The Law of Influence

By John C. Maxwell
Chapter 2 in, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership

THE LAW OF INFLUENCE

The True Measure of Leadership Is Influence-Nothing More, Nothing Less
IF YOU DON'T HAVE INFLUENCE, you will never be able to lead others. So how do you
measure influence? Here's a story to answer that question. In late summer of 1997, people
were jolted by two events that occurred less than a week apart: the deaths of Princess Diana
and Mother Teresa. On the surface, the two women could not have been more different. One
was a tall, young, glamorous princess from England who circulated in the highest society. The
other, a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, was a small, elderly Catholic nun born in Albania, who
served the poorest of the poor in Calcutta, India.
What's incredible is that their impact was remarkably similar. In a 1996 poll published by the
London Daily Mail, Princess Diana and Mother Teresa were voted in first and second places as
the world's two most caring people. That's something that doesn't happen unless you have a lot
of influence. How did someone like Diana come to be regarded in the same way as Mother
Teresa? The answer is that she demonstrated the power of the Law of Influence.
DIANA CAPTURED THE WORLD'S IMAGINATION
In 1981, Diana became the most talked-about person on the globe when she married Prince
Charles of England. Nearly 1 billion people watched Diana's wedding ceremony televised from
St. Paul's Cathedral. And since that day, ·it seemed people never could get enough news about
her. People were intrigued with Diana, a commoner who had once been a kindergarten teacher.
At first she seemed painfully shy and totally overwhelmed by all the attention she and her new
husband were receiving. Early in their marriage, some reports stated that Diana wasn't very
happy performing the duties expected of her as a royal princess. However, in time she adjusted
to her new role. As she started traveling and representing the royal family around the world at
various functions, she quickly made it her goal to serve others and raise funds for numerous
charitable causes. And during the process, she built many important relationships-with
politicians, organizers of humanitarian causes, entertainers, and heads of state. At first, she was
simply a spokesperson and catalyst for fund-raising, but as time went by, her influence
increased-and so did her ability to make things happen.
Diana started rallying people to causes such as AIDS research, care for people with leprosy,
and a ban on land mines. She was quite influential in bringing that last issue to the attention of
the world's leaders. On a visit to the United States just months before her death, she met with
members of the Clinton administration to convince them to support the Oslo conference banning
the devices. And a few weeks later, they made changes in their position. Patrick Fuller of the

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British Red Cross said, "The attention she drew to the issue influenced Clinton. She put the
issue on the world agenda, there's no doubt about that."1
THE EMERGENCE OF A LEADER
In the beginning, Diana's title had merely given her a platform to address others, but she soon
became a person of influence in her own right. In 1996 when she was divorced from Prince
Charles, she lost her title, but that loss didn't at all diminish her impact on others. Instead, her
influence continued to increase while that of her former husband and in-laws declined- despite
their royal titles and position. Why? Diana instinctively understood the Law of Influence.
Ironically, even in death Diana continued to influence others. When her funeral was broadcast
on television and BBC Radio, it was translated into forty­ four languages. NBC estimated that
the total audience numbered as many as 2.5 billion people- more than twice the number of
people who watched her wedding.
THE QUESTION OF LEADERSHIP
Princess Diana has been characterized in many ways. But one word that I've never heard used
to describe her is leader. Yet that’s what she was. Ultimately, she made things happen because
she was an influencer, and leadership is influence-nothing more, nothing less.
LEADERSHIP IS NOT. . .
People have so many misconceptions about leadership. When they hear that someone has an
impressive title or an assigned leadership position, they assume that he is a leader. Sometimes
that’s true. But titles don't have much value when it comes to leading. True leader­ ship cannot
be awarded, appointed, or assigned. It comes only from influence, and that can't be mandated.
It must be earned. The only thing a title can buy is a little time-either to increase your level of
influence with others or to erase it.
FIVE MYTHS ABOUT LEADERSHIP
There are plenty of misconceptions and myths that people embrace about leaders and
leadership. Here are five common ones:
1. THE MANAGEMENT MYTH
A widespread misunderstanding is that leading and managing are one and the same. Up until a
few years ago, books that claimed to be on leadership were often really about management.
The main difference between the two is that leadership is about influencing people to follow,
while management focuses on maintaining systems and processes. As former Chrysler
chairman and CEO Lee Iacocca wryly commented, "Sometimes even the best manager is like
the little boy with the big dog, waiting to see where the dog wants to go so that he can take him
there."
The best way to test whether a person can lead rather than just manage is to ask him to create
positive change. Managers can maintain direction, but they can't change it. To move people in a
new direction, you need influence.

