John Maxwell's #5 Law of Leadership: The Law of Addition

This is the Ed Myland Show. 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership Series, Law 5, The Law of Addition. The best leaders I've ever known were not the ones who made people feel smaller. Now let me tell you, I've been around leaders who think they're leaders and they're constantly suppressing their people, putting them down, shrinking them, alienating them by making them feel small.

Somehow some leaders think if I can keep everybody else small, it makes me look bigger. And nothing is further from the truth. The greatest leaders I've known elevate people. They make them feel big.

They make them feel important. They make them feel loved and believed in. They make them feel valued. See, they were the ones who made people feel bigger.

They made people believe more. They made people see more. They made people expect more of themselves. You know, one of the things I've realized, when you pour belief into somebody, they want to live up to that belief.

when you believe that they can do something great they want to live up to that they want to prove to you that they're capable of your belief they want to return the investment you've made in them the best leaders I know the best parents I know they believe in people you know as a parent I think it's almost a ticket into the game that we love our children we love our family I think as a leader it's easy to love people and we focus on that but believing in them is different even with our spouses.

Many spouses love their loved ones, but do they believe in you? One of the questions I get asked all the time in business is, how do I get my spouse to support me? How do I get my leader in business to support me? And that makes me so sad because there's a level, if you love somebody, that they feel it most deeply when they also believe you believe in them.

That's what a real leader does. They add value because the true measure of leadership is not how many people you serve. It's how many people are better because you served them. Welcome back to this special leadership series on John Maxwell's 21 irrefutable laws of leadership.

You know, for decades, these laws have shaped leaders in business, sports, organizations, families, communities, churches, and teams all around the world, including the ones I've led. In this series, John Maxwell teaches the law itself, the timeless leadership principle. And my role is sort of to bring that principle into the real world, what it looks like under pressure, and what it looks like when you're leading people, what it looks like when the stakes are high. Maybe most importantly, what it looks like when leadership becomes less about being impressive and more about being impactful.

You know, one of the things that I've learned from John over the years is to reveal my imperfections to people. He said, you know, Ed, if you want to impress people, show them how perfect you are. But if you want to connect with them, reveal your imperfections, because that gives people hope. If they think you're perfect as a leader and you're not pouring into them, they don't believe they can ever get where you are.

They think that somehow you're different than them. And I found over time, the more that I'm just honest with people, authentic with people, even vulnerable as a leader, that I'm adding value to their lives. I've learned from John over the years that my number one job is to transfer belief to people, transfer skills to people, to pour into them the talents, the skills requisite to their success, most importantly, the belief in them. And what I found out is that's all about adding value.

And that's why today's principle is the law of addition. And this law is one of the simplest to understand, but one of the hardest to consistently live. Because the law of addition says leaders add value by serving others. And you know, I have to tell you something.

I'm always, as a leader, trying to find different ways that I can add value. Is that value a new skill, a new tactic? Is it our culture? Is it our environment?

Is it having a little bit more fun? Is it just pulling somebody aside and saying, hey, I believe in you. You're doing a great job acknowledging somebody. You know, people will do more for recognition than they even will for money or anything else.

Yet a lot of times the only time in people's lives they feel recognized is when someone recognizes a mistake they've made. And, you know, you could just begin to find reasons to praise people, find reasons to add value. almost become obsessed when you're away from your business or your family or your team. How can I add more value?

You'll become one of the great leaders of all time. And it sounds simple, but in real life, it challenges almost everything our culture teaches about success. Because most people are taught to climb, to get ahead, especially in today's age, get attention, get noticed, to be important, to win, and winning matters. Achievement matters.

But building something great also matters. There's really two types of people I've found in the world as leaders. One leader walks in a room and says, here I am. The other leader walks in a room and says, there you are.

The great leaders see you. The great leaders walk in a room and say, there you are. They don't make a big deal about themselves. They make a big deal about the people they serve.

And you know what? Leadership is not just about what you can build for yourself. It's about what you can build in other people. I really believe that over the years that I'm the process of watching who people are becoming and seeing them grow If you can grow people if you can add value to people if these people are growing in your environment Your business will grow your team will win more.

You'll have more people attending your church You'll probably make more money and that's not even why you should do it You should do it because that's what leaders do One of the biggest mistakes people make about leadership is thinking leadership is about status or I'm a leader because now I've got this title or I'm sitting in the head chair or the platform they have or their authority. But leadership is not proven by how many people are beneath you. You ever hear a leader say, my people?

