The Law Of Navigation

Law #4 of John Maxwell's The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership is:

The Law Navigation: Anyone Can Steer the Ship, but It Takes a Leader to Chart the Course.

This law represents that fact that in order to effectively lead others, the leader has to know, not just WHERE they are going, but HOW they will get there. Anyone can follow the map; the leader needs to draw the map out. And, “the larger the organization, the more clearly the leader has to be able to see ahead… since sheer size makes midcourse corrections more difficult.” Good leaders will always have this in mind- that “others are depending on them and their ability to chart the course.”

Maxwell notes that before embarking on a journey, good leaders will go through a process to try to maximize the success of that journey:

· Navigators Draw On Past Experience: Looking Inward: It is key to understand what we did right to achieve our successes and what we did wrong to reach our failures. Many of us want to brush failures under the rug and move past and forget them. But, “if you fail to learn from your mistakes, you’re going to fail again and again.” Maxwell notes the importance of developing the discipline of reflective thinking [explored further in his book Thinking for a Change], which:

-gives us true perspective

-gives emotional integrity to our thought life

-increases our confidence in decision making

-clarifies the big picture, and

-takes a good experience and makes it a valuable experience.

· Navigators Examine The Conditions Before Making A Commitment: Looking Outward: It is essential to examine current conditions, as well, that may affect your course…not just measurable factors [finances, resources, talent], but also intangible factors [timing, morale, momentum, culture]. “No matter how much you learn from the past, it will never tell you all you need to know for the present.”

· Navigators Listen To What Others Have To Say: Good navigators will seek input and advice and gather information from many sources to be better able to plot the course. Sources can range from more experienced experts in the field, who are already where you want to go, to other members of the current team, who can give insight to the pulse of the grassroots level of the business. “No matter how good a leader you are, you yourself will not have all the answers.”

· Navigators Make Sure Their Conclusions Represent Both Faith And Fact: While a good leader must have faith that s/he can take the organization ‘all the way,’ s/he must also be able to consider the facts realistically. “Balancing optimism and realism, intuition and planning, faith and fact can be very difficult. But that’s what it takes to be effective as a navigation leader.”

“If the leader can’t navigate the people through the tough waters, he’s liable to sink the ship.”

Maxwell offers a blueprint of a navigation process he has used repeatedly: PLAN AHEAD:

Predetermine a course of action.

Lay out your goals.

Adjust your priorities.

Notify key personnel.

Allow time for acceptance.

Head into action.

Expect problems.

Always point to the successes.

Daily review of your plan.

“The secret to the Law of Navigation is preparation.”

Applying the Law of Navigation to Your Life

1. Make it a regular practice to review your positive and negative experiences. Either set aside time each week to examine your calendar or journal to jog your memory, or set reflection time after each success or failure. In either case, write down your thoughts and what you learn.

2. Navigating leaders do their homework. For a project or major task you are currently responsible for, draw on your past experiences, speak with experts [national/international] and team members to gather information and examine current conditions that could impact the project. THEN [AFTER that preparation] make your action plan.

3. Rarely is a leader exceptionally gifted at leading by BOTH facts and faith. Toward which do you lean? You MUST know. If you don’t, ask friends, relatives, coworkers, etc. Then make sure you have someone who leans toward the other on your team so you can work together.

Reference:

Maxwell, John. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Chapter 3- The Law of Process. Thomas Nelson, Nashville, TN; 2007