The Law of the Inner Circle
A leader's potential is determined by those closest to them
There are no Lone Ranger leaders. A leader's potential is determined by those closest to them. Only if you reach your potential as a leader do your people have a chance to reach theirs. The key is to be intentional about identifying, cultivating, and recruiting inner circle members. Look only for lifters, not leaners. Invest your time in your best assets rather than trying to convince the most negative people.
- A leader's potential is determined by those closest to them
- There are no Lone Ranger leaders
- Only if you reach your potential as a leader do your people have a chance to reach theirs
- It's lonely at the top, so you'd better take someone with you
- Look only for lifters for your inner circle, never leaners
- Invest in your best assets -- the people who get it immediately
- Evaluate potential inner circle members with five questionsAsk: (1) Do they have high influence with others? (2) Do they bring a complementary gift to the table? (3) Do they hold a strategic position? (4) Do they add value to me and the organization? (5) Do they positively impact other inner circle members?Pro tipAlso ask the disqualifying question: Do they display excellence, maturity, and good character in everything they do? A 'no' here is an automatic exclusion.
- Invest in the right peopleSpend your time with those who get it immediately and are off and running, not with those who are most negative and hope the change will go away.Pro tipNed Barnholt's rule: invest in your best assets (the first group), not in trying to convince the most negative (the third group).WarningMany leaders waste their best energy on the most resistant people instead of multiplying through their most receptive ones.
- Never stop improving your inner circleContinuously look for people to bring into the circle. Staff your weaknesses by bringing in people with complementary strengths. Your first and most important hire should be an excellent assistant.
Maxwell built his inner circle with key people like Linda Eggers (assistant for 20+ years who could anticipate his needs and speak on his behalf 90% of the time), John Hull (president of EQUIP, leading the training of over a million global leaders), and Dan Reiland (executive pastor who complemented Maxwell's weaknesses in navigation and detail).
Maxwell credits his own impact to an incredible inner circle of family members, longtime employees, colleagues, and mentors. He realized at age forty that you can only go so far on your own. Once you reach your capacity in time and energy, the only way to increase your impact is through others. He developed five qualifying questions for inner circle selection and learned to staff his weaknesses by bringing people with complementary gifts into his closest team.