Broderick Boyd Speaks: The 21 Indisputable Qualities of a Leader by John C. Maxwell Summary and Review

The 21 Indisputable Qualities of a Leader:

Character
Charisma
Commitment
Communication
Competence
Courage
Discernment
Focus
Generosity
Initiative
Listening
Passion
Positive Attitude
Problem Solving
Relationships
Responsibility
Security
Self-Discipline
Servanthood
Teachability
Vision

Introduction

John Maxwell, known as America's expert on leadership, took some time and reflected on the characteristics of the best leaders he knew, the ones who people really wanted to follow. He looked for common themes, and he talked to other leaders and heard their impressions and settled on a list of the 21 qualities possessed by all great leaders. These traits are described and illustrated in this book. I found this book to be slightly surface, meaning that is it doesn't delve all too deeply into each quality (the book is only 156 small pages long), however the book does give a good sense of what each quality is really all about, as well as gives many tidbits of very valuable tips and techniques to use in your life to become the best leader that you can be. It can be read in a very short period of time and I recommend that you read through it either before or after reading this review, and come back to this review whenever you think you need a refresher or just a quick pick me up. Enjoy.

Introduction to the Book:

The Law of Process

Leadership develops daily and not in just one day.

Becoming a great leader takes time.
Reluctant compliance simply isn't good enough. You need to be a leader that inspires passionate following.
Learn the laws of leadership.
Observe, assess and reflect on your leadership abilities and the effectiveness of your leadership techniques.
Develop into a great leader from the inside out.
What is a leader?

A leader attracts people and makes things happen.
A leader lives their boldest dreams.

1. Character

Action is the real indicator of character.
Character is a choice.
You cannot rise above the limitations of your character.
Develop a character that inspires confidence.
Be the one who can rally people to a common purpose.
Become a person of integrity.
Develop your soul.
Find the cracks in your character and seal them.
Look for negative patterns in your character and re-route them.
Be bigger on the inside than you are on the outside.
Keep your promises.
Make your word and your handshake better than a written legal contract.
Stay clear of moral grey areas.
Make your ethics, morals and values unquestionable.
Always choose right over wrong.
Apologize to people you wronged sincerely.

2. Charisma

"Reveal to the other person their own riches." -Benjamin Disraeli
It's all in the greetings and goodbyes you use. Here's a good greeting to use: "Glad your here!" and for goodbye: "Sorry you have to leave so soon!"
Approval always works better than criticism to change a persons behavior.
Draw and attract people to you.
Love and embrace life. Be passionate about it.
Be a celebrator. Celebrate accomplishments of yourself and others.
Put a "10" on ever persons head. Treat them as if they are the best of the best.
Become a "Dealer in hope." -Napoleon Bonaparte
Develop "Othermindedness." Think about others and their needs and interests just as much, if not more, than you think about your own.
Be positive to be around.
Share your resources with others.
Make them feel good about themselves.
Make them feel clever.
Make them want to follow you.
Expect the best of them.
Appreciate them.
Encourage them.
Help them to reach their potential.
Give them hope.
Focus on them.
Learn their name by heart.
Focus on their interests.
Share yourself with them.

3. Commitment

"Heart is what separates the good from the great." -Michael Jordan

Michaelangelo and His Commitment to the Sistine Chapel

Michaelangelo worked on the Sistine chapel for 5 years while laying on his back, permanently damaging his vision (from paint dripping into his eyes), even though his real passion was sculpting! He was committed to excellence.

True commitment inspires and attracts people.
Commitment starts in the heart.
The only real measure of commitment is action.
Commitment is the enemy of resistance.
Attend to the fine details of your project.
Go all out with whatever you want to do.
Make your goals public and you will increase your commitment.
What are you willing to die for? Figure this out and it will help you to commit to getting it.

4. Communication

The goal of all communication is to get the other person to act.
The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire.
The Optimal Structure for a Speech:

An Exiting Opening

A Dramatic Conclusion that Compels Them to Act

Put these as close together as possible.

Transmit a sense of urgency and enthusiasm to your followers.
Simplify your message as much as possible.
Be clear, be clear, be clear.
Inspire, motivate, guide, direct and listen.
Be clear as a bell.
Use short, direct sentences.
Inspire others.
Become more audience oriented.

Who is your audience?

What are their questions?

5. Competence

90% of success is just showing up.
Don't hide your talents.
Show up every day.
Ask why often.
Keep improving.
Follow through your project or task with excellence.
Do more than you are expected to do.
What Creates Quality?
High Intention
Sincere Effort
Intelligent Direction
Skillful Execution

6. Courage

One person with courage is a majority.
All significant battles are waged within the self.
Courage in a leader inspires commitment from the followers.
Your life expands in proportion to your courage.

7. Discernment

Seiko and the Digital Watch Design

The swiss (the best watchmakers at the time) rejected a man who tried to sell them the digital watch, but the Japanese company Seiko bought it and soon dominated the watch market.

Use your logic and intuition equally when making decisions.
Become a master at solving problems.
Evaluate your options effectively.
Multiply your opportunities.
Embrace change, ambiguity and uncertainty.
Analyze your past successes.
Learn how other people think.
Listen to your gut.

8. Focus

The Lions and the 4 Legged Stool

4 legged stools are one of the best tools to train lions with because the lions try to focus on all 4 legs of the stool at once and are virtually rendered helpless.

