The Law of Explosive Growth

Law #20 of John Maxwell's The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership is:

The Law of Explosive Growth: To Add Growth, Lead Followers; To Multiply, Add Leaders

Leaders’ Math- “Becoming a leader who develops leaders requires an entirely different focus and attitude from simply attracting and leading followers. It takes a different mindset.” Maxwell talks about a tension a leader can feel between him/herself and followers- derived from the difference between where the followers are and where they should be [something the leader sees before everyone else]. He notes that the way to relieve the tension is to acknowledge the Law of Explosive Growth:

• If you develop yourself, you à personal success
• If you develop your team, your organization à growth
• If you develop leaders, your organization à explosive growth

A Different Focus- Maxwell lists some differences between leaders who attract followers and those who develop leaders

• Leaders who attract Followers… Need to be needed
• Leaders who develop Leaders… Want to be succeeded

Although having followers can make you feel needed and important, this is a shallow reason to lead, and is based on insecurity. Leading for the sake of the followers and for what you can leave behind as your legacy, what good leaders do, stems from a position of confidence and strength.

• Leaders who attract Followers… Develop the bottom 20%
• Leaders who develop Leaders… Develop the top 20%

The weaker people are usually those asking for the most help. If you ‘need to be needed,’ then you sill spend your time addressing those issues of the bottom 20%. If you seek out the top 20%, on the other hand, and pour into them, they will be able to handle the rest, and then some.

• Leaders who attract Followers… Focus on weaknesses
• Leaders who develop Leaders… Focus on strengths

If you are spending you time dealing with the bottom 20%, you are usually dealing with their weaknesses [since they require tour time and attention to help them do their job. If you are developing the top 20%- you are able to focus on and develop strengths.

• Leaders who attract Followers… Treat everyone the same
• Leaders who develop Leaders… Treat individuals differently

“Leaders who develop leaders give rewards, resources and responsibility based on results. The greater the impact of the leaders, the more opportunities they receive.” It is not so much about everyone getting equal opportunities.”

• Leaders who attract Followers… Spend time with others
• Leaders who develop Leaders… Invest time in others

True- this takes more time and energy in many ways, but it pays huge dividends.

• Leaders who attract Followers… Grow by addition
• Leaders who develop Leaders… Grow by multiplication

See picture

The Challenge Of Leading Leaders

1. Leaders are hard to find- “most people are followers; some are producers; few are leaders…leaders are like eagles, they don’t flock.”
2. Leaders are hard to gather- Leaders want to find their own way…make their own rules. If you want to gather leaders, you have to provide an environment for them to be able to thrive.
3. Leaders are hard to keep- It is even harder to keep them than it is to find and gather them. “The only way to keep leaders is to become a better leader yourself,” so that you can keep adding value to them.

“Leadership development compounds. The more you invest in people and the longer you do it, the greater the growth and the higher the return.”

Applying the Law of Explosive Growth to Your Life

1. Identify your current stage of leadership development

• Stage 1- Developing yourself
• Stage 2- Developing your team
• Stage 3- Developing leaders

To help you decide- note specific actions you have taken for each step. If you are not developing leaders, why not? What steps can you take to start?

2. What are you doing to find and gather leaders? What places do you go, events you attend, networks you access to accomplish this? How do you then follow through to the next step of realizing this?

3. What are you doing to gather and hold leaders? In other words, what are you doing to become a better leader yourself? How are you adding value to and helping to grow them?

Reference:

Maxwell, John. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Chapter 20- The Law of Explosive Growth. Thomas Nelson, Nashville, TN; 2007