Foreword to the 10th Anniversary Edition
by Stephen R. Covey xi
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction xv
1. The Law of the Lid 1
How Well You Lead Determines How Well You Succeed
Brothers Dick and Maurice came as close as they could to living the American Dream-without making it. Instead a guy named Ray did it with the company they had founded. It happened because they didn't know the Law of the Lid.
2. The Law of Influence 13
The True Measure of Leadership Is Influence-Nothing More, Nothing Less
Abraham Lincoln started with the rank of captain, but by the time the war was over, he was a private. What happened? He was a casualty of the Law of Influence.
3. The Law of Process 27
Leadership Develops Daily, Not in a Day
Theodore Roosevelt helped create a world power, won a Nobel Peace Prize, and became president of the United States. But today you wouldn't even know his name if he hadn't known the Law of Process.
4. The Law of Navigation 39
Anyone Can Steer the Ship, but It Takes a Leader to Chart the Course
Using a fail-safe compass, Robert Falcon Scott led his team of adventurers to the end of the earth-and to inglorious deaths. They would have lived if only he, their leader, had known the Law of Navigation.
5. The Law of Addition 53
Leaders Add Value by Serving Others
What kind of a Fortune 500 CEO works on a folding table, answers his own phone, visits hourly employees as often as possible, and is criticized by Wall Street for being too good to his employees? The kind of leader who understands the Law of Addition.
6. The Law of Solid Ground 67
Trust Is the Foundation of Leadership
If only Robert McNamara had known the Law of Solid Ground, the war in Vietnam-and everything that happened at home because of it-might have turned out differently.
7. The Law of Respect 79
People Naturally Follow Better Leaders Than Themselves
The odds were stacked against her in just about every possible way, but thousands and thousands of people called her their leader. Why? Because they could not escape the power of the Law of Respect.
8. The Law of Intuition 95
Leaders Evaluate Everything with a Leadership Bias
When Jamie Kern Lima created a makeup line that worked for women with skin conditions, no one would carry it. She was even told no one would buy beauty products from someone who looked, like her. But because she followed the Law of Intuition, she became a billionaire.
9. The Law of Magnetism 109
Who You Are Is Who You Attract
How does the new young CEO resurrect a formerly respected one-hundred-year-old brand and make it successful again? She leverages her knowledge of the Law of Magnetism.
10. The Law of Connection 123
Leaders Touch a Heart Before They Ask for a Hand
Who would take out a full-page ad in a national newspaper on Boss's Day to thank their CEO? Employees who've been touched by a leader who lives the Law of Connection.
11. The Law of the Inner Circle 135
Those Closest to You Determine the Level of Your Success
No leaders-past, present, or future-are successful without this. It will either make or break them. What am I referring to? It's none other than the Law of the Inner Circle.
12. The Law of Empowerment 149
Only Secure Leaders Give Power to Others
Henry Ford is considered an icon of American business for revolutionizing the automobile industry. So what caused him to stumble so badly that his son feared Ford Motor Company would go out of business? He was held captive by the Law of Empowerment.
13. The Law of the Picture 165
People Do What People See
Easy Company withstood the German advance at the Battle of the Bulge and dashed Hitler's last hope for stopping the Allies' advance. They were able to do it because their leaders embraced the Law of the Picture.
14. The Law of Buy-In 181
People Buy into the Leader, Then the Vision
They freed their nation by passively protesting, even when it cost them their lives by the thousands. What would, inspire them to do such a thing? The Law of Buy-In.
15. The Law of Victory 195
Leaders Find Ways for the Team to Win
What saved England, from the Blitz, broke apartheid's back in South Africa, and won the Chicago Bulls multiple world championships? In all three cases the answer is the same. Their leaders lived by the Law of Victory.
16. The Law of the Big Mo 207
Momentum Is a Leaders Best Friend
Jaime Escalante has been called the best teacher in America. But his teaching ability is only half the story. His and Garfield High School's success came because of the Law of the Big Mo.
17. The Law of Priorities 221
Leaders Understand That Activity Is Not Necessarily Accomplishment
They called him the wizard. His priorities were so focused that if you gave him a date and time, he could have told you exactly what drill his players were performing and why! It won him ten championships. What can the Law of Priorities do for you?
18. The Law of Sacrifice 233
A Leader Must Give Up to Go Up
What would you give up for the people who followed you? This leader gave his life. Why? Because he understood the power of the Law of Sacrifice.
19. The Law of Timing 247
When to Lead Is As Important As What to Do and Where to Go
Leaders at every level dropped the ball: the mayor, the governor, the cabinet secretary, and the president. Not one of them understood the potential devastation that can come when a leader violates the Law of Timing.
20. The Law of Explosive Growth 261
To Add Growth, Lead Followers-To Multiply, Lead Leaders
Is it possible to train more than a million people around the globe? It is if you use leader's math. That's the secret of the Law of Explosive Growth.
21. The Law of Legacy 277
A Leaders Lasting Value Is Measured by Succession
What will people say at your funeral? The things they say tomorrow depend on how you live today using the Law of Legacy.
Conclusion 291
21 Laws Leadership Evaluation 293
Notes 303