The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader: Becoming the Person Others Will Want to Follow [Hardcover]

John C. Maxwell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 18, 2007

“The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader gets straight to the heart of leadership issues. Maxwell once again touches on the process of developing the art of leadership by giving the reader practical tools and insights into developing the qualities found in great leaders.” - Kenneth Blanchard, Coauthor of The One Minute Manager®

“Dr. John Maxwell is the authority on leadership today. His innovative yet timeless principles on how to effectively lead others have personally impacted my life and my business. This is a must-read for any organization that wants to succeed in the new millennium.” -Peter Lowe, President of Peter Lowe International and Peter Lowe’s SUCCESS Seminars

“My dear friend John Maxwell has proven his ability to lead leaders. I anticipate learning even more from his new book.” -Max Lucado, Author of Just Like Jesus

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John C. Maxwell is an internationally respected leadership expert, speaker, and author who has sold more than 19 million books. He is the founder of EQUIP, a non-profit organization that has trained more than 5 million leaders in 126 countries. Read his blog at JohnMaxwellOnLeadership.com.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson; 2 edition (September 18, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785289046
• ISBN-13: 978-0785289043
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.8 x 7.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #20,570 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A Good Companion May 4, 2008

By Theresa Burns

Format:Hardcover

John Maxwell has done his best to make this an easy-to-read and useful text - and he has indeed made it an easy read. The chapters are short - most being around seven pages or about ten minutes worth of reading. Each of the twenty-one qualities can be read and digested independently; a great advantage for the time-efficient reader. The language Maxwell uses is simple and straightforward, almost bullet-like at times, and his format makes reading almost effortless. Each chapter contains a story, an explanation of what the story means in terms of leadership skills, and a reflection on the particular leadership virtue he is discussing. Then, so that the read can make use of the material, he adds a "bringing it home" paragraph and a "daily take-away" paragraph at the end of each lesson, making the text read much like a how-to workbook.

How useful this workbook might be to the reader however, is another matter. While Maxwell attempts to be as brief as possible, leadership is not a subject that lends itself to brevity. Concepts like Focus, Generosity, and Courage are complex and abstract; something Dorothy and her friends did not consider before they were off to see the wizard. And just as magical as it was for the wizard to pull these virtues from his bag, it would be equally magical for the reader to learn these characteristics from such abbreviated lessons. While the image of a leader that Maxwell depicts seems to be right on the mark, none of the personal leadership attributes are explained in enough detail to turn a mediocre leader into one who excels. Maxwell's condensed explanations give the reader the impression that leadership and vision can be quickly learned and mastered, which in the everyday world of leading is just not so.

The one real `turn off' in this book is the author's many references to his other book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership as the better text. Maxwell seems to continually remind the reader that Qualities of a Leader is better explained in this other, more complete text. This is always very disappointing to a reader and only leads one to feel that they have purchased the wrong book, and consequentially to wonder why it is worth reading and finally, to question why Maxwell bothered to write it at all. This is where, as with so many self-help books and programs, the intimate author-reader bond begins to feel like the much less intimate, and less comfortable, profiteer-consumer link.

I would recommend reading Qualities of a Leader for several reasons. Most leadership texts, this one included, generate reflection and lead to improvement. However Qualities of a Leader does not provide enough substance or outline changes in any direct or specific way, making this book a good companion or an excellent preface to the reading of more substantial leadership texts.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The 21 day life-improvement plan. November 15, 2009

By Monty Rainey VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

You can always count on John Maxwell to do quality work. Few people in the last half century have changed as many lives as he has. Whether you have read several of his books or have never read any of them, THE 21 INDISPENSABLE QUALITIES OF A LEADER is a true treasure.

For the past 21 days, I have read a chapter each morning and spent the day focused on the message. I can tell you growth has taken place. Some readers may not be happy with that. They expect a complete transformation. There is no magic pill that will change your life. You're not going to read this book or any other book and be transformed into the life you want. But if you read books like this on a consistent basis and take a little from each one, over time you will start to see the progress you have made.

Here, as in all of Maxwell's books, the information is laid out perfectly. Each short chapter begins with a story related ot the quality it is addressing. This is followed by exercises in the "Fleshing it out" section. Then the reader will find a set of questions for self-evaluation in the "Reflecting on it" section. This helps measure where you are so you better understand what to do to get where you want to be. Next we find "Bringing it home" where suggestions guide the reader on improving that specific quality. Chapters conclude with the "Daily take away" which is a 1,2 or 3 paragraph story that reinforces the quality with a strong example.

This book is small at only just over 150 pages and could easily be read in a day, but don't do that. Take all 21 days to absorb the messages, dissect the countless quotes that you highlight, and formulate a game plan on how you can improve in these qualities.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book! Read slowly! December 17, 2012

By Nikhil K. Kumra

Format:Hardcover

Purchased the audio book... Excellent, very practical tools, very important to do this one chaper at a time, one day at a time...