22 de Abril de 2019 -
Hello, my friend! How are you? If you're out of time or "in a rush", go to the last paragraph of this text for a fast answer.
In times of immediate responses and connection 24 hours a day, talking about long-term transformation is a risk! But… at Você Aprende Agora we believe you can (and must!) dream big, and make a daily effort to get better every day. This is our mission - seeing you speaking English and being a Leader wherever you go. "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership" was written by John Maxwell in 1998, and its goal is to improve your skills as a Leader.
This is the summary of this book, and here you see what we consider the best of each chapter:
1- Law of the Lid: your leadership ability will determine your effectiveness. The potential impact of your organization depends on your leadership ability. "The higher you want to climb, the more you need leadership".
2- Law of Influence: the true measure of leadership is influence, and titles don't have much value when it comes to leadership. "If you can't influence people, then they will not follow you; and if people don't follow you, you're not a leader".
3- Law of Process: leadership develops daily, not in a day. Work hard every single day to improve your leadership, my friend. "When you recognize your lack of skill and begin the daily experience of personal growth, exciting things start to happen".
4- Law of Navigation: a good leader remains focused and controls the direction. Before good leaders leave the dock, they see the whole trip in their minds. "No matter how good you are, you yourself won't have all the answers. Your failures can teach you great lessons".
5- Law of Addition: leaders add value by serving others. Improve people's lives, add value to their lives, serve them. "The bottom line in leadership isn't how far we advance ourselves but how far we advance others".
6- Law of Solid Ground: trust is the foundation of leadership, and you build it through competence, connection and character. "You don't build trust by talking about it. You build it by achieving results with integrity and gratitude for people who work with you".
7- Law of Respect: people follow leaders stronger than themselves. Gain respect by respecting others, having courage and success, showing loyalty and adding value to people. "There's always room to grow, and the more you grow, the better the people you'll attract".
8- Law of Intuition: understand people's point of view. Realize what they're thinking so you can connect to them. "Intuition helps leaders sense what's happening among people and know their hopes, fears and concerns".
9- Law of Magnetism: who you are is who you attract. Your attitude is one of the most contagious qualities you possess. If you're positive people around you tend to have good attitudes, too. "Developing stronger character can be a harder road, but the payoff is huge".
10- Law of Connection: touch the heart before asking for a hand. Connect with people by going where they are, listening to them and focusing on them, not yourself. "The stronger the relationship you form, the greater the connection you forge".
11- Law of Inner Circle: your potential is determined by the those closest to you. Attract and keep people who possess strengths in your areas of weaknesses. "You can do what I cannot do. I can do what you cannot do. Together we can do great things" (Mother Teresa).
12- Law of Empowerment: help people reach their full potential. Encourage and give power to people, help them succeed. Leading well is not about enriching yourself - it's about empowering others. "If you keep raising up leaders, you'll develop a pattern of achievement".
13- Law of the Picture: we're visual, my friend. Although leaders are paid to be dreamers, they must be practical and show the right actions, so their followers copy them and succeed. "Leaders tell but never teach until they practice what they preach".
14- Law of Buy-in: you're more important than your ideas, and your credibility is key to convince people. Every message that people receive is filtered through the messenger who delivers it. "If your people don't buy into you, they won't help you execute your vision".
15- Law of Victory: deliver results and find a way for the team to win. Quitting is unthinkable and commitment is unquestionable for leaders. "Every organization requires diverse talents to win and it takes a leader to provide the motivation, empowerment and direction to win".
16- Law of the Big Mo: start moving so you'll gain credit to grow. The organization won't develop momentum on its own and it begins when you have vision, passion and enthusiasm to make things happen. "Celebrate progress and honor people who move the ball forward".
17- Law of Priorities: activity is not necessarily accomplishment and being busy does not equal being effective. Leadership has nothing to do with comfort and everything to do with progress, so focus on what's important. "Focus on what really matters".
18- Law of Sacrifice: yes, there's a high price to be a leader. You'll have more responsibilities and less rights. You'll have fewer options because being a leader requires sacrifice. "A leader must give up to go up and the only way to be there is to give up even more".
19- Law of Timing: the right action at the right time results in success. Reading a situation and knowing what to do are not enough to make you succeed in leadership. "When to lead is as important as what to do and where to go".
20- Law of Explosive Growth: to add growth, lead followers; to multiply, lead leaders. Look for leaders and empower them with a challenging environment where they can grow. "Add value to leaders so they will be willing to stay with you".
21- Law of Legacy: your lasting value is measured by your succession. Know the legacy you want to leave and be proactive to make it happen. "If you want to create a legacy, you need to live it first. You must become what you desire to see in others".
As the author says, everything rises and falls on leadership. Develop yourself and always think about what you can do to improve people's lives. I want you to be a leader, my friend. And that starts with you, setting a good example. God bless and see you next class!