Leadership Gold: Lessons I've Learned from a Lifetime of Leading

One of the enduring axioms of our time is the profound impact that good leadership can have on virtually any organization. However, contrary to clichés of the past - great leaders are not born into that role. The best leaders are developed over time through mentorship; trial-and-error; observation; diversity of life experience; an internal drive and desire plus a myriad of other factors. But in the book Leadership Gold, author Dr. John C. Maxwell outlines profound truths regarding leadership; the attributes that are hallmarks of these individuals as well as what those who aspire to lead can do to realize their potential and the potential in others. Maxwell has an impressive 40-year track record as a consultant and coach to some of the most powerful executives and decision makers in the world - he truly is a "leader of leaders." Soundview offers a resounding endorsement of this book because the author shares invaluable lessons and insights that he has spent an entire lifetime accumulating regarding leadership aspects that include style, strategy, team building and prioritization. Whether you're on the fast track to the corner office or have been there for some time, you are sure to benefit from the wisdom captured within these pages. Do your career a favor and read this book!

This book provides an essential wisdom on day to day leadership. Actually this book is sort of a summary of many wisdom on his previous books. However, I enjoy his insight and wisdom on leadership. Definitely one of the book I encourage to read for those who wants to excel in leadership.

I ordered this book as a gift as I have already read it. This a great book on leadership and life principles. I have read many other John Maxwell books and this is one of his best. If you lead or manage people (or want to) you need to read this book.

I have read most of John Maxwell's previous books and reviewed several of them. In recent years, it seemed to me that he was recycling many of the same ideas, albeit finding new applications for them. In this volume, he offers his perspectives on "years of living in a leadership environment and learning through trial and error what it means to be a leader. The lessons I've learned are personal and often simple, yet they can have a profound impact. I have spent my entire life mining them. I think of each chapter as a gold nugget. In the hands of the right person, they can add tremendous value to their leadership." He hastens to point out that he is still learning, that many others have made significant contributions to this book, that what he learned can also be learned by nearly anyone else, that much of what he shares is the result of leadership mistakes he has made over a period of 40+ years, and that the value of the material will depend almost entirely on the extent to which she or he effectively applies the lessons learned. In my opinion, this is Maxwell's most valuable book thus far because it combines the strengths of a vivid memory, a keen mind, a caring temperament, unadorned eloquence, and a sincere desire to help enrich the lives of others. He carefully organizes his material within 26 chapters. In each, he focuses on a "golden nugget" of insight. When concluding, he suggests that the danger of a book like this "is that it is easy to breeze through it, understanding the concepts that are contained in it but not actually [begin italics] doing [end italics] anything with them." In this context, I am reminded of Thomas Edison's suggestion that "vision without execution is hallucination." I especially appreciate Maxwell's skilful use of two sections that provide "Application Exercises" to complete a self-audit on the key points in each chapter and a "Mentoring Moment" that suggests how to share with others (e.g. direct reports) the lessons learned so that they can also benefit from them. Hopefully, this will help them, in turn, to help others to benefit from "the leadership gold." He also clusters sequences of key points highlighted with bold face. I also appreciate Maxwell's strategic use of dozens of relevant aphorisms from various sources, located in the margins of each chapter. For example: "Criticism is something you can avoid easily - by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing." -Aristotle "The signs of outstanding leadership appear primarily among the followers." - Max Depree "The business schools reward difficult behavior more than simple behavior, but simple behavior is more effective." - Warren Buffett "Nothing else distinguishes effective executives as much as their tender loving care of time." - Peter Drucker "The only thing worse than training employees and losing them is not training them and keeping them." - Zig Ziglar "It's wonderful when the people believe in their leader. It's more wonderful when the le

John Maxwell's books are great! This book is a wonderful compilation of the author's lifetime of writing books on leadership. The "how to" aspect of this book and the setup as a manual is reminiscent of the classic Dale Carnegie book, "How to win friends and influence people," and the current new dynamite little handbook by Norman Thomas Remick, "GOING BEYOND Leadership of Character: Keys to Unlock the Secrets of HOW TO BE A GREAT LEADER." If you read just one book, it must be Mr. Maxwell's "Leadership Gold". Read "Leadership Gold", the Carnegie book, and the Remick book and you've got all you need to rise to the top of your profession.