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2. THE ENTREPRENEUR MYTH
Frequently, people assume that all salespeople and entrepreneurs arc leaders. But that’s not
always the case. You may remember the Ronco commercials that appeared on television
years ago. They sold items such as the Veg-0-Matic, Pocket Fisherman, and Inside-the­Shell
Egg Scrambler. T hose products were the brainchildren of an entrepreneur named Ron Popeil.
Called the salesman of the century, he has also appeared in numerous infomercials for products
such as spray-on relief for baldness and food dehydrating devices.
Popeil is certainly enterprising, innovative, and successful, especially if you measure him by the
$300 million in sales his products have earned. But that doesn't make him a leader. People may
be buying what he has to sell, but they're not following him. At best, he is able to persuade
people for a moment, but he holds no long-term influence with them.
3. THE KNOWLEDGE MYTH
Sir Francis Bacon said, "Knowledge is power." Most people, believing power is the essence of
leadership, naturally assume that those who possess knowledge and intelligence are leaders.
But that isn't automatically true. You can visit any major university and meet brilliant research
scientists and philosophers whose ability to think is so high that it's off the charts, but whose
ability to lead is so low that it doesn't even register on the charts. IQ doesn't necessarily equate
to leadership.
4. THE PIONEER MYTH
Another misconception is that anyone who is out in front of the crowd is a leader. But being first
isn't always the same as leading. For example, Sir Edmund Hillary was the first man to reach
the summit of Mount Everest. Since his historic ascent in 1953, many people have "followed"
him in achieving that feat. But that doesn't make Hillary a leader. He wasn't even the leader on
that particular expedition. John Hunt was. And when Hillary traveled to the South Pole in 1958
as part 01 the Commonwealth T rans-Antarctic Expedition, he was accompanying another
leader, Sir Vivian Fuchs. To be a leader, a person has to not only be out front, but also have
people intentionally coming behind him, following his lead, and acting on his vision.
5. THE POSITION MYTH
As mentioned earlier, the greatest misunderstanding about leadership is that people think it is
based on position, but it's not. Stanley Huffty affirmed, "It's not the position that makes the
leader; it's the leader that makes the position."
Look at what happened several years ago at Cordiant, the advertising agency formerly known
as Saatchi & Saatchi. In 1994, institutional investors at Saatchi & Saatchi forced the board of
directors to dismiss Maurice Saatchi, the company's C EO. What was the result? Several
executives followed him out. So did many of the company’s largest accounts, including British
Airways and Mars, the candy maker. Saatchi’s influence was so great that his departure caused
the company's stock to fall immediately from $85/s to $4 per share. What happened is a result
of the Law of Influence. Saatchi lost his title and position, but he continued to be the leader.

