Who you are is who you attract.
Leaders consciously and unconsciously attract people who have something in common with them. That can strengthen any community – a company, a church or a club – if the leader uses it wisely and deliberately also wins people who think differently.
The law in detail
Four steps through the law: understand, check, connect, apply. Open any topic to read more.
The core messageWhat the law says – and what it doesn’t
You attract people who are like you – in values, attitude, energy and abilities. Who works with you says a lot about who you are.
- It does not say
- That you get the people you wish for. You tend to get the ones who fit you, and that is a mirror, not a wish list.
- That similarity is always good. A team of like-minded people gets along quickly but easily overlooks the same things.
- Strictly speaking
- What is well supported is that organizations attract, select and keep similar people. This is a tendency, not a law: selection processes, turnover and chance play a part too.
- No recommendation follows from the description. Research also shows the costs: too much sameness can reduce a group’s adaptability, so you need complementary strengths on purpose.
- Applies to
- Every place where you gather people around you: the job interview at a company, the staff and volunteers of a church, the club board and your family’s circle of friends.
The explanationWhat the law means and why it works
Common ground shows up above all in attitude, values, energy, giftedness, and leadership ability, and often in age and background as well.
That is exactly where a second look pays off, because too much sameness makes a group less adaptable.
Look at the people who work with a leader or choose to join them, and you learn a great deal about the leader.
The signs3 signs the law is at work · 3 that it is missing
- You look at the people who work with you and recognize your own strengths and weaknesses in them.
- When you want to win people, you work on your values, your attitude and the culture they shape, not just on the job ad or the call for volunteers.
- You deliberately bring in people who think differently from you and give them real influence.
- You complain about a lack of commitment in others but don’t model it yourself.
- Everyone around you, up to the leadership circle, thinks, talks and decides like you, and disagreement hardly ever happens.
- Good people who tick differently don’t stay long, because they find no place with you.
The research4 sources: 2 reviews, 1 theory, 1 primary study · 1987–2005 · with the limits of the research
- low
- moderate
- high
High – Attraction-selection-attrition (ASA) model and homophily.
- 1987Benjamin Schneider
ASA model: organizations attract, select and retain similar people.
- 1995Benjamin Schneider, Harold W. Goldstein & D. Brent Smith
Update and evidence base for the ASA model.
- 2001Miller McPherson, Lynn Smith-Lovin & James M. Cook
Homophily: social networks consist predominantly of people similar to one another.
- 2005Tomas R. Giberson, Christian J. Resick & Marcus W. Dickson
Members’ personality and values are homogeneous within organizations and match those of the top leader.
The similarity is supported. Research also stresses the costs: homogeneity can reduce an organization’s adaptability.
The originJohn C. Maxwell · “The Law of Magnetism”
- 1998OriginJohn C. Maxwell
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, Law 9
- The Law of MagnetismIn essence: Who you are determines whom you attract.
- todayWEGVISOR: The Law of Magnetism
The WEGVISOR version, “the Law of Magnetism”, puts this in the core statement “Who you are is who you attract.” Research confirms the similarity but warns against too much sameness – the law describes, it does not prescribe.
The related laws and qualitiesQ02 Charisma · Q21 Vision
The action points5 stages of growth – from first awareness to passing it on
- Become aware Write down the five people you work with most closely and note what they have in common with you in attitude, values and energy.
- Lay the foundations This week, choose one quality you would like to see more of in the people around you and show it visibly yourself in one concrete situation.
- Make it a habit Every Monday, pick one situation in which you will show the quality you want to attract, and once a quarter check who has newly come into your circle.
- Deepen deliberately For your next project, working group or hire, deliberately bring in someone who is different from you and challenges you, and ask an outsider to mirror who you attract and who you don’t.
- Pass it on Help a colleague – or, if you lead leaders, your leadership circle – see who they attract, and shape with them an environment where strong, diverse talents like to stay and use their strengths.
The reflection questions5 questions for you or a conversation with others
- When I look at the people who work with me: what do they say about my values and my attitude?
- Which quality do I want to see in others that I don’t yet model myself?
- Who around me thinks very differently from me – and do I really listen to them?
- Which strength is missing around me or in my leadership circle because I lack it too?
- Whom did I win over most recently, and what drew this person to me?
Take your time with one question. Write down your answer – or talk it over with someone you trust.
The picture to rememberLike attracts like: each leader gathers dots of their own color around them.
- Like attracts like: each leader gathers dots of their own color around them.
What the Law of Magnetism looks like in practice
How a mouse attracted dreamers and tinkerers
In 1937 Walt Disney dared to make the first feature-length animated film, “Snow White”, and went on to win 22 Oscars. His vision and perfectionism attracted artists, engineers and storytellers who were wired just like him.
Three Super Bowls and a team in his image
Bill Walsh invented the West Coast Offense and brought in talents like Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and Ronnie Lott. His “Standard of Performance” attracted people who shared his discipline – in 1984 the 49ers went 15-1.
The man who kept Chrysler from going bust
Chrysler was on the brink when Lee Iacocca arrived in 1978. He secured a $1.5 billion government loan, repaid seven years early, and built a core team that shared his values – right up to the minivan.
