We begin by pondering Jim Collins essay on Level 5 Leadership, Chapter 2 in Good to Great. Keep in mind that this is not a theoretical or ideological finding. It is the result of an empirical study focused on the leadership of companies who have already accomplished the leap from Good to Great.

With Collin’s key points (on page 39) as a reference browse through John Maxwell’s The 21 irrefutable Laws of Leadership. This is Maxwell’s theoretical distillation, culminating "a life time" inquiry into "what it means to lead."

As you browse, get a sense of which ones seem obvious and which ones intrigue you. How does each law speak to you? What does it call you to do? For example, the Law of Reproduction: who will you pick to be your mentor leader? How will you take the Law of the Lid into account?

This alone can set you up for a lifetime inquiry.

...         ...
When you feel ready, expand your inquiry to "how as a leader do I understand and relate to the world around us?" To begin to use a new management model "based on the nature of Nature," pick up Surfing the Edge of Chaos. Start by focusing on the four bedrock principles from the science of complexity (page 6) that are "inherently and powerfully applicable to the living system called a business."

Note well, Equilibrium is not a good thing; it is "a precursor to death." But isn’t this just another reason for Jim Collins to claim that, "Good is the enemy of great?"

Good to Great -
Why Some Companies Make the Leap ...
and Others Don’t
by Jim Collins
HarperBusiness ©2001

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership -
Follow Them and People Will Follow You
By John C. Maxwell
Thomas Nelson Publishers ©1998

Surfing the Edge of Chaos -
The Laws of Nature and the New Laws od Business
By Richard T. Pascale, Mark Millemann, Linda Gioja
Three River Press ©2000