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WHO’S THE REAL LEADER?
I personally learned the Law of Influence when I accepted my first job out of college at a small
church in rural Indiana. I went in with all the right credentials. I was hired as the senior pastor,
which meant that I possessed the position and title of leader in that organization. I had the
proper college degree. I had even been ordained. In addition, I had been trained by my father
who was an excellent pastor and a very high-profile leader in the denomination. It made for a
good­ looking resume-but it didn't make me a leader. At my first board meeting, I quickly found
out who was the real leader of that church. (I'll tell you the whole story in the Law of E. F.
Hutton.) By the time I took my next position three years later, I had learned the Law of
Influence. I recognized that hard work was required to gain influence in any organization and to
earn the right to become the leader.
LEADERSHIP IS...
Leadership is influence-nothing more, nothing less. When you become a student of leaders, as I
am, you recognize people's level of 1influencein everyday situations all around you. Let me give
you an example. In 1997, I moved to Atlanta, Georgia. In that same year, Dan Reeves became
the coach of the NFL's Atlanta Falcons. I was glad to hear that. Reeves is an excellent coach
and leader. Though he had most recently coached the New York Giants, Reeves made his
reputation as the head coach of the Denver Broncos. From 1981 to 1992, he compiled an
excellent 117-79-1 record, earned three Super Bowl appearances, and received NFL Coach of
the Year honors three times.
Despite Reeves's success in Denver, he didn't always experience smooth sailing. He was
known to have had disagreements with quarterback John Elway and assistant coach Mike
Shanahan. What was the reason for the problem? It was said that during the 1989 season,
Shanahan and Elway sometimes worked on their own offensive .game plan, ignoring Reeves's
wishes. I don't know if that was true, but if it was, then Shanahan, not Reeves, had developed
greater influence with the Denver quarterback. It didn't matter that Reeves held the title and
position of head coach. It didn't even matter how good a coach Reeves was. Shanahan had
become the more influential leader in the quarterback's life. And leadership is influence.
Shanahan left the Broncos at the end of that season, but he returned in 1995 as the team's
head coach. He became in title what he evidently already had been in terms of influence to
some of the players: their leader. And that leadership has now paid off. In January of 1998, he
led the Denver Broncos franchise and quarterback John Elway to their first Super Bowl victory.
LEADERSHIP WITHOUT LEVERAGE
I admire and respect the leadership of my good friend Bill Hybels, the senior pastor of Willow
Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, the largest church in North America. Bill
says he believes that the church is the most leadership-intensive enterprise in society. A lot of
businesspeople I know are surprised when they hear that statement, but I think Bill is right.
What is the basis of his belief? Positional leadership doesn't work in volunteer organizations.
Because a leader doesn't have leverage-or influence-he is ineffective. In other organizations,
the person who has position has incredible lever­ age. In the military, leaders can use rank and,
if all else fails, throw people into the brig. In business, bosses have tremendous leverage in the
form of salary, benefits, and perks. Most followers are pretty cooperative when their livelihood is
at stake.

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 But in voluntary organizations, such as churches, the only thing that works is leadership in its
purest form. Leaders have only their influence to aid them. And as Harry A. Overstreet
observed, "The very essence of all power to influence lies in getting the other person to
participate." Followers in voluntary organization s cannot be forced to get on board. If the leader
has no influence with them, then they won't follow. When I recently shared that observation with
a group of about 150 CEOs from the automobile industry, I saw lightbulbs going on all over the
room. And when I gave them a piece of advice, they really got excited. I'm going to share that
same advice with you: If you are a businessperson and you really want to find out whether your
people are capable of leading, send them out to volunteer their time in the community. If they
can get people to follow them while they're serving at the Red Cross, a United Way shelter, or
their local church, then you know that they really do have influence-and leadership ability.
FROM COMMANDER TO PRIVATE TO COMMANDER IN CHIEF
One of my favorite stories that illustrates the Law of influence concerns Abraham Lincoln. In
1832, years before he became president, young Lincoln gathered together a group of men to
fight in the Black Hawk War. In those days, the person who put together a volunteer company
for the militia often became its leader and assumed a commanding rank. In this instance,
Lincoln had the rank of captain. But Lincoln had a problem. He knew nothing about soldiering.
He had no prior military experience, and he knew nothing about tactics. He had trouble
remembering the simplest military procedures. For example, one day Lincoln was marching a
couple of dozen men across a field and needed to guide them through a gate into another field.
But he couldn't manage it. Recounting the incident later, Lincoln said, "I could not for the life of
me remember the proper word of command for getting my company endwise. Finally, as we
came near [the gate] I shouted: 'This Company is dismissed for two minutes, when it will fall in
again on the other side of the gate."
As time went by, Lincoln's level of influence with others in the militia actually decreased. While
other officers proved themselves and gained rank, Lincoln found himself going in the other
direction. He began with the title and position of captain, but that did him little good. He couldn't
overcome the Law of Influence. By the end of his military service, Abraham Lincoln found his
rightful place, having achieved the rank of private.
Fortunately for Lincoln-and for the fate of our country-he overcame his inability to influence
others. He followed his time in the military with undistinguished stints in the Illinois state
legislature and the U.S. House of Representatives. But over time and with much effort and
personal experience, he became a person of remarkable influence and impact.

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Here is my favorite leadership proverb: "He who thinks he leads, but has no followers, is only
taking a walk." If you can’t influence others, they won’t follow you. And if they won’t follow,
you're not a leader. That’s the Law of Influence. No matter what anybody else tells you,
remember that leadership is influence - nothing more, nothing less.

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