“The Higher you want to climb, the more you need leadership. The greater the impact you want to make, the greater your influence needs to be.”    John Maxwell

Every once in a while I get a hankerin’ fer some ice cream. A mountain of beautiful creamy white swirl of soft, lickable ice cream. When that sumptuous image starts overflowing from my mind to my tummy and back, my eyes dart the environment for how I can get this dream fulfilled. Where is a Chik-fil-A?

I love Chik-fil-A’s soft ice cream. I get it in a cup to go. My tendency with ice cream in a cone is to wear more of it than I lick. So the cup works for me, the paper in the cup is well used as I would use many napkins instead, and the cup keeps my trusty bib cleaner.  Now, eating ice cream is a definite departure from my strict health regiment of no dairy. Right? I can balance that by avoiding that crunchy cone so I at least uphold my “no wheat” commitment! No delusions here, whew.

The first time I ordered one to go, they asked:

“Do you want a lid on that?”  Heck, no! Why would I want a lid on my mountain of ice cream?  You would have to smash it down! Limit the amount you serve me! Damage the beauty of that soft swirl–before my spoon and I get to taste the tip! NO…don”t put a lid on my dream dessert.

Of course, without the lid to protect it while driving in the car, how could I carry that dreamy dessert safely. I can go forward safely. It would mean that I would in effect have to eat enough off of it before I go so that it doesn’t drip over into the car’s cup holder, on to the floor and console and the seat and yuck! Just sit and eat the top. But you don’t want to eat it too fast or you get brain freeze. So what again, was the point of getting it to go when I couldn’t go? Maybe the lower lid they offered could be serving me in some way?

The person after me ordered their ice cream in a cup also and they said Yes to the LID offer. And then I saw why. The lid was a lovely bubble with an opening at the top. It could protect that luscious swirl with out limiting it!  Great Job, Chik-fil-A.  You raised my lid.

The first law of Mr. Maxwell’s 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership is the Law of the Lid.  Its a beautifully simple understanding of how one’s leadership skills, in effect, affect the possibilities you have for ascending to your highest potential.

Let’s look at the concept of a LID– It is a top of or to something, and must be in context to a bottom. We can think of it as a glass ceiling, or the top of an elevator shaft. In any case, the lid stops what is beneath it from going higher.

When I read about this LAW, I realized that my first step to seeing the full meaning of it in my own life, was to acknowledge my inner lid. How am I limiting my potential and why might I think that my lower lid was a better choice? Or where inside me was I choosing to eat away at the top layer because I couldn’t go to my destination without making a mess? I was afraid i couldn’t handle the travel with a full swirling delicious mountain top? How can I raise my own inner lid? First, you need to know: If there are ten floors to the mountain tip, what floor are you tripped up on?  What will it take for you to press the buttons that will take you higher?  It’s your elevator build to take you to your dreams. Your elevator will never go beyond the floor you choose. And no organization you lead will go beyond that floor either.

You must lead yourself daily and raise your lid. Choose to discover the elements of your lid. Ask for help. Reflect on self. Study the laws. They are the lid lifters any one can employ.