My people? You don't own anybody. It's our people. It's our family.

Beginning to look at everybody as equal, everybody as valuable, that's a great leader to me. Leadership is proven by how many people are better because they were around you. That's a completely different way to think. In fact, if you step back right now and you evaluate yourself as a leader, rather than just the metrics of, you know, profitability or sales or whatever it might be attendees to your business or your church or even as a father or a mother step back and ask yourself are they getting better Are the people around me getting better No excuses.

That's your job as a leader. And if they're not getting better, maybe it's time to not always just look at them, but it's to look at us. I've had to do that many times in my life. And I can tell you, the more you focus on this, the more you will begin to be an added value leader.

The law of addition is now evolved, but John used to talk to people about what he would call the influence of EF Hutton. EF Hutton is a company who ran a great commercial back in the 70s saying, when EF Hutton talks, people listen. It's one of the most famous commercials ever. If you're an old guy like me, you remember it, but you understand the principle.

And so going back to the second law of influence, it doesn't matter what a job title you might have. Who cares what your title is? Your influence in the room and adding value to others is what really matters. A leader who adds value walks into a room and asks a different question.

Not how can this room serve me, but how can I serve this room? And that starts with noticing them, seeing them, letting them feel valued. You dads and moms out there, how many times have we walked in a room and not even seen the precious people we love in the room? Slow down for a second and see them.

You business leaders, how many times have you just walked in? Okay, let's get started. Stop and see them. Thank them.

Notice them. There you are. Not how can these people make me look good, but how can I help these people become better? How can I make them look good?

That's the shift. And once a leader makes that shift, everything changes. People can feel the difference between a leader who wants something from them and a leader who wants something for them. They can feel when you care.

They can feel when you're present. They can feel when your standards are meant to develop them, not embarrass them. And when people feel valued, they show up totally differently. They become more loyal, more committed.

They become more confident. They're more willing to grow. They want to come in earlier. They want to stay later.

They're more willing to be coached because they know the leader is not just extracting from them, but the leader is investing in them. There's a major difference between using people and developing people. Using people is transactional, and transactional leaders only win short-term. Long-term, they do not.

Developing people is transformational. I want to challenge you to be a transformational leader, not a transactional leader. A transactional leader says, what can you do for me? A transformational leader says, who can you become if I help you grow?

Transactional leadership cares about output, capacity, sees people as tools, sees people as potential. They only recognize the top. They only recognize sales and productivity. The transformational leader recognizes those things, but they also recognize commitment, character, integrity, love, and loyalty.

And this is where so many leaders miss it. They get focused on the result and forget the person. They focus on the production and forget the development. They focus on the goal and forget the growth.

But the greatest leaders understand that people are not machines. They're human beings with dreams, fears, insecurities, gifts, wounds, ambitions, and potential. And when you add value to people, you are not just improving their performance. You're strengthening the person behind the performance.

And when the person gets stronger, the performance will use. Guys, I got to tell you about Chime. And let me tell you why. Chime is changing the way people bank.

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People live in alignment with who they believe they are. If someone believes they're average, they tend to behave average. If someone believes they're not capable, they hesitate. If someone believes they're not worthy, they shrink.

And by the way, if they believe you don't believe in them, they shrink. They don't take action. They flinch. They play fearfully.

But a great leader can step into someone's life and help them see a version of themselves they've not fully believed in yet. Leaders come in different forms. A lot of you are running big companies and small companies and churches, and some of you are coaches. Do they know you believe in them?

You moms and dads, your kids, they know you love them. But do they know how much you believe in them? And by the way, why you believe in them? What is it about them that you believe in them And tell them that and repeat it over and over This is one of the deepest ways a leader can add value Sometimes adding value is not giving someone more information It's helping them see a higher identity.

It's saying, I see something in you. I believe you're capable of more. And by the way, in my career, anytime I've ever needed to criticize someone, if I had to correct them, I always begin with belief first before the criticism or the correction. And I finish with that belief.

It's almost like a sandwich. I believe in you so deeply. I know you're capable of more. And this is why I'm pointing this out to you.

And then I'll point out the correction. And then I'll finish with, and again, because you're so great. You're going to do so well. I believe in you so deeply.

