Today Matters

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 12 APR. 2004

Maxwell (The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership) serves up his usual dose of uplifting advice. This book's message is broader than some of his earlier business tomes, in that he uses his marriage, work experience and anecdotes from people such as basketball coach John Wooden, businessman Armand Hammer and actor Christopher Reeve to explore his theme of the importance of making sound decisions on a daily basis. Too many people dwell on what happened yesterday, according to Maxwell, who believes that, instead, people can maximize what they accomplish every day by focusing on a dozen key areas including family, finances, faith, values and growth. By having clear priorities in each of these areas, Maxwell says that people will actually have fewer decisions to make because their vision will be so clear. Maxwell's tone is straightforward and his advice is sound, if obvious. For example, he offers a list of negative phrases ("Maybe, I'm afraid, I don't believe ) that he thinks should be eliminated from one's vocabulary. As expected from this pastor, he also stresses religious faith and the importance of families. Readers hoping for creative and original advice in solving their problems are likely to be disappointed, but others may still find the book's message uplifting, especially amid today's corporate scandal and concern with declining ethical values.