The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader

John C. Maxwell

Becoming the Person Others Will Want to Follow

“If you can become the leader you ought to be on the inside, you will be able to become the person you want on the outside. People will want to follow you.  And when that happens, you’ll be able to tackle anything in this world”.

The traits of a leader provided by Maxwell in this book are alphabetized.  And to briefly describe the book, the following are to be found within its covers:

Why do some people consistently inspire others to follow their lead? According to John C. Maxwell, it's the "character qualities" they possess. In The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader, Maxwell identifies these top traits as character, charisma, commitment, communication, competence, courage, discernment, focus, generosity, initiative, listening, passion, positive attitude, problem-solving, relationships, responsibility, security, self-discipline, servant hood, teachability, and vision--and then defines them in ways that readers can absorb and utilize. Each is covered in a separate chapter opening with a high-concept definition and continuing with relevant anecdotes, details on its meaning, suggestions for further reflection, and exercises for improvement. For example, in the section on vision ("You can seize only what you can see"), Maxwell describes how Walt Disney initially developed the theme-park concept after accompanying his daughters to a fun-filled but rather shabby amusement park. He then analyzes how Disney's resultant projects drew on his personal history while meeting other's needs, and explains how readers must "listen to several voices" to develop successful foresight in a similar way. Finally, Maxwell suggests methods to articulate these visions and measure their implementation.

I considered this book as one useful tool for me not only as a manager but as a person who wanted to improve myself.  Though this is not an overnight solution or tip but provides insights on how I can possibly develop characteristics and made me assess if I already have the traits of a true leader.  It provided tips on how to improve specific leadership traits and also provided literatures and examples that make the book more interesting to read.  What affected me most is the common sense approach to a subject that some of us really use in everyday life. I would like to say that my 8 years experience as a manager made me a seasoned pro, but this book opened my eyes to a foundation for what great leadership really is: Developing effective communication.  After reading this book, I decided to include discussion of each chapter to my sales team in our daily huddle meetings.

While reading the book, I come across two qualities that I can recommend; these are Focus and Initiative. Every day we see successful people on television or in the newspaper or we come into contact with them in our daily lives. It is easy to look at these people and imagine ourselves as being as successful as they are. Although some of these people may not have the best character, they might not be the best listeners, and they might not all be easy to get along with, one thing that truly successful people all seem to have is initiative and focus. This is because in order to accomplish anything in life, you must take the first step toward accomplishing it. The world is full of people who want to have success who have a clear vision of what that success is. However, most of them do not have the initiative to start on the road toward accomplishing that success. Once you start on that road, it is even more difficult to stay focused and follow it through to the end. The world is also filled with distractions and people vying for your time. This is why I found these two traits to be the most important ones Maxwell has presented."