THE ED MYLETT SHOW - John Maxwell's #4 Law of Leadership: The Law of Navigation

Episode Date: June 25, 2026

When uncertainty hits, people stop and look around for someone who knows where they're going. The question is whether that person is you. 📥 ⁠⁠CLICK HERE⁠⁠ to Download the free Leadership Workbook and submit your question for our Q&A with John and me. Law #4 of John Maxwell's 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership is the Law of Navigation, and the principle is simple: anyone can steer the ship, but it takes a leader to chart the course. Leadership isn't just forward motion. It's knowing where you're headed, selling that destination to the people around you, and keeping everyone moving in one direction when the road gets hard... and it always gets hard. John brings one of his most practical frameworks to this episode: the difference between a travel agent and a tour guide. He breaks down how to tell which one you are, and the steps you need to take to become a true leader and get others to the top with you. John also breaks down the three things every navigating leader must do and he gives a step-by-step framework, PLAN AHEAD, that he developed as a young leader in his twenties and has used for over 25 years. I open this episode with something I've sat with for a long time: what it means to lead on the lonely road, why the narrow path in life and in business is the one worth staying on, and how your job as a leader is to make the destination visible enough that people stay the course even when they can't see it yet.  Here's what you'll gain from this episode: Travel Agent vs. Tour Guide: The distinction John draws here will change how you think about your role as a leader and whether the people around you are actually being led or just sent. See More. See Farther. See Before: The three things that separate navigating leaders from everyone else, and why it has nothing to do with IQ. The Lonely Road: Why the narrow path feels isolated and why that's actually a sign you're on the right one. PLAN AHEAD: John's step-by-step framework for navigating from where you are to where you need to go, built for the moments when the path forward isn't clear. Expect Problems: The one mindset shift that turns obstacles from evidence of failure into proof that you're actually moving. This series releases every Thursday and each law builds on the last. If you haven't grabbed the free 21-page workbook yet, click the link HERE. It's the only way to track your progress law by law and get your questions in front of John and me for the upcoming live Q&A sessions. 🗓️ New law dropping every Thursday so make sure you're subscribed so you never miss one. Click ⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠ to Subscribe to my email list to MAXOUT your life (all value, no fluff) Thank you for listening —Please Share it and get the word out! ⁠⁠👉 SUBSCRIBE TO ED'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL NOW 👈⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   → → → CONNECT WITH ED MYLETT ON SOCIAL MEDIA: ← ← ←  ➡️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   ➡️⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠FACEBOOK⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   ➡️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LINKEDIN⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   ➡️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ➡️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠WEBSITE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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This is the Edmunds show. 21 irrefutable laws of leadership series, Law 4, Law of Navigation. Listen, when uncertainty hits, whether in your faith, your family, or business, people start looking around for somebody who knows where they're going. And you want to be ready in that moment when people look at you. So welcome back to our leadership series on John Maxwell's 21 irrefutable laws of leadership. Today's principle is the law of navigation. Leadership is not just about moving forward.

It's about knowing where you're going. getting a clear vision. It's about selling that vision and that dream to the people around you and getting everybody moving in one direction. The truth is great leaders are like navigators. They see further down the road than others. Frankly, by position, you're in front of the team. Leaders in front, you should be able to see things that other people don't see and then get them to know how great it's going to be when you get there and how worth it the work's going to be to get the team to that destination. They anticipate challenges before they arrive. They prepare their teams for obstacles before they show up, and they help people stay focused on the destination when the path becomes difficult.

I often talk about the lonely road to success. The Bible calls it the narrow path in life. In business, oftentimes, it feels like a lonely road that you're on. But the truth of the matter is, that's the road that leads to greatness. And just keep your vision, keep believing. I remember in some of my own businesses when errors were made or we got hit with a recession in the market or whatever, just stuff happens, right? I needed to be a leader that led people to get everyone to march forward in the most difficult times. If the road to success didn't have ups and downs, we'd all be at the top. And it wouldn't feel good when you get there if you didn't have to experience the valleys.

You need to be present. But you also need to see a few steps ahead of what obstacles might be in front of you. One of the greatest responsibilities of leadership is direction. People look to leaders for clarity when things become uncertain. John in this episode has a great example on a leader being a travel agent, or a tour guide. You want to be the one taking your team on a journey and be the tour guide, not some travel agent. Let's hear what John Maxwell has to say about this law of navigation. Law number four is the law of navigation. And the law of navigation says anyone can stare the ship,

but it takes a leader to chart the course. I've often described leadership in kind of two terms. there's what I call the art form of leadership, and then there's a technical form of leadership. The law of navigation is a technical form of leadership. It's very tangible. It's point A to point B to point C. For example, the law of timing or the law of intuition, that's art form of leadership.

