Book Review

Leader Shift – John C Maxwell
About the Author

John C. Maxwell is acknowledged as one of New York Times best author,
coach, and speaker with his books touching a sale which exceeds more than
thirty million books in almost fifty languages. There can never be a better
introduction of this gentleman than what is said above about him. However
for the sake of some naïve and novice readies a list of the other credentials of
this acclaimed author:
 He has been acknowledged as the #1 leader in business by the
American Management Association
 Accepted as the most influential leadership expert in the world
by Business Insider and Inc. magazines.
 Credited as the Founder of John Maxwell Company, the John Maxwell
Team, EQUIP, and the John Maxwell Leadership Foundation,
organizations which have successfully provided training to millions of
leaders from all over the world
 Bestowed with the Mother Teresa Prize for Global Peace and
Leadership by Luminary Leadership Network
 Dr. Maxwell interacts year after year with Fortune 500 companies,
various Presidents of nations, and with other top business leaders at the
global level.
If the above is not sufficient to know about the author in full, then
visit JohnMaxwell.com.
About the Book
Leader Shift is an indispensable material for anyone who is ambitious to
become a leader or is an already established leader, in life or in their
organization.
I give below the Table of Contents
Acknowledgments, ix
Chapter 1: Why Every Leader Needs to Leadershift, 1
Chapter 2: Soloist to Conductor, 19
Chapter 3: Goals to Growth, 41
Chapter 4: Perks to Price, 61
Chapter 5: Pleasing People to Challenging People, 81
Chapter 6: Maintaining to Creating, 103
Chapter 7: Ladder Climbing to Ladder Building, 127
Chapter 8: Directing to Connecting, 147
Chapter 9: Team Uniformity to Team Diversity, 169
Chapter 10: Positional Authority to Moral Authority, 193
Chapter 11: Trained Leaders to Transformational Leaders, 215
Chapter 12: Career to Calling, 235
About the Author, 257
Notes, 259
The page numbers relating to each Chapter have been purposely indicated
so as to make a reader figure out that on an average about 20 pages have been
devoted for each chapter.
In Leader Shift, John C. Maxwell elaborates on how leaders can become more
proficiency in making changes in their leadership style which would ultimately
help in a big way in augmenting not only their personal growth but also help
their organizations to grow.
He does this by sharing the eleven shifts he made over the course of his long
and successful leadership career. The 11 Leader Shifts covered in the book are:
1. Focus Shift (soloist to conductor)
2. Personal Development Shift (Goals to Growth)
3. Cost Shift (Perks to Price)
4. Relational Shift (Pleasing People to Challenging People)
5. Abundance Shift (Maintaining to Creating)
6. The Production Shift (Climbing the Ladder to Building the Ladder)
7. Communication Shift (Directing to Connecting)
8. Improvement Shift (Team Uniformity to Team Diversity)
9. Influence Shift (Positional Authority to Moral Authority)
10. Impact Shift (Trained Leaders to Transformational Leaders)
11. Passion Shift (Career to Calling)
The title I understood was that how leaders shift with change of time. But what
it essentially is how one should undergo transformation whether he is a starting
leader or an experienced leader.
The change that is taking place today is so swift that leaders are compelled to do
substantial things to be really effective at work. If the leaders are not alert and
agile with a strong preparedness to transform, survival would become
questionable . Therefore the key is to learn how to leader shift.
He goes on to quote an article from New York Times which speaks of how a
chasing cheetah to catch up with an antelope. It is a well known fact that these
wild cats exhibit swiftness in their movements which is very impressive.
People often miss the point in realizing that it is not their speed which is the
secret of their phenomenal skills at hunting but the agility which is their skill
at leaping sideways, skill at abruptly changing directions and slowing down
with ease that makes them efficient in hunting down others. Likewise all not
only need to be fast, but also possess the skill to quickly change their course of
direction and slow down wherever required based on the every changing
dynamic market/environmental conditions. That’s the true quality needed of a
leader.
He says “The future seems to be coming at us faster than ever”. This is very
much true. The rapid pace at which technological development and change is
happening is enough proof that we should be equipped than ever before and
have forward thinking skills. Especially as leaders, we need to be the first
movers.
In Leader Shift, John C. Maxwell shares the nuances and intricacies that leaders
should possess in order to quickly adapt and change. This will emphatically
impact both their organizational as well as their personal growth. He quotes
examples from his own life and draws reference to his career in making the
relevant shifts that he is today in a renowned and successful position. He further
says that each shift changed his path which was the base for his inspiring career
attainment. This has eventually ended in nourishing the calibre of the author
and has made him today as most sought after authority on leadership.
The most important leader shifts are considered to be the Adaptive Shift which
refers to the ability to migrate from Plan A to Option A, the Production Shift
which means moving from climbing the Ladder to Building the Ladder, and the
Influence Shift which deals from moving away from Positional Authority to
Moral Authority. Maxwell has very well provided directions to readers on how
to go about making such shifts in their own lives. He further shows that what is
really required is a drastic change in the way leaders they think, act, and
ultimately lead so as to be considered successful in this world that never
remains the same.
Concluding Remarks
“Every advance you make as a leader will require a leader shift that changes
the way you think, act, and lead” is what is the essence of this book. In an ever
dynamic environment, the leaders in all of their thinking, planning and acting
also needs to shift quickly to adapt. This going to be possible if only leaders
“Continually Learn, Unlearn, and Relearn” as Maxwell puts it and I feel it is
applicable for one and all.
I have started to explore how to apply what I've read to my own life as I move
toward the goals that I have for myself.
Irrespective of whether you are in starting stage or an established leader, this
book is for you.

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Leader Shift – John C Maxwell

About the Author

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