If your organisation isn’t hitting its stride, maybe it isn’t the strategy. Maybe it’s you.
The first of John C. Maxwell’s “21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership” is the Law of the Lid: your leadership ability is the “lid” that determines your level of effectiveness.
In short: no matter how great your team, your results won’t soar beyond your leadership ceiling. Especially in today’s fast‑shifting business environment (hello hybrid work, rapid tech change, DEI demands).
This article lays out how to spot your lid, boost it, and raise your team’s performance—especially for the Philippine market with global context.
The Case for Lifting the Lid
Why this matters now
Recent leadership‑development research tells us that organisations are demanding more than just “good managers” — they want leaders who can elevate capability, adaptability and trust. For example:
- According to the DDI Worldwide Global Leadership Forecast 2025, one of the greatest barriers was insufficient leadership capacity to handle change and build trust. DDI
- In the Philippines, HR and L&D trends show leadership development, up‑skilling, hybrid work models and digital‑ready leadership are now front‑and‑centre. peoplehum
So when Maxwell says your leadership lid matters, he’s not being dramatic—he’s pointing to what’s real: your ability to lead sets the ceiling for what your team or company can achieve. Or in other words: your ceiling becomes their ceiling.
What it looks like when the lid is low
Signs you (or your organisation) are operating under a low lid:
- You set ambitious goals but the team can’t hit them — not due to resources, but due to leadership gap.
- Your team complains about inconsistent direction, low morale, or unclear authority.
- You’re good at your functional job—but leading people, change or growth? You struggle.
- The business changes fast (market, tech, workforce) and you feel overwhelmed rather than ahead.
If you recognise these, you’re on solid ground: you’re ready to lift your lid.
How “Lid” Applies in the Filipino Business Context
In the Philippines, leadership culture has some differentiators: relational leadership, value of trust (pakikipagkapwa), and the necessity to lead across diverse teams (geographically, generationally).
In such environments:
- A leader with a narrow lid can feel even more constrained because trust and influence are key.
- Filipino organisations are shifting from “top‑down” to more agile, networked structures—so a leader who hasn’t upgraded their lid gets left behind.
- With hybrid and remote work increasing here, leadership ability must now include remote‑team engagement, digital tools, culture maintenance. As one Philippine HR trend piece noted: “The shift to hybrid work is no longer just a temporary adjustment—it’s become a mainstay.”
Example: In a Manila‑based services firm, the team hit delivery targets, but morale and innovation were stalling. The team lead realised she was excellent at meeting deadlines, but mediocre at inspiring and developing her people. Her leadership lid was limiting team growth. Once she shifted to intentionally mentoring, delegating, and building trust, results improved.
Your lid might be invisible—but your people feel it.
Four Steps to Raise Your Leadership Lid
Here’s a pragmatic roadmap to lift your leadership ceiling.
Step 1: Know your current lid
- Ask yourself: If I lost my title/position tomorrow, would my people still follow me?
- Use multi‑source feedback: peer reviews, team surveys, 360‑feedback.
- Map where your leadership falls short: is it vision‑setting, communication, people‑development, adaptability?
Once you know your lid, you can act to raise it.
Step 2: Commit to leadership growth—not just management
Management is good; leadership is better. Raising your lid means shifting from “doing tasks” to “leading people and growth.”
Some actions:
- Allocate time each week for leadership development (reading, coaching, reflection).
- Pair your functional goals with leadership goals (e.g., “This month I will coach one direct report to own a project end‑to‑end”).
- Embrace feedback and treat failures as leadership experiments—not just mistakes.
Step 3: Develop your core leadership skills
According to the research, some of the highest‑leverage leadership skills now include: trust‑building, adaptability, digital fluency, people development. O.C. Tanner+1
Focus on:
- Vision & clarity: Communicate where you’re going, why it matters, how you’ll get there.
- Empathy & relational skill: Especially in the Philippines, leading with care builds influence.
- Execution & accountability: Set clear expectations, monitor progress, feed back.
- Growth mind‑set: Yourself and your team—investing in up‑skilling, new roles, change.
- Digital & hybrid competence: Leading hybrid or remote teams, using digital tools well.
Step 4: Raise the lid in your team and organisation
It’s not just your personal lid—your team’s lid matters too. Here’s how to raise it:
- Identify emerging leaders: Delegate responsibility, allow mistakes, stretch capability.
- Create leadership bench strength: Succession planning isn’t elbowing aside people; it’s building more lids. In the Philippines, the shift is toward “leadership ecosystems” rather than rigid pipelines.
- Embed development culture: Make leadership growth part of performance reviews, not just technical targets.
- Use data & feedback: Track leadership growth metrics, engagement, team health—not just KPIs.
Why Raising the Lid Drives Business Results
When you raise your leadership lid—and your team’s—the business sees tangible benefits:
- Higher employee engagement and retention (because leadership shows up).
- Better innovation and change adaptation (because people feel empowered).
- Stronger bench strength—so when change hits, you’re ready.
- Greater organisational impact—when leadership isn’t the constraint.
According to research by DDI, organisations that rated high leadership capacity had significantly better agility, bench strength, and performance outcomes. DDI In the Philippines, companies that invest in leadership development and hybrid‑work leadership see better retention and productivity.
Five Common Lid‑Raising Mistakes to Avoid
- Treating leadership as a “nice‑to‑have”. If leadership growth isn’t prioritised, you stagnate.
- Waiting until you’re “ready”. Leadership grows in action. Don’t hide behind “I’ll get training, then lead.”
- Focusing only on yourself. Your lid affects your team’s ceiling. Invest in others.
- Never delegating. If you hold all decisions, you cap your team’s lid.
- Ignoring context. In the Philippines, relational trust, hybrid models, digital tools matter. A global slide deck won’t cut it unless contextualised locally.
Your Action Plan for This Week
Since you’re a management consultant, digital marketer and trainer based in the Philippines, here are three tasks to raise your leadership lid right away:
- Task A: Schedule a 30‑minute reflection: review your leadership feedback from last quarter. Identify your top two lid‑limits (e.g., public speaking, delegation).
- Task B: Select one direct report or client manager and give them responsibility for a project end‑to‑end. Coach them, then step back. Monitor progress.
- Task C: Launch a mini‑survey with your team: “On a scale of 1‑5, how clear am I about where we’re going?” Then share the results and act on one insight.
By acting this week, you’re not just reading about leadership—you’re raising your lid.
Takeaways
- Your leadership ability sets the ceiling for your team’s performance: the lower your lid, the less you can achieve as a leader.
- Leadership development trends in 2025 emphasise adaptability, trust and people growth—raising your lid is business‑critical.
- In the Philippine context, relational leadership, hybrid capability and leadership ecosystems must be addressed to lift the lid.
- Focus on your personal leadership growth, but also invest in raising the lid of others in your team or organization.
- Moving beyond “managing tasks” to “leading people and growth” is the most reliable path to lifting your lid and delivering results.
Want more?
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