The 21 Laws of Leadership: How to Develop the Qualities of a Leader

Chapter 2 Preface
What makes people determined to follow a leader?Why do people harbor contempt for a leader and resist obeying?Why do people follow another leader so hard?In the real world, what factors lead to the stark difference between leadership theorists and successful leaders?The answer lies in the character and temperament of the parties involved.

Dear friend, do you have what it takes to be an outstanding leader?In other words, it is the kind of personal temperament that can not only attract talents, but also manage things well.If you look carefully and deeply into your inner qualities, can you find in yourself those qualities you need to help you realize the wild dreams inside you?This is the question we must answer bravely and honestly if we are to truly realize our potential.

The purpose of this book is to help you discover, develop, and refine your personal temperament, making you an effective leader and making people naturally want to follow you.If you have read "21 Laws of Leadership", then you must know that the growth of leaders takes time.In the "Laws of Process" in the book, I mentioned that the development of leadership skills is accumulated over time, not overnight.One of the steps in developing leadership skills is becoming familiar with the principles of leadership because that is an important tool for making leadership effective.However, it is one thing to be familiar with the principle, and another to actually operate it.

I was talking recently with a friend named Bill Freeman, president of Watkins Associates, Inc., the largest trucking company in the United States.Bill was an outstanding manager, like all good leaders.He often looks for opportunities to learn so that he can continue to grow.

"I'm halfway through your book," Bill said, referring to "21 Laws of Leadership." "It changed my perspective a lot."

Next, something Bill said struck me.He said: "Let me tell you how I read your book. Every morning I just read one chapter, and then that day I think about the principles of that chapter. When I work, I reflect on whether I have done it." The point it conveys; I observe everyone in the company to see if they also treat others with this principle. I use these principles to measure, observe, assess, and even reflect on the operation of the entire company. Use a different principle every day for a few days Come down, even I feel that my eyes are wide open!"

Bill's words made me think a lot.In fact, it was his words that prompted me to write this book.He is intelligent and has a deep understanding of slowly developing his leadership skills from the inside out.Leaders are effective because they tap into their inner qualities.Therefore, to achieve the highest level of leadership, one must know how to develop these qualities from the inside out.

After talking to Bill, I took a moment to think about the leaders I admire the most, and the types of leaders people really want to follow.I analyze what qualities they have and try to find out what they have in common.At the same time, I also consulted the ideas of other leaders, and re-examined those leaders who are well-known in history. Finally, I summarized 21 qualities that great leaders have in common.These temperaments will be presented one by one in each chapter of this book. This book and "21 Laws of Leadership" complement each other. I hope readers can read these two books together to achieve a deeper understanding.

When you start reading this book, you will find that you can read several chapters, or even the entire book, in one sitting.But don't do it.This book is designed in the way that Bill Freeman said: it needs to be read strategically and methodically.

I encourage you to live with this book for a while.Read a chapter, then stop for a while.The content of each chapter requires you to think, review, and use it to reshape your own quality.If the quality you're learning is a weakness in your life, take a moment to digest it before reading the next chapter.You could even re-read these several times over the course of the year, making each of these qualities part of your personal character.

The success or failure of everything depends on leadership, and the cultivation of leadership is indeed from the inside out.If you can develop the temperament needed to lead, then you can demonstrate the kind of leadership you want, and people will naturally want to follow you.When all this begins to be realized, there will be nothing too difficult in the world.

John C. Maxwell

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