The Law of the Lid (John Maxwell)
Raising Your Leadership Lid: Why Growth Starts With You
Every leader—whether guiding a team, a project, or a family—operates with an invisible “lid.” This concept, made famous by John Maxwell, states that your leadership ability ultimately determines your level of effectiveness. In other words, you can only lead others as far as you’ve grown yourself. When your leadership skills stall, the people you influence often stall right behind you.
The most revealing question any leader can ask is:
“Where does my team—or those I influence—consistently stop growing or performing?”
If your team is full of talent but keeps hitting the same ceiling, chances are that ceiling is you. Maybe projects stall because direction isn’t clear. Maybe people wait for decisions instead of taking initiative. Maybe conflict lingers because it’s never addressed. These aren’t just team issues—they are reflections of the leader’s lid.
A simple way to identify your lid quickly? Ask a few trusted colleagues:
“What’s one thing I could do to be a better leader for you?”
Their honest feedback will show you blind spots faster than any amount of self-assessment.
The good news: raising your leadership lid doesn’t require a massive overhaul. It starts with intentional, consistent personal growth. Maxwell often says, “Everything rises and falls on leadership—but leadership rises and falls on growth.”
Pick just one small habit to begin building your growth rhythm:
Read or listen to 15 minutes of leadership content daily.
Journal one leadership win or failure each week.
Schedule a conversation with a mentor or coach.
These small investments compound. As you grow, your influence grows—and so does your team’s potential.
The challenge for this week:
Identify your lid by asking where you might be holding others back.
Commit to one small, consistent growth action to start raising it.
Real leadership begins when growth becomes a daily practice. The key is not tackling everything at once, but proving to yourself that growth is a daily rhythm. Once you build that, you can expand into more advanced steps (delegation, influence building, strategic vision).
Recommended Resources
Books
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You by John C. Maxwell
Articles
“Four Steps to Lifting the Lid on Your Potential” by John C. Maxwell
“Law of the Lid” by John C. Maxwell
“John Maxwell’s Leadership Law #1: The Law of the Lid” by Dave Schoenbeck
“Leadership Lessons: The Lid on Your Leadership”
Podcasts
“Breaking Bad Leadership Habits” on the Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast (Spotify)
Maxwell’s Leadership Podcast of “21 Laws” (Spotify)
