Week 1: Introduction — Why Laws?

1.Maxwell opens by arguing that leadership is not simply a gift some people have and others don't — it operates according to irrefutable laws. What does the word "irrefutable" imply, and why do you think Maxwell chose it for the title? Do you find that claim convincing before you've read the laws themselves?

2.Think about the best leader you have personally known. What made that person effective? As you begin this study, how much of their effectiveness would you attribute to (a) natural talent, (b) learned skills, or (c) adherence to principles you couldn't yet name?

3.Maxwell draws on examples from business, politics, sports, religion, and military conflict throughout the book. Why is that breadth of illustration important to his argument that the laws are universal? What field are you most familiar with, and how might it serve as your primary testing ground for these laws?

4.The updated edition includes a self-evaluation tool for identifying your leadership strengths and weaknesses. If you used that tool (or if you take a moment now to reflect honestly): which two or three laws do you suspect will expose the greatest gaps in your current leadership practice?

5.Maxwell says that breaking the laws of leadership has consequences — not as punishment, but as natural cause and effect. Can you think of a time in your own life when you violated a leadership principle (even before you knew it was a "law") and experienced a predictable negative result? What happened?

6.How do you hope this study changes you — not just what you know, but how you lead? Write down one specific, concrete hope for what will be different about your leadership in six months.