John Maxwell’s Leadership Law #15: The Law of Victory

By February 14, 2019 February 2nd, 2023 Articles on Leadership

Last Updated on February 2, 2023 by Dave Schoenbeck

A photo of the cover of the John Maxwell bookAs John Maxwell writes in The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, “Victorious leaders have one thing in common: they share an unwillingness to accept defeat.” Let’s face it: if you’re constantly leading your team to failure, you’re probably not a good leader.

Maxwell’s Law of Victory states that “good leaders find a way for their teams to win.” They don’t allow failure to be an option. However, it takes a strong leader and team to pull this off.

Three Components of the Law of Victory

The Law of Victory has three main components. The first is the unity of vision. Teams succeed only when their members share a unified vision; each member must be in it for the team, not for their gain. Everyone must work in harmony toward the company’s success.

The second component is a diversity of skills. As Maxwell writes, “can you imagine a whole hockey team of goalies?” Every organization requires diverse talent to succeed. Seek out team members that can staff your weaknesses. You want each employee to be an expert in what they do, even if you might not be.

Finally, the Law of Victory requires a leader dedicated to victory. Leaders are responsible for providing the motivation, resources, and vision for a company to succeed. It takes a real leader to make things happen.

The Law of Victory and You

Making the Law of Victory work for your business takes more than a desire to succeed. In his chapter on the Law of Victory, John Maxwell outlines a few key steps every leader should take.

First, you need to take responsibility for the success of your team. If one member falls short, ask yourself honestly if you gave them all the resources they needed to succeed. So much if an employee is struggling, it’s because we are not in tune with their needs.

Also, it’s up to you to lead by example. You must be committed to your business above all things; if you’re not, ask yourself why. It might indicate that your current goals aren’t aligned with your vision. You must model the kind of commitment to the company you want to see in your employees.

It would help if you also had the right people on your team to cover every base. Make a list of skills needed in your business to succeed and see if your current staff fits the bill. If not, you will need to train your existing staff or shuffle people around to make room for new hires.

Finally, your team must have a unified vision. This will come quickly if you have a cohesive company culture, as your employees will already be on board with the company values. Maxwell suggests working one-on-one with your team to discover where their personal goals overlap with the company’s goals.

Victory is a team effort, but it starts at the top. If you need guidance on leading your team to victory, fill out my contact form, and we’ll schedule a free video call to discuss your business’s needs.

Coach Dave


Watch the video below for more information on John C. Maxwell and why I like this book so much.

Click here to read more articles in my “Laws of Leadership” series.

John Maxwell's 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: An Introduction
Dave Schoenbeck
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