After more than thirty years of serving in leadership positions and speaking on leadership, author John C. Maxwell is often asked, “If you were to take everything you’ve learned about leadership over the years and boil it down into a short list, what would it be?

Simply and briefly, Maxwell outlines the essentials of leadership that transcend time, place, culture, and situation. These basic laws of success can be applied to business and private life, helping anyone reach their full potential.

1. The Law of the Lid ; Leadership Ability Determines a Person’s Level of Effectiveness

2. The Law of Influence; The True Measure of Leadership Is Influence–Nothing More, Nothing Less

3. The Law of Process; Leadership Develops Daily, Not in a Day

4. The Law of Navigation; Anyone Can Steer the Ship, But It Takes a Leader to Chart the Course

5. The Law of E.F. Hutton; When the Real Leader Speaks, People Listen

6. The Law of Solid Ground; Trust Is the Foundation of Leadership

7. The Law of Respect; People Naturally Follow Leaders Stronger Than Themselves

8. The Law of Intuition; Leaders Evaluate Everything with a Leadership Bias

9. The Law of Magnetism; Who You Are Is Who You Attract

10. The Law of Connection; Leaders Touch a Heart Before They Ask for a Hand

11. The Law of the Inner Circle; A Leader’s Potential Is Determined by Those Closest to Him

12. The Law of Empowerment; Only Secure Leaders Give Power to Others

13. The Law of Reproduction; It Takes a Leader to Raise Up a Leader

14. The Law of Buy-InP; eople Buy Into the Leader, Then the Vision

15. The Law of Victory; Leaders Find a Way for the Team to Win

16. The Law of the Big Mo; Momentum Is a Leader’s Best Friend

17. The Law of Priorities; Leaders Understand That Activity Is Not Necessarily Accomplishment

18. The Law of Sacrifice; A Leader Must Give Up to Go Up

19. The Law of Timing; When to Lead Is As Important As What to Do and Where to Go

20. The Law of Explosive Growth; To Add Growth, Lead Followers–To Multiply Growth, Lead Leaders

21. The Law of Legacy; A Leader’s Lasting Value Is Measured by Succession