Leadership Lessons: The Lid on Your Leadership

Posted on:

February 9, 2024

Has your company hit a brick wall? Are revenue and profitability in decline? Are you losing employees? Do you wish you were back in a truck running service calls?

If so, your company has hit its lid. As the company owner and leader, you and your ability to lead determine whether the lid is screwed on tight or whether there’s room for growth.

“Leadership ability is always the lid on personal and organizational success. The lower your leadership ability, the lower the lid on your potential. The higher your leadership ability, the higher the lid on your potential.” – John Maxwell

Maxwell calls this dynamic The Law of the Lid: how well you lead determines how well you succeed.

Signs of Decline

Perhaps the number one sign of decline is when the company leader does not pursue personal growth and development. If the leader isn’t working on their leadership skills, their leadership will stagnate and begin to decline.

If I’m advising someone contemplating a new company, I recommend looking into the track record of leadership development for the company leader and the person who will be their manager. If it’s not active and perpetual, I recommend passing on that company.

Company morale is sinking lower and lower.

Good employees are leaving.

Revenue and profitability flatline in the traditionally busy months.

When a professional sports team’s performance declines for a significant period, the owners fire the head coach. There’s a trickle-down effect. Batting coaches get fired if hitters aren’t hitting. Pitching coaches get fired if pitching performance drops off. The hot dog vendor gets fired if people aren’t buying hot dogs. Although I’m not entirely sure about that last one, we have more room in business than professional sports team leaders.

Raise Your Leadership Lid

Maxwell’s book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, is an excellent launch pad for leadership. How important is the Law of the Lid? It’s the first law that Maxwell discusses in the book. Whether employees are trying to increase influence, starting as managers, or are seasoned managers, this book provides the backbone to deliver.

Maxwell says leadership cannot be appointed or assigned. It only comes from developing influence. If you want your people to positively influence your customers, community, each other, and their families, apply The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. A freshly minted manager passing along leadership resources to a coworker adds value. When you add value, you lead.

I am starting my 5th year teaching the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership curriculum. The overwhelming response from experienced manager attendees with high leadership skills is, “I had forgotten how relevant this material is!” That’s followed by, “I really needed this refresher.”

Pursue and apply leadership growth and development and you not only give yourself a chance you give your employees more room to grow and develop. When they advance, you advance. You can work on greater projects and responsibilities when you delegate leadership responsibilities to others.

Take Action

Learning, applying, and practicing leadership is a lifelong process for the serious professional. You can learn leadership skills from a book or seminar, but you cannot be a leader if you aren’t acting on your own learning.

Transcend your brick wall and raise the lid on your leadership!

Check out the entire January/February 2024 digital issue of ACCA Now here.

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Dave Rothacker

Dave Rothacker is an independent executive director in the John Maxwell organization, leadership guide at the Go Time Success Group, and co-author of It's Go Time, a book chronicling Ben Stark and Chris Hunter's transformation from single truck businesses to successful owners of multi-million-dollar, profitable operations.

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