In keeping with my comments on John Maxwell’s 21 Irrefutable laws here are my comments on Chapter 5.
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership
by John Maxwell
Chapter Five
The Law of Addition
This law is all about others. It is about placing more value on someone else than us. The bible says in Eph. 6:8 basically “knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord”. It’s not about me it’s about whether I can impart what I have been given back into others.
From my earliest years I was taught to be strong, take what you can and claw your way to the top. Even team sports only talk about winning not on instilling good character traits like teamwork, integrity and fairness. The Sheriff’s Office philosophy is also based on that premise, do what you can do to get promoted.
I want to invest in others. I saw as a young Christian new to the faith one in whom a ministry call was evident what it was like for those in leadership to downplay or ignore my calling for their own promotion. Wasn’t it said in John 3:30 that we should decrease so He could increase?
So I must let others take preeminence so that they can be mentored or trained. It’s all about people. I am secure in knowing who I am in Christ. So I need to invest in those people by listening to them, valuing their opinions even when they differ from mine and watching how I say things. Words have more power than we realize. Death and life are the only results of the words we utter. They can never be retrieved. I will add value to others by being an encourager.