It's much more subjective. It's much harder to get your hands around it. But Jack Welch was exactly right when he said, a good leader remains focused. Controlling your destination is better than being controlled. by it. So let's study for a few minutes the law of navigation. I brought with me something I read the other day that I just love, and I want to pass it on to you. So just kind of sit and relax for a moment. Let me just read you this, I think, humorous story. A man in a hot air balloon realized that he was

lost. He reduced altitude and spotted a woman below. He descended a bit more and he shouted, excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend that I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am. The woman below replied, you're in a hot air balloon, hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You're between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude.

You must be an engineer, said the balloonist. I am, replied, the woman, how did you know? Well, answered the balloonist. Everything you told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is, I'm still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help at all. If anything, you've delayed my trip. The woman below responded, you must be in management. You can see the train of coming, can't you? Since you must be in management. I am, replied the blueness,

but how did you know? Well, said the woman, you don't know where you are, or what? where you're going. You have risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise which you have no idea how to keep, and you expect people beneath you to solve your problems. And the fact is, you are in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but now somehow it's my fault. Isn't that great, huh? Now, when I think of the law of navigation, trying to get from one point to another, there's one thing, of course, that we have to understand, and that is, if anybody's going to be a good

leader and navigate, you have to know where you are, you know, and again, I referred to on an earlier law, the Mr. McGoo thing. I mean, let me tell you something. When you get on the ship, you don't want to look up and see that the captain is Mr. Magoo. It just kind of is a little bit unsettling, and the reason for that is, in your notes, there are three statements I want to make. And the three statements are these. A leader is one who sees more than others see. That's a fact. That's part of leadership. What do leaders do? They see

the big picture. Is that not true? But the second statement, a leader is one who sees farther than others see. In other words, a leader is a person who looks out and he can see distance horizon and has great vision. But the third thought I want you to know is that a leader is one who sees before others see. It's also a timing issue. And one of the qualities of a leader, as you put them in a room, they sense things. They sense things quicker than others sense them. Now, it's not an IQ issue.

It's not that they're smarter. It's just the fact that they have leadership within them, and they sense a need before others sense a need. They sense an opportunity before others sense an opportunity. So what do leaders do, especially if you're a good navigating leader, you see more than others see, you see farther than other sea, and you see before others see. That's what good leaders do. Bill Eism said one time, realistic leaders are objective enough to minimize illusions. They understand the self-deception can cost them their vision. or Max DePree, my friend, said this.

He said the number one responsibility of a leader is to define reality. What I have found about great navigational leaders is they're highly realistic because they realize they have the responsibility of taking other people on a trip where they have never gone before and they understand that they have to have experience and success. In fact, there's a world of difference. Think about it for a moment. there's a world of difference between a travel agent and a tour guide. A travel agent, you know, they get your tickets for you and they get brochures for you

and they send you on a trip. You know what? They send you and me on trips every day of places they've never been before. You know what I'm saying? They bond voyage and have a good trip and hear your tickets and hope everything turns out, right? Well, travel agents, they send you where they've never been before. But a tour guide, oh, when you go to the place that you've arrived to this place, You have a tour guide?

You know what? A tour guy, a tour guy basically says, I'm going to take you where I've been many times before. And I'm going to tell you about what I know. See, the great navigating leaders

are leaders who, they've been there and they've done that. But they're not in a been there, done that. You know, haven't you run to run to people who kind of go around with been there, done that, and they're bored. Do you know what I'm saying?

You kind of say, well, you've been there too many times. You've done that too many times. Are you with me? So we've seen the been there. No, no. The great navigational. They are there been there done that, but their excitement is taking people with them on the journey.

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chime.com slash my let. It only takes a few minutes to sign up, and you'll be glad you did. Chime is a fintech, not a bank. Banking services for MyPay and Chime card provided by Chim's bank partners. Optional products and services may have fees or charges. I was just last week with Jim Winneker, who was the first American to go climb Mount Everest. And when we're sitting down around the table and having a wonderful lunch together, and I was asking Jim about some of its experiences, I'm just listening because he just has incredible experiences. And I said, what are you most proud of, I mean, you've been to Mount Everest on more than one occasion at the top. I said, what are you most proud of? And he said, John, what I'm most proud of is he said,

I have taken more people to the top of Mount Everest than any other person. And I thought, there is a true navigator. There is a person who understands that my joy isn't getting at the top, been there, doesn't that? My joy is getting other people to go to the top with me and think about it for a moment. That's what navigators do. How many of you have very, ever heard the expression, it's lonely at the top? Huh? You've heard that, haven't you? Now, every time we hear the expression, it's lonely at the top, we think that the leader said that. A leader didn't say that. Think about it for a moment.

If you're lonely, if you're all by yourself with the top, you're not leading anybody. If you're at the top all alone, here's the thought. Get off of the top. And go down to where the people are. Go down and find your team and take your team to the top with you. That's what leaders do. Doesn't that make sense? to help me because I am weak in this law.

I'm not an A to point B to point C. It's not a strength of mine. I'm more visionary. I developed something in the 70s. I'm talking about 25 years ago as a young leader, knowing I had a lot of leadership responsibilities and realizing I was leading people that were older and me more experienced than me because I was just young.

