The Law of the Lid – John Maxwell

Whenever I introduce people to the principles of leadership, I begin with John Maxwell’s Law of the Lid from his book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. The Law of the Lid simply states, “Leadership ability determines a person’s level of effectiveness”.  This means that if you see a successful person, group, or organization, the underlying reason is the level of leadership that is present.

I teach my groups that a leader puts a lid on the potential effectiveness of their people.  On a scale of 1-10, a leader who is only a 4 will have an organization that is no better than a 3, because an organization cannot outgrow its leader.  If we want to be effective in life, and for our organizations, we need to master the principals of leadership, because those principals will determine our level of success.

John Maxwell has been teaching leadership for over 30 years, and is much better at it than me.  What I wish to add are the percussion-related lessons I’ve learned while studying his work, and I hope my Lid-Lifting moments will help you to lift your own Lid and increase your effectiveness.

The most obvious incarnation of this law in the percussion world is marching band. Consider the following leadership hierarchy:

Directors > Staff > Drum Majors > Section Leaders > Squad Leaders > Members

If a member plays well, is respectful of others and is always prepared and on time, that’s great.  If a squad leader does the same thing, they are an example for 3-7 other people in their squad, who they can hold accountable.  If a section leader does it, they are an example for perhaps 20 people.  Drum Majors are an example for the whole band.  Staff are an example for people in their specialties, as well as the band. Directors are an example for everyone, and hold everyone accountable.

Now consider the reverse of that situation:

If a member is not playing well, is rude and consistently shows up 15 minutes late to everything, that does a certain amount of damage to the group.  If a squad leader does the same thing, that stands as an example for the 3-7 other people in their squad.  If a section leader does it, it compounds to 20 people.  If the drum majors, staff or directors do it, it begins to effect the whole band.

In both situations, the example of the leadership sets the Lid on everyone beneath them in the organization.  The good behavior of one member cannot rise above the Lid of a poor squad leader and the 3-7 people they infect, nor can any one staff member correct the issues caused by a director who spreads his or her disfunction to all levels of the organization.

Recently I heard a great quote from one of the finest percussion instructors in the whole world.  “When my [students] go out, they are an extension of my personality. How they act is how I act”.  His students have won literally dozens of world championships.  I knew he was a great leader before I met him, because I know only great leaders can set a lid that high for their organization.  When he said that, I understood exactly why he is a great leader.  He lifts his own Lid, and models the excellence he expects from the people he is leading.

This law also plays out in terms of musical preparation.  Imagine coming to the first rehearsal of the season and the director had never looked at the music or drill before. No amount of preparation done by the band membership can overcome that Lid, because without the director to run rehearsal, none of the individual and section work can be coordinated.

I tell my students that each level of leadership must be one step further ahead than the people beneath them, so their followers can grow without restriction.  If the members are learning a tune, the squad leaders should already know it and the section leader should be close to memorized.  Same with drill unless everyone got it and had to immediately set it together, in which case I expect leaders to learn faster so they can help the others.  Lastly, I always expect percussionists to be one step ahead of their wind colleagues.  In order to do their best, the winds must be able to trust what they hear from the percussion section.  In that way, percussion sets a lid for the whole band.

I have 3 questions I ask when applying any leadership lesson:

1. What situations or people do I know who succeed or fail at this lesson?
2. What are some situations where I personally succeeded or failed at this lesson?
3. Where can I apply this lesson right away to see some results?

If you have mastered a lesson, you should be able to look at a situation and reliably predict the results of any action you might take.  Awareness and action combine to make consistent, predictable success.

Feel free to share your experiences and answer the above questions in the comments section!  Thanks for reading!