Chapter 05 Law of Addition
In this chapter, the author has tried to say how to add value to others' lives through leadership? And
the simplest answer is serving other people and helping them to make a better version of
themselves.
The Law of Addition
The desire of serving other people and improve others’ skills, and knowledge makes one a great
leader. The leader also needs to achieve personal growth for other people’s benefits.
Applying the law of addition to one's life can facilitate the creation of leadership traits, as these
three approaches illustrate. The finest attribute a leader can have been a follower's mindset. This
attitude of service is really crucial. Practicing little acts of kindness for others without expecting
anything in return.
The author has given one example of Jim Sinegal. Sinegal is one of the greatest leaders in today’s
world. This person doesn’t lead his life with the highest income. Sinegal creates his competitive
advantages by treating his employees very well and showing his care and respect for his employees.
It increases the productivity and efficiency of employees and reduces employee turnover. Sinegal's
leadership style is open door policy. Employees come to him to find solutions to any kind of issue.
Important lesson
From this example, one of the significant lessons is to give credit to all employees for their
achievement because everyone works hard to get success. Only managers or leaders cannot take all
credit and blame on other employees.
Leader’s first responsibility
Leadership is not how we move forward in our own life. Leadership is all about how we lead other
people so that they move forward in their lives and develop themselves. Good leaders create a
positive impact on others’ lives such as Mother Teresa. She tried to provide effective service to
others and didn’t focus on her position, thought about other people, and how to improve other
people's positions.
In this book, the author has written about four methods on how to add value. These can be helped
others to add value
Value others
Leaders should give proper respect to other people and communicate properly so that they can
consider themselves as an important person in the company and make a good team and work
effectively to achieve the organization’s goals.
Create more valuable leaders
Leaders have to develop themselves so that they can teach subordinates something valuable. So that
followers can depend on their leaders.
Know followers first
Before leading to the followers, leaders should listen to their followers, know what things are
valuable to them, emotions, dreams, etc. These things help leaders to add value to their followers.
More power, greater value
Leaders who have more power, have more opportunities to serve other people and add greater
value to their lives.
So, the conclusion is leaders can add value to others is by listening, learning and then leading. What
is valuable to the individual if we know this everybody wins. A great leader always helps his
followers and makes a good team and works effectively with others to achieve the organization’s
goals.
Chapter 15
The law of Victory
Victorious leaders have one thing common, they all share unwillingness to concede defeat. There
are no alternative to victory for them.
Churchill victory over Adolf will be a great example to justify the law. Though Churchill did not like
communism he allied with Stalin and soviet. Churchill continued sending supply when England
itself was facing supply shortage. Churchill also tried to convince US president Truman for joining
the war. It shows Churchill could do anything to not be defeated. Roosevelt the Russian leader at
that time also practice the law of victory “win at all cost and find ways to win”. As leaders like
Churchill and Roosevelt consider wining is equal to survival there is no option for them except
victory.
When the pressure is on, great leaders come to the surface. To win, it requires a leader to provide
the essential motivation, empowerment, and direction. The right people with the right balance of
skills do not appear on their own; a leader is necessary. If one is serious about leading one’s team to
success, he or she will only be able to implement it if he or she have the right people on his or her
team. Victory is inevitable if three components are present, it must be personal. Accepting
responsibility for the success of the team is the first step in putting the Law of Victory into action.
Passion, dedication should be unquestionable.
Victory is inevitable if three components are present:
Diversity of Skills
If you are serious about leading your team to success, it is possible if you have the right people on
your team. If no one in the team is competent for certain duties, you must add individuals or train
those who are currently there.
Unity of vision
Discover what is important to your team and what they want to achieve on their own. Work on
conveying a single vision clearly, creatively, and consistently. Work with each team member to
illustrate how personal goals can be matched with the team's overall goals.
Dedication to victory and raising people
Visionary cohesion does not happen by chance. The right people with the right skills do not appear
on their own, a leader is necessary. To win, it requires a leader to provide the essential motivation,
empowerment, and direction.
In essence there are 3 steps we can practice to adapt law of victory as a habit:
1. Taking responsibility of the team success through high level of commitment and dedication.
Leader’s commitment must work as motivational factor for other team members.
2. Right followers are also crucial for achieving victory. Right people with right skills in right
place in right time is very important.
3. “Unity of vision” the single most important component which can describe the straggle
behind a victory. As a leader one must become aware about his or her followers vision is
it aligned with team’s common vision, otherwise victory cannot be even imagine.
