Arguably, John Maxwell is the most prolific writer on the subject of leadership in our world today. With over thirty years of leadership in religious and secular circles, he has helped countless leaders sharpen and hone their leadership skills and styles. I for one have benefited greatly from his books and conferences. Recently I finished this latest book, “The Leadership Handbook: 26 Critical Lessons Every Leader Needs”. I have often found that authors don’t deliver on the promises of the book’s title. “The Leadership Handbook” is not one of those books. Without a doubt this book is a collection of his previous works that been put together concisely in handbook format. As the title suggests, there are twenty-six chapters which each leadership lesson given an entire chapter for explanation and application. Leadership lessons such as The Best Leaders Are Listeners, Keep Learning to keep Leading, Don’t Manage Your Time – Manage Your Life, The Choices You Make, Make You, among others, are included. Maxwell has included two helpful resources at the end of every chapter. First, each lesson has Application Exercises which are questions for internal reflection that challenge the reader on the subject covered. Also included is a Mentoring Moment. This resource helps the reader share the lesson with other he/she may be mentoring at the moment. Both of these resources are valuable.

There are a few drawbacks to this book. If you have read extensively behind Maxwell in the past, there is nothing new here. I was hoping for something I had not been read before. Instead I was reminded of what I already knew. The major drawback to this book is that it’s a re-print of Maxwell’s 2008 book Leadership Gold. If you have read Leadership Gold you should skip this book. This fact is contained in the fine print on the opening pages. I don’t mind revisions, but I would like to know beforehand if an old book was given a new name and published as new. This seems to be misleading on behalf of the publisher. With that being said, I would still recommend this book due to its timeless content which is challenging, encouraging, and applicable to daily life.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”