The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player
By John Maxwell
Thomas Nelson, 2002 - 156 pages

17 Qualities of a Team Player is an easy read chocked full of great quotes and stories on each of the qualities mentioned in the book. The book has a quote, a story and then a brief evaluation of what he is trying to convey to the reader. I believe Maxwell's interpretations are right on the money and a very refreshing way of looking at teamwork, a skill that is essential in today's economy and future economy, which promises to be more based on social skills and business networks. Mr. Maxwell uses 17 qualities to describe a successful team player: Adaptable, Collaborative, committed, communicative, competent, dependable, disciplined, enlarging, enthusiastic, intentional, mission conscious, prepared, relational, self-improving, selfless, solution oriented, tenacious. I believe the key ingredient in getting long-term value out of this book is to highlight the quotes/stories you love and integrate them into your daily life. Practice what you read if it ties in with your VALUES. I believe that the values / qualities expressed in this book provide a practical guide to achieving personal fulfillment in your career, marriage and social relations.

I gave the book a 4 star rating because the website, which has assessment tests, is not up and running until February yet I was able to buy and read the book well before such date. If a publisher/author is going to incorporate such tools/add-ons into a book they should make sure they are operational and running 100% effectively by the time the book is published. To me, that is business 101. Perhaps Maxwell should learn something about that! After all, commitment and vision were two of the qualities he espoused in his 21 qualities of a leader book. Practice what you preach John!

 

About the Author: John C. Maxwell, known as America’s expert on leadership, is founder of the INJOY Group, an organization dedicated to helping people maximize their personal and leadership potential. Each year Maxwell speaks in person to more than 250,000 people and influences the lives of more than one million people through seminars, books and tapes. He is the bestselling author of twenty-five books, including The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, Failing Forward, Developing the Leader Within You, and The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader.