Okonkwo Samuel
What is the law of the lid?
I chatted yesterday on WhatsApp with my Pastor friend who wanted to get my perspectives on Transformational Leadership. We shared some thoughts on the topic, and value was delivered.
My conversation with my noble friend yesterday informed my choice of topic today which is on leadership capacity.
As a training consultant and sales and marketing professional, I know one truism that stands out in corporate quarters, and that truth is, ” You cannot give what you don’t have.” If you want to give, you need to depend on what you have. It is from what you have that you will give. Something must be wrong somewhere when folks give what they don’t have.
Knowledge is a gift that should be shared in order to create a better society, but to expand knowledge; we must keep learning. The more we learn, the better equipped we are to share knowledge. This is why I promote capability building in professionals.
Build capability to expand capacity. The more you know, the more you can do. This statement is true in life endeavours. It is even more prominent in Leadership because the capacity of the Leader is not detached from his capabilities. This is where some individuals who are in leadership positions get it wrong.
They may have the positions, but lack the abilities the positions require. So it is always ideal to step up leadership abilities to the level of one’s position or status. The higher you go, the more you equip yourself to get better. This is how to be effective and outstanding.
John Maxwell the law of the lid once said, “Leadership ability determines a person’s level of effectiveness.”
In his book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, John C. Maxwell uses Law of The Lid to explain how Leadership impacts everyday life.
He posited thus:
“Law of the Lid states that Leadership ability is the lid that determines a person’s level of effectiveness. The lower an individual’s ability to lead, the lower the lid on his potential, on the flip side, the higher the individual’s ability to lead, the higher the lid on his potential.”
I studied the law of the lid over a decade ago. You can’t be a good leader if you don’t apply the law of the Lid. This is why people fail in their businesses and endeavours. You must keep developing yourself to meet up with the challenges of today’s world.
Let me bring this thought closer. Your Lid is your level of competency. It is your ability, capability, and know-how. In a scale of 10 points, if your lid as a Leader is at 6 points, your organization cannot grow beyond 5 points. If your lid is 9, your team can’t grow beyond 8. Therefore, to increase the performance level of your organization, You need to work to increase your lid. If your lid is at 8 and your company is performing at 7, then you need to take your lid to 9 in order to make your company come up to 8.
The basic thing in the concept is that organizations cannot grow beyond the level of their leaders, founders or owners. This is true because you can’t give what you don’t have. This statement can’t be overemphasized.
Look around you. When you see any successful organization or team, take your time and study the leader. You will notice that the person at the top is an outstanding individual. This applies also in an organization or team that is not doing well. Look at their leader, just take a look at their leader and you get the answer for their poor performance. Everything rises and falls on leadership, so says legendary John C. Maxwel. This thought is true in Africa, America, Europe, Asia and anywhere in the world.
The Leader determines the direction. Once he or she fails in this assignment, everything crumbles. The Captain of the ship determines the direction of the sail, once he fails in this task, the ship sinks. This is simple reasoning. This is one of the problems in Africa. Leadership is the main reason most African countries are underdeveloped.
To know your level of lid, you should ask your team questions – to appraise your performance. When they give you a sincere feedback, work on the areas you are not doing well and improve there. That’s how to increase your lid.
I have seen businesses rise and fall. I have seen businesses that were supposed to do extremely well but the reverse was the case. These businesses failed because the founders or leaders lack the capacity to take the businesses to the next stage.
Business is about innovation and marketing. Any business that fails in these two areas is planning to go into coma!
You increase your lid by continuous learning and personal development. You improve your lid by seeking new ways to get things done. You decrease your lid by pretending to know everything!
Smart people don’t know everything but they know people who do. This is where hiring or assembling great teams come in. This is where getting the right people on the bus in the right seats come in. Thanks to Jim Collins. When you get the right people on the bus, get the wrong people off the bus, then get the right people in the right seats in the bus. This is how to achieve the vision and mission of the organization. No magic!
The problem with some folks is the lack of interest in capability building. These guys see expanding capability as expenses, instead of investment. They won’t read books, they won’t attend training events. They don’t have mentors or coaches. They are not learning from any role model.
They are not benchmarking anybody, yet they want to be outstanding! Well, I don’t know the model of success people in this category want to apply. Whichever model they want to apply may not be in line with the law of the lid. Success in life follows an order.
Attaining Success is about following principles of success. Successful people are not just hard working; they are also students in the school of life. The school of life is where you unlearn, relearn and learn. It is a school you don’t graduate because you learn everyday.
In the school of life, you may have senior students, but not graduates. We all are learning in different ways.
People who understand the law of the lid are outstanding individuals in their endeavours. They are ready to get better because they always want to make a difference.
John C Maxwell once said, ”If you want to lead, you must learn. If you want to continue to lead, you must continue to learn” This is one of my favorites quotes. I totally agree with Maxwell.
My question is: What level of lid are you at the moment and what are you doing to get better in order to do better? You have the answer, the answer is within.
Remember, there is always a room for improvement. My elementary school report card taught me this. Discover that room and keep improving.
George O. Emetuche, CES
Brian Tracy endorsed bestselling author, accredited training consultant, life coach, sales and marketing expert; and Convener of Nigeria Sales Conference.
