6 of John Maxwell’s Most Influential Books
Over the last 40 years, author John Maxwell has written more than 100 books, selling more than 24 million copies translated into multiple languages around the globe. Designed to help business leaders optimize their influence, John Maxwell books have been powerful tools for mentors, business leaders, and executive coaches worldwide.
If you are new to John Maxwell, take a look at these six of his most popular titles.
1. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership
Published in 1998, this book asks two important questions: first, what is a leader? Second, how does leadership work? Considered one of the most important leadership books of all time, the title has sold more than 1 million copies. In it, John Maxwell outlines 21 different “laws,” crafting a leadership framework that is equally useful to new and experienced business leaders.
Maxwell emphasizes that leadership is learned, not inherited, and that anyone who internalizes universal principles such as honesty, fairness, and good judgment can become an effective leader. Good leaders build trust among their followers by upholding their own rules, focusing on success, and demonstrating a commitment to their followers’ wellbeing.
2. The 5 Levels of Leadership
Maxwell considers leadership to be a dynamic scale, meaning leaders can advance along a spectrum of five leadership levels: Position, Permission, Production, People Development, and Pinnacle. To advance to the next level, they master skill sets that help them motivate, inspire, and engage team members. A leader who has reached Pinnacle level has created a thriving team culture, a supportive workplace environment, and a succession plan consisting of strong leaders to serve the organization going forward. This is the true goal of leadership, to amplify one person’s influence and create a legacy that lasts longer than their own tenure.
3. The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth
According to John Maxwell, the ongoing pursuit of personal growth is the hallmark of a great leader. In The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth, he outlines specific principles and practices to help leaders identify their purpose, develop effective strategies, and reach their full potential. Specifically, good leaders create development plans to help them translate ideas into manageable action steps.
Maxwell divides the book’s chapters pragmatically and recommends spending a full week working through each chapter. This allows readers to truly digest the information, implementing it before proceeding to the next topic. For example, the first chapter covers the Law of Intentionality, which urges leaders to focus on how far they can go, not how long the process will take. The book encourages consistency through daily repetitions of personal goals, as well as the identification of fears and obstacles.
4. Developing the Leader within You
Published in 1993, this book was John Maxwell’s first leadership book. The original version sold more than 1 million copies; he released a revised version in 2018, reflecting on the 30 years of experience he had since accumulated. This book laid the foundation for later titles, explaining that adopting a leadership role requires dedication to personal growth.
Additionally, Maxwell advocates for servant leadership, which prioritizes the wellbeing of employees and the organization over the leader’s personal objectives. Employees in a servant leadership environment are more likely to feel that their voices are heard, contributing to the greater good and the overall health of the organization. Developing the Leader within You offers practical, straightforward advice to help leaders enhance and refine their leadership qualities.
5. Developing the Leaders around You
Just as leaders focus on personal development, they have a succession plan in place if they wish to leave a legacy. To ensure the ongoing health of an organization, effective CEOs and executives recognize the value of mentorship. Making good hiring choices is just the beginning; managers also need to invest in teaching and developing new colleagues, supporting them as they adapt to the company culture and learn to embody company values.
Teaching employees to lead requires humility, competence, and dedication on your part. The result is a team comprising individuals who can make key decisions and solve critical problems. Not only does this benefit the company, it also allows the leader to experience greater fulfillment and freedom.
6. Failing Forward
Everyone experiences failure at some point in their career. Failing Forward encourages leaders to overcome their fear of failure and learn to consider their mistakes and missteps to be an invaluable component of success. Using Maxwell’s 15 steps, leaders can take ownership of their failures, embrace them as natural, and learn valuable lessons that fuel future endeavors.
John Maxwell’s books continue to resonate with leaders today, as they don’t just discuss fads or trends. Instead, they outline concrete strategies to help professionals grow their influence. According to a survey by the Human Resources Professionals Association, 63 percent of millennial workers believe they are not receiving sufficient leadership training. Additionally, 71 percent of those workers plan to leave their jobs within two years because of this lack. To avoid this, you may want to consider implementing some of John Maxwell’s strategies at your organization.
