21 Indispensible Qualities of a Leader
As a newcomer to the field of computer science, many Neumont University students have come to learn that success in the field is going to take more than just some know-how with a computer. Anyone with a desire can go to college, earn a degree, and sit in a cubicle all day programming. As a matter of fact, there are many schools much cheaper that people could do just that at. Sure we do it in half the time, but there’s got to be more than expedited graduation to justify the premiums we fork out every quarter. That is where it is left up to us, to take advantage of all of our offered situations in each of our classes and directing them towards developing our leadership skills. Reading through John C. Maxwell’s The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader, you can learn just that by donating a day to each of the qualities discussed in the book.
When first diving into the book, your first thoughts may be something along the lines of “I’ve heard this sort of stuff all before and can skim through this book in a matter of hours.” However, that is not the intention of the book at all. The introduction clearly recommends restricting yourself to reading only one chapter per day, preferably in the morning. After thoroughly dissecting the material, apply the topic to your daily activities. Study not only yourself, but also those you work with and see where their leadership skills. Even on the first day you’ll realize that although many of the qualities are obvious, you’ve really never thought about them in so much depth. When you close the back cover three weeks later, you will have a different outlook on how to handle working as a leader.
The strongest two features of Maxwell’s book are the examples of real life leaders provided within each of the chapters, and also the recommendations for applying the quality to your day. Having powerful examples gives the reader confidence that it is possible to press all of the leadership skills to extremes in this life. The story of Elisabeth Elliot and her extraordinary generosity is among the most touching in the pages. She found a husband while serving a multiple-year mission with him in Ecuador, and a violent tribe of those they came to teach wound up killing him. However Elliot did not hold a grudge with them; she persisted in offering them the teachings, and eventually they began to listen. After the real world story, Maxwell offers a way to “Bring It Home,” as the subtitle claims. In this particular chapter, he says, “Give something away… put your money to work… [and] find someone to mentor.” Each of these small tasks is an effective method of strengthening your generosity. With continued effort, being like Elisabeth Elliot doesn’t seem so farfetched.
The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader does have a tendency to drag on in the later chapters of the book. The qualities and their definitions begin to overlap with others discussed earlier in the book. Repetition can be an effective way for memorization and making emphasis, but when you ask yourself “have I read this chapter already” there’s an issue. This can make it difficult to focus on what you’re reading, and make the final few days hard to stay on the task of applying the daily task. A suggestion is to take some notes to clarify the small differences between the chapters so you can see what to look for in your day’s activities.
My personal experience with John C. Maxwell’s book was mostly positive. I would often read a chapter while on the train to my internship. The ideas were always fresh on my mind as we held our daily meetings and worked towards our projects. As technical lead on the team, I was frequently interacting with each of the members of the team. And as the book explains, it is important to be the sort of leader that others will want to follow. By applying Maxwell’s tactics, I felt a strengthening in this area for me. I believe that if asked for a good leadership book, I’d likely recommend the 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader.
Overall, the book is an effective yet short read for improving your leadership capacities. It’s a good reminder of how to handle most situations you are put into in the workforce as well as a new outlook on many things. Maxwell’s book isn’t perfect or life changing, but if used in the recommended manner – one chapter a day – a reader is only a month away from “becoming the person others will want to follow.”
