John Maxwell's #5 Law of Leadership: The Law of Addition

John Maxwell's #5 Law of Leadership: The Law of Addition

From THE ED MYLETT SHOW by Ed Mylett

July 2, 2026 · 25 min

About this episode

Ed Mylett discusses John Maxwell's Law of Addition, emphasizing the importance of leaders adding value by serving others.

There are two kinds of leaders. One walks into a room and says: "Here I am." The other walks in and says: "There you are." Everything about the Law of Addition comes down to which one you are. 📥 ⁠⁠⁠CLICK HERE⁠⁠⁠ to Download the free Leadership Workbook and submit your question for our Q&A with John and me. Law #5 of John Maxwell's 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership is the Law of Addition, and the principle is this: leaders add value by serving others. It sounds simple. John will tell you it is one of the hardest laws to consistently live, because it cuts against almost everything our culture teaches about success. We are taught to climb, to get noticed, to win. And winning matters. But building something great also matters. And you cannot build something great while making the people around you feel small. John breaks down the five specific ways leaders add value and draws one of the sharpest distinctions I've heard in any leadership teaching: the difference between "I deserve" and "I serve." One letter separates those two words. An entire leadership philosophy separates the leaders who live them. I open this one by sharing something I think about constantly: the job of a…

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Host: Ed Mylett

Guest: John Maxwell

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