direction and bring value to the people around them.
Content: Maxwell wrote about how leaders are important for any organisation, and how anybody can be a leader. The focus isn't about being a positional leader, leading the people under you. Rather, it is about how you can influence the people under, above and beside you - the true hallmark of a leader is influence. Would people follow you?
Estimated reading time needed: 10h
Key takeaways:
1) Strive to be the top of your game, not the top of the organisation. People have this misconception that becoming the CEO, president or "top-dog" at the organisation is the essence of leadership. However, Maxwell recognises the importance of leadership from every position in the organisation, and people should focus on what they do best to bring the greatest value.
2) If we focus on being somewhere else because we think it's better, we will neither enjoy where we are nor do what we must to succeed. As the saying goes, the grass is always greener on the other side. Rather than jumping to the other side, water your own side and flourish, because if you don't know how to water the greens on your end, the greens will fade even if you jump to the other side. Focus on where you are, do what you must, and succeed.
3) To be a leader, first lead yourself - if you wouldn't follow yourself, why would others? This is perhaps my favourite takeaway from this book. Whatever outcome you wish to achieve starts from within. Imagine the perfect leader. Now imagine you're the perfect leader. Be that person!
4) Value yourself and value your time. Time is the only thing we can never get back once it's spent.
5) Do not get sucked into busyness without thinking. We need to stop here and there to take a step back, make sure we're on the right track, and prepare and plan for the future.
6) As Zig Ziglar said, there are no jams on the extra mile. Many people get motivated to start working hard, but fall through because of a lack of discipline or commitment. Go the distance, do more than what is needed.
7) The key to personal development is to be more growth-oriented than goal-oriented. As someone who enjoys growth, I think this might be the key to sustainable development, as it allows us to go for goal after goal.
8) As Ben Franklin said, do not be afraid of moving too slowly. Be afraid of standing still. Sometimes when we stand still, we're actually going backwards. However, we do need to take a break here and there!
9) Focus on current responsibilities rather than the ones you wish to have. As Maxwell wrote, "I've never known someone focused on yesterday for a better tomorrow".
Recommendation: This book is chock full of great information and key takeaways. One point to note is that Maxwell highlighted multiple times in the book to lift people up and you'll be recognised. However, I'm not sure if this entirely reflects the current state of organisations, and hoped that he would've addressed it in more detail. Nevertheless, it's still a great book on leadership, not just value-adding to the people around you, but leading yourself to becoming someone of value to yourself.
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