I know you can reach this standard. And so, you know, I'll say to people, I know you've made mistakes, but your mistakes are not the final word. That kind of leadership changes people because many people do not need another critic. As a parent, no matter where I was in the world, every night before my kids would fall asleep, I'd make sure I told Bella, you're a superstar.

And Max, you're a leader. You're a champion. You're the greatest of all time. Whether it's friends, family, or coworkers, people already have plenty of voices telling them what they're not, including their own.

What they need is a leader who can call out what they can become. Because here's the key. Adding value does not mean flattering people. It does not mean telling people they're great when they're not doing the work.

It means telling them the truth with belief. It means challenging them. Great leaders challenge people. Hold them to a high standard while also communicating, I believe you can rise.

to this level of leadership. I believe you can rise to this standard. That's leadership. In The Power of One More, I talk about the idea that one more can change everything.

One more decision. One more call. One more rep in the gym. One more relationship.

One more moment of courage. And the law of addition works the same way because often adding value to someone does not require some huge dramatic moment. It happens in small moments repeated over time. One more word of encouragement.

One more honest conversation. One more opportunity given. One more time you remind someone who they are. You never know which moment becomes the turning point for someone else.

Sometimes a leader says something in passing that a person remembers for the rest of their life. By the way, good or bad. You can say a thousand good things to somebody and catch them at the wrong time and hurt their feelings. And they'll remember that more than the thousand positive things.

Make sure you catch them at that moment and pour into them. Sometimes a leader believes in someone at the exact moment when they are about to quit. Sometimes a leader gives someone an opportunity that changes the entire direction of their future, of their life. That's why this law matters so much, because adding value is not always loud.

Sometimes it's quiet. Sometimes it's simple. But that one moment can multiply for years. So let's hear John Maxwell teach the foundation of this principle, the law of addition.

Law number five in the 21 irrefutable laws of leadership is the law of addition. Leaders add value by serving others. I wish when I was a young leader that I would have fully understood and exercised this law. As a young leader, I had a title and position.

And so for a couple of years, I leaned heavily on that to allow me to lead. And honestly, I really wasn't really successful relying on position. because positional leadership honestly is almost opposite of servant leadership. Position leadership kind of says to others, look, follow me because I'm the leader.

Do as I say. I'm the boss. And position leadership has kind of a, I don't know, a sense that people serve you as the leader. that I could still remember hearing Zig Ziglar in my 20s again, a young leader, say that if I would help people get what they wanted in their life, they would help me get everything that I wanted in my life.

And that was a huge paradigm shift for me because I was one of those people saying, help me get what I want. Get on my leadership train. You know, take my leadership trip. And Zig was saying to me, no, no, just go serve people.

Find out what they want, what they need, what would fulfill them. And you go help them. What he was really saying is you'll begin to really develop influence with people when it's about them more than what it's about you. You see, when a person has entitlement feelings, a phrase you'll hear them talk about a lot of times is, is, is I serve, I deserve, I deserve this.

I, well, I deserve that. After all, I'm a leader. Look, look how much I've done. I deserve this.

There's a world of difference between I deserve and I serve. I deserve is you serve me. And again, I've often said, ah, really? Do you need a position?

Do you need titles for you to be able to serve people and add value to people and make a difference positively in their life? I don't think so. I don't think so at all. When I travel a lot of times and I go speak, before I go on stage, you know, whoever's the emcee will come to me and say, now here's the introduction I have for you.

And they'll have, I don't know, a page of stuff to say. And I look at them and say, really, do we have to say all that? You know, and they kind of look at me surprised. And you say, well, these are all the things you've done.

I know that. But really, do you think that people care? Just make the introduction simple. Sometimes I tell them just to say, you know, here comes John.

He's your friend. Just let me out. You know why I say all that? Because if you're really good, you don't need a big introduction.

Because you're really good. And by the way, if you're really bad, a big introduction won't help you at all. Not at all. It's the same way with titles.

Just get over yourself. Just don't take yourself so serious. Because once you understand this incredible law of leadership and you begin to add value to others by serving them I will promise you your influence will not only be expanded it will be deepened It will not only become longer and bigger it will be stronger Because you're leading out of good motives, and everybody knows you put them first. That truly is the law of addition.

