The Law of Solid Ground – Trust is the Foundation of Leadership
Being the foundation, Trust is the most important trait for a leader to possess. Trust is the “glue” that holds a team together, and if often broken, you will never maintain a leadership position. Trust is built upon character and good values, and this trust is what makes leadership possible. Maxwell often states, “Everything rises and falls on leadership. Everything rises when leaders demonstrate competence and good values. Everything falls when leaders demonstrate incompetence and poor values.” One cannot be trusted without good values, and Character and Competence have always gone hand in hand. Followers are, in essence, committing to taking a trip with the Leader, and for this to be a pleasant experience, they must continue to trust their leader throughout the trip. Followers, and leaders, pay the price for broken trust.
Good character communicates the following, promoting trust in their followers:
1. Character communicates Consistency – without inner strength, a leader’s ability to perform changes constantly. As NBA great Jerry West said, “You can’t get too much done in life if you only work on the days when you feel good.” Billy Graham is an outstanding example of this. He consistently showed his integrity through every action.
2. Character communicates Potential – Maxwell writes, “Who do you think has the greater potential to achieve great dreams and have a positive impact on others: someone who is honest, disciplined, and hardworking, or someone who is deceitful, impulsive, and lazy?” The answer is so obvious it seems like a rhetorical question. Through strong character, followers begin to trust the leader’s ability to release their potential, and it promotes belief in themselves and the team.
3. Character communicates Respect – you can’t earn respect without trust. “When you don’t have character within, you can’t earn respect without,” Maxwell writes. Respect is earned through holding to your values and making correct decisions. When the inevitable mistake is made, Leaders must own it and admit the error. Equally important is putting the good of the followers and team above the leader’s self-interest. J.R. Miller noted, “The only thing that walks back from the tomb with the mourners and refuses to be buried is the character of a man…. what a man is, survives him. It can never be buried.”
Craig Weatherup summarizes this well by stating, “You don’t build trust by talking about it. You build it by achieving results, always with integrity and in a manner that shows real personal regard for the people with whom you work.”
The Law of Respect – People naturally follow better leaders than themselves
Based on Maxwell’s observations, these are the top seven ways that leaders gain others’ respect:
1. Natural Leadership Ability – there are some that are born with leadership skills & abilities. Keep in mind, that these skills can be learned over time as noted in the Law of the Lid and of Process. This natural ability will attract follows and gain you influence but without the additional traits below, the followers may be shortlived.
2. Respect for Others – Good leaders show respect for their fellow man, especially the less powerful, thus gaining respect in return. Leaders acknowledge that following others is voluntary, and they earns respect by conveying respect to others.
3. Difficulties Overcome – Respect is gained through making difficult decisions through challenging circumstances. There is a symbiotic relationship between leaders and followers. Leaders grow from the respect they have earned, and the followers grow from breakthroughs and accomplishments they may not have experienced without the leadership.
4. Courage – the determination to succeed in the face of great obstacles is the courage that a leader should possess. Henry Kissinger said, “A leader does not deserve the name unless he is willing occasionally to stand alone.” Showing integrity while risking failure, and doing so under criticism or danger, is the courage necessary for a great leader.
5. Success – accomplishments and achievements naturally draw attention from people, and there is a willing to follow in expectation of future success.
6. Loyalty – in this era of constant change, loyalty to an organization gains the respect of followers.
7. Value added to Others – the dedication to improving others may be the source for the greatest respect for a leader. This is the Law of Addition.
When you are respected, others will make a commitement to get the job done even in the face of risk. Dennis Peer said, “ One measure of leadership is the caliber of people who choose to follow you. This Law is summarized best by one of Maxwell’s favorite quotes, “Success is having the people who know me the best, respect me the most.”
Law of Intuition – Leaders evaluate everything with a leadership bias
Although the principles of leadership remain the same, the application changes by leader and situation, thus requiring intuition. Because this is instinctive knowing, this may be the most difficult to teach. Leaders seek an informed intuition that combines learned skills with natural ability. As Maxwell states “Leaders are Readers” of their situation, trends, resources, people, and themselves. Leaders can sense something before having all the facts, and they can look at the big picture. Leaders see everything through a scope of leadership bias, including the resources at their disposal and how to maximize them. These resources include financial, technology, people, raw materials, etc. Leaders must understand themselves, their own state of mind, but also the most important skill of reading others.
To develop intuition as a leader, you can ask yourself these questions in a situation:
· What do I feel? – my ‘gut’ instincts
· What do I know? – the information that I possess
· What do I think? – combine what you feel and know
· What should I do? - Making a decision based on what I feel, know, and think
Law of Magnetism – who you are is who you attract
The character that you possess is what you will attract in other people with the same traits. The members of your team are likely determined more by who you are than by what you want. This law is so strong that a leader must see and resist this to achieve diversity in the team.
If analyzed, your team will have more similarities than differences especially in these areas:
· Generation – people gravitate towards other of similar age
· Attitude – This is a very contagious trait where positive and negative personalities attract others with similar attitudes.
· Background – The natural magnetism of common upbringing, race, culture, etc.
· Values – people are attracted to leaders with similar values (positive or negative)
· Energy – high-energy and low-energy seldom flock together
· Giftedness – possess talent in a field attracts others in that field. Sports, Business, and Creatives are examples.
· Leadership Ability – other leaders you attract will have similar ability and style to you.
Law of Connection – Leaders Touch a Heart before they ask for a hand
Followers need to know that you value them, believe in them, and appreciate them. The leader's job, not the followers, is to connect with people. Leaders should be accessible and try to know something personal about them. Credibility is strengthened when followers relate to the leader on an emotional level. The stronger the connection, the more likely they want to help you. Maxwell summarizes this best by writing, “you can’t move people to action unless you first move them with emotion.”
How do you connect? Keep these in mind:
· What people need to know: You believe in them – This belief must be genuine and communicated, giving them hope.
· What people need to see: You will be an example – possibly the most impactful trait of a leader is ‘practice what you preach.’ Consistently modeling good values earns trustworthiness and exhibits authenticity. This integrity is an essential ingredient to gain followers.
· What people need to feel: You value them – to genuinely care for and value someone draws them to you.
“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” When a leader has consistently connected, it is evident through employees exhibiting group values, showing a strong work ethic for the team, and loyalty. And the aspiration of the group is adopted from the leader's vision
Law of the Inner Circle – those closest to you determine the level of your success
Leaders cannot succeed alone, and nobody achieves greatness alone. A leaders inner circle is what determines the level of success achieved. Advisors, mentors, key team members, and support from loved ones are all critical. John notes, “Leaders are hired to deliver results. There is no substitute for performance but without a good team, they often don’t get the opportunity.” Practicing this law requires you to be intentional in building relationships because too often people surround themselves with easy or comfortable relationships. Seek the best people to surround you and invest in making them better. Think about these 3 pre-qualifications before bringing them into your inner circle.
1. Who They Are – they must possess good character and share your same values. Maxwell’s personal examples are integrity, positivity, value excellence, flexibility, loyalty, and value people.
2. What They Do – they need to possess strengths in your area of weakness. Also consider how they interact with other members, making sure it is complimentary.
3. How They lessen my load – in accordance with the Law of Addition, your inner circle must be adders or multipliers, sharing some of the leadership role.
Your Inner circle must add value to you and be lifters, personally and professionally. Maxwell summarizes, stating “If the people around you don’t make you better, then you need to get around other people.”