“Leading in Tough Times: Overcome Even the Greatest Challenge of it with Courage and Confidence“ by John C. Maxwell is a book for leaders facing challenges.

What do you do as a leader when your company and your team face challenges? In this book, you learn how to build resilient teams, and how to leave them through tough times with John Maxwell’s trademark encouragement and simple steps.

This book is made up of excerpts from earlier books, but it feels timely based on when it came out. As someone who has led teams through change, I can recommend this book.

I really enjoy John Maxwell. I have seen him speak several times, and have read most of his books. He has such a wonderful way of helping leaders connect with those they lead. And leadership aside, many are lessons for just being a good human. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the free copy of the book. I really enjoyed this!

John Maxwell imparts the foundation to leadership that holds true even more so during tough times. Values-based and full of helpful insights, John Maxwell brings us back to self leadership to help teams in tough times.

William Gibbs McAdoo once remarked of President Harding that his oratory resembled “an army of pompous phrases moving over the landscape in search of an idea.” The same comment could be made about Maxwell’s Leading In Tough Times.

The most dazzling paragraph therein is to be found on its final page, About The Author. Maxwell’s accomplishments are unquestionably impressive. A New York Times bestseller; a #1 leader in business with over thirty-three million books sold in fifty languages; a recipient of the Horatio Alger Award and the Mother Teresa Prize, and an acolyte to numerous Fortune 500 CEOs. I’ve even read a handful of books referencing his sound wisdom. My trousers were halfway off when I received the advanced reading copy.

So, you can imagine my disappointment as I sat down all hot and bothered to study what ended up being a grab bag of trite platitudes, buzz words and free associations dressed up as pith for le développement du leadership. I kept thinking to myself, “Doesn’t this sort of break with his rule of ‘underpromise yet overdeliver’?”

It’s unfortunate; this was my first exposure to a man well respected, heavily quoted and treated with great deference in his field. I suspect Maxwell wanted a quick buck so he cranked out this literary equivalent to the Hyde Park Speaker’s Corner or the drive-thru window.

Having said that, I am not rating it 1 out of 5 stars. I reserve those for books I can’t finish. There were some valuable tidbits, to be sure. I did enjoy his insights on the art of listening. I learned a couple of things I intend to personally implement. The rest of it, however, could’ve been drafted by a goldfish.

2 out of 5 stars. Thank you for the eARC I received in exchange for an honest review. Better luck on the next one esteemed Mr. Maxwell.

I've read a number of Maxwell's previous books, and while I certainly enjoyed this one, I think I got less out of it than I otherwise might have if I hadn't read many others. It's a great introduction to his books and may be better geared toward "Maxwell newbies" wondering where to start! (Or, if you've already read some, it may help you decide which to read next.)

I particularly appreciated the specifics around "leading oneself," something Maxwell strongly advocates for and goes into more depth on here. And, if the covid pandemic isn't a "tough time" requiring solid leaders ... I don't know what is, haha!

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.