If you haven't done it yet, click the link below. You need the 21-page workbook in your hands to track the rep for every law. Plus, that is the only way to get your questions in front of John and I for the Q&A sessions coming up in a few weeks. Get the guide, join the list, and let's get back to the teaching.

That law is so powerful because it reminds us that leadership is never just about the leader. It's about the people being led. Remember this. People matter.

Things don't. Every interaction we have as leaders is doing one of two things. It's either adding value or subtracting value. Let me say that to you again.

You are either adding value or subtracting value. I want to recommend something to you. Next time you have a meeting with your business or your family, after that meeting, ask yourself, did I just add or subtract? Did I add or subtract?

Every meeting, every conversation, every moment at home, every decision, we're either helping people become more or we're making it harder for them to grow. And the best leaders are intentional. They do not wait for some big platform to add value. They do it every day in small moments.

It's the small moments that are more important than the big ones. In private conversations, they do it. In the way they listen, in the way they encourage, in the way they create opportunities. Leadership is not about getting people to admire you.

It's about helping people become better because they were around you. So how do leaders actually add value? Well, first, they listen. If I look back at my life, especially in business, of the leaders I admire most, some of them were charismatic.

Some of them had unbelievable personalities. Some of them were very brilliant. And that's great, and it's important sometimes. But some of them didn't have that.

But you know what they had? They were great listeners. I thought they valued me by the way they listened. Those are actually the ones that I admire and revere the most.

They're also the ones that had the biggest impact on me. See, look, first they listen. But most people don't add value because most people don't feel heard. A leader who listens well immediately separates themselves from every other type of leader.

Second thing, leaders add value by seeing potential. They look beyond current performance and they see future capacity. They don't just see someone as they are today. They see them as they can be.

They see the person that they could become if they just had the right belief, training, and standard in their life. Third, leaders add value by giving clarity. Confusion drains people. Complexity is the enemy of execution.

Clarity, though, strengthens people. When leaders bring clarity, they add value immediately. Fourth, leaders add value by telling the truth. Not brutal truth, useful truth.

I remember reading a book by Jack Welch, the former CEO of GE, and he said he believed most deeply in loving candor with people. You know what it is? It's truth with the purpose of development. And finally, leaders add value by creating opportunities.

People grow when they're given chances to stretch. A leader who wants to add value does not hoard opportunity, hoard all the decisions. They open doors. They create space.

They help people step into responsibility, and that's how people grow. In business, when people feel valued, they bring more of themselves to work. They bring more ideas, more energy, more creativity, more ownership. A value-adding leader creates a value-adding culture.

That shift is massive because now the organization is not just being pushed by one leader. It's being strengthened by many people who feel ownership together. That kind of culture, that's powerful. That's how leadership multiplies.

A leader adds value to people. Those people add value to others. And eventually, the culture becomes one where growth, service, and contribution are the norm. And now you've got a culture that adds value.

That's why you see some teams you throw a particular uniform on where these great legacy teams, whether it's the Lakers or Celtics in sports or the Yankees in baseball, or you pick a great team, and all of a sudden same player switches uniforms and they just play better. That's because that team, that culture has a legacy of a high standard, a culture of adding value to people. This law is not just for business. It may even be more important at home because one of the easiest mistakes high achievers make as adding value publicly while subtracting value privately.

They encourage the team, but at home they're impatient. They inspire an audience but fail to be present with their family. They pour into strangers but have very little left for the people closest to them. That's a dangerous pattern because leadership starts with the people closest to us.

The law of addition should begin at home because if we add value everywhere else but subtract value from the people closest to us. That's failure. Something is out of alignment when we do that. It should start at home.

Great leadership is not just public impact. It's private consistency. Here's your leadership rep for this week. Think of one way within your closest friends, co-workers, team, or family that you can serve someone this week.

Here's the hook. Don't expect any recognition. Don't expect anything in return. Do it because it's the right thing to do.

look for just a real moment and a real need and meet it. Encourage someone who's been discouraged. Give someone clarity when they feel confused. Open a door for someone who needs an opportunity.

Then pay attention to what happens. Watch how they respond. Watch how trust grows. Watch how influence begins to deepen.

Because when you consistently add value to people with no hidden agenda, they begin to feel it. That's leadership. This week, serve one person intentionally and then let the impact speak for itself. This is the Ed Myron Show.