I developed a wonderful process that's helped me to navigate that I want to give to you. And in your notes, I want to walk you through this wonderful, wonderful step-by-step process of how to plan ahead. Are you ready? The letter P. The letter P stands for predetermined your course of action. In other words, as a leader, what do I do? The first thing I do is I determine where do I want to go.

I don't wait until the crowd's saying, let's go somewhere, and then say, where do I want to go? What's the leader to do? Leaders predetermined. They think before others think. They see before others see. got that leadership edge. So pre-determine your course of action. The letter L, lay out your goals. Basically, goals are nothing more than stepping stones. They're a process. So when I say lay out your goals, what I'm talking about basically is this. Use each one of your goals as stepping

stones. So maybe if I use this little platform for a moment, if my goal is to get back up to the bar stool, basically I say, okay, here's, here. Here's goal one and here's goal two. In other words, lay out your goals, develop them. Now, as soon as you lay out your goals, letter A comes into being. Because as soon as you lay out your goals, the letter A stands for, adjust your priorities. I found this to happen.

Now, I've been doing this now for 25 years, and here's what I found to happen. I found that every time, every time I lay out my goals in predetermined course of action, I realize I have to adjust my priorities. Because you know what I'm doing? I'm doing things that are never going to get me there. You follow me? And I say, oh, my goodness, John, why are you doing this? Because if you want to really get this and this is your destination, you're carrying

extra weight. So predetermined course, the question, lay out your goals, adjust your priorities. Okay. The letter N, notify key personnel. Very simple. Take your key personnel and sit down and talk to them and notify and share the vision. For example, if this is my team again, what I do is. I sit down and say, hey, here's what I'm thinking, here's the dream, here's the vision,

what do you think? If your team is good, you know what they'll do? They'll take what you give them, and they'll give it to you back better than you gave it to them. Isn't that right? They always make it better. When anybody asks me, said, John, how do I know that I have a good team around me? I can tell you how you know you have a good team around you. Every time you give them something, they give it back to you at a higher level.

They take and stretch and grow you. But you notify your key personnel. In other words, you have your key meeting. You have your meeting before the meeting. Oh, that's a huge lecture in itself. But you've got to always have a meeting before the meeting because if you don't have your meeting before the meeting, you're going to have a very bad meeting. Notify keepers now. Letter A, allow time for acceptance because it's going to take a while.

So allow time for acceptance. I can promise you, people change slowly. So give them time to kind of digest and process that in their own mind, emotionally. Finally, letter H, head into action. Get going. I mean, there comes a time, you go. And by the way, leaders have a bias toward action. And so leaders love the head into action part.

They say, okay, now it's time. We've been thinking and planning long enough. Let's go. Head into action. And as soon as you head into action, the letter E comes into place. Watch this one. Expect problems. The moment you create movement in the organization,

The moment that you take action, expect problems. Somebody asked one time in a conference, I raised it and said, John, okay, help me out here. They said, when you say expect problems, why should I have problems when I head into action? I said, it's very simple. Motion causes friction. And the moment that you head into action, somebody realizes they're going to have to make changes. Head into action. Get going.

Expect problems. I got problems. You got problems. We all got problems. Okay. Expect those problems because they're going to happen. okay and as you expect those problems and as you're moving forward understanding it's not because you're it's not because you haven't learned it's not because you're being a bad leader it's not

because you haven't done things well it's just because problems happen to all so let me just take a little poll here how many of you as a leader have at least one problem I was talking to a leader recently he was complaining about the problems I said don't complain about the problems I said think about it that's why you have a job if everybody was doing the right thing probably they wouldn't need you. This is a good thing that you have problems. But after expecting problems, always point to your successes. Always point to your successes, and the reason for that's very simple,

because you've got somebody in the company that will point to your failures, okay? This gives hope to your people. This encourages your people. And then finally, the letter D, daily review your progress. Daily review it. Sit down and say, okay, how am I doing? Am I farther long today than I was? yesterday, I have found that the secret of navigation is preparation. And the best navigating leaders

are those who spend time preparing themselves so that they can effectively take their people on the trip. If you haven't done it yet, click the link below. You need the 21-page workbook in your hands to track the rep for every law. Plus, that is the only way to get your questions in front of John and I for the Q&A sessions coming up in a few weeks. Get the guide, join the list, and let's get back to the teaching. Leadership requires vision. It requires preparation, and it requires the courage to make decisions when the path forward isn't clear. If you didn't write this down already, plan ahead.

P, predetermine your course of action. L, lay out your goals. A, adjust your priority. N. Notify key personnel. A, allow time for acceptance. H, head into action. E, expect problems.

A, always point to your successes. D, daily review your progress. Before making your next big decision, pause and think three steps ahead. Ask yourself, what challenges might come next? And how can you prepare your team to navigate them? We'll see you next week. This is the Edm Island Show.