If you chase two rabbits, both will escape.
Increase your concentration.
Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize.
Don't major in minor things, major in big things.
Delegate detail work. Focus on what your best at.
Shift your efforts and resources to your strengths.
Get an edge at what your best at.
Go to the next level in what your best at.
Focus 70% on developing your strengths.
Focus 25% on developing and discovering new skills.
Focus 5% on fixing your weaknesses.

9. Generosity

Your candle loses nothing when it lights another.
Honor is dealt to those who give.
Giving is the highest level of living.
Generosity starts in the heart.
All that is not given is lost.
Be grateful for whatever you have already.
Put people first.
Serve more people.
Hold money loosely.
Develop a habit of giving.
Add value to others.
Do something for them that they could never really repay you for.
Give something away.
Put your money to work.
Find someone to mentor.

10. Initiative

Lester Wunderman and His Refusal to Quit His Job

Lester was fired from the advertising agency that he worked for, however he kept coming to work doing the same job for a month (because he knew there was so much more he could learn working under his particular boss) and his boss finally told him enough was enough and he re-hired him. Lester later went on to become the father of direct marketing.

"The way to succeed is to double your rate of failure." -Thomas J. Watson, CEO of IBM

"Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly." -Robert Kennedy

"Even a right decision is a wrong decision if it is made too late." -Le Iaccoca, CEO of Chrysler

Success = action.

Successful people keep moving.

Complacency = death.

You can if you will.

Opportunity is everywhere.

Know what you want.

Push yourself to act.

When you make up your mind, act.

Take more risks.

Make more mistakes.

Be an initiating leader.

Don't let failure bother you.

Constantly look for opportunities.

Get out of your comfort zone.

Take the next step.

11. Listening

"The ear of the leader must ring with the voices of his followers." -Woodrow Wilson
"Listen to the whispers and you won't have to hear the screams." -Old Cherokee Saying
"Unhappy customers are your greatest concern and also your greatest opportunity." -Bill Gates
"Many people would rather you just listen to their story than grant their request." -Philip Stanhope
The Law of Connection

Leaders touch a heart before they ask for a hand.

4 Groups of People You Should Listen to Especially Well:

Your Followers

Your Customers

Your Competitors

Your Mentors

Listen to People for 2 Reasons:

To Connect With Them

To Learn

You learn what's in someones heart by listening.
Nothing you say today will teach you anything.
Tell your followers to tell you what you need to know and not just what they think you want to hear.
Remember Oprah Winfrey and what a great listener she is.
Listen to the person and not just the facts.
Meet them on their turf. Find a common ground (i.e. interests, values, goals, background)
Listen between the lines.

12. Passion

"Weak desires bring weak results." -Napoleon Hill
Socrates and the Boy He Pushed Under the Water

A young boy once asked Socrates how he could get more success. Socrates took this boy out into to a lake and pushed him under the water and held him down until he was about to drown. He then let the boy out of the water and asked him: "What did you want just now?" and the boy, gasping for breathe, said: "Air, I wanted air!" and Socrates replied: "As soon as you want success as much as you wanted that breath of air, then you will have it."

No one can be successful unless they love their work.
Passion is the first step to achievement.
Passion increases willpower.
Passion changes you.
Passion makes the impossible, possible.
Make a commitment.
Associate with people of high passion.
Live with passion.

13. Positive Attitude

"No one can take away your ability to choose your attitude." -Victor Frankl
"Attitude is the only criterion for success." -Dennis Waitley
"One of the greatest discoveries of our time is that you can alter your life by altering your attitude." - William James
"Enthusiasm is an estate of incalculable value." -Thomas Edison

The Law of Magnetism

Who you are is who you attract.

If you honestly believe you can, you will.
Your attitude is a choice.
Remember Thomas Edison and his positive attitude through is 10,000 attempts at creating a light bulb and how he rebuilt his laboratory at age 65 after it burnt to the ground.
Achieve a goal every day.
Put motivating messages on your walls.

14. Problem Solving

Anticipate problems.
Accept the truth.
See the big picture.
See only the objectives.
Handle only one thing at a time. Line them up one by one and deal with them properly.
Never leave an unfinished problem behind.
Develop a method for effective problem solving.
Surround yourself with problem solvers.

15. Relationships

"Man is here for the sake of other men." -Albert Einstein
The Capital of the World by Ernest Hemingway and How People Want to Be Embraced and Accepted

In Ernest Hemingway's book, "The Capital of the World" A boy named Paco runs away from his fathers house in Madrid, Spain after they both had a nasty fight. His father try's to find him, but can't. After some time, the father put's an add in the local newspaper that says: "Dear Paco, Meet me in the front of the newspaper office tomorrow at noon... all is forgiven." The next day 800 men named Paco showed up in front of the newspaper in hopes of being embraced once again.

Get along with people.
Understand people. Understand how they think and feel.
Treat people differently from one another.
Really develop a love for all people.
Have empathy for others.
Help other people.
Keep their interests in mind.
Focus on what you can give people, rather than what you can get out of them.
Find a common ground with them quickly.
Interact well with all different kinds of people.
Observe people and talk to them more often.
Strengthen you heart.
Care for them.
Compliment them.
Show them hope.
Navigate for them.
Speak to their needs first.
Encourage them.
Help them to win.

16. Responsibility

To improve your aim, improve yourself.
Take responsibility.
Get the job done.
Go the extra mile.
Make excellence your goal.
Follow through.
Keep hanging in there.
Set higher standards.
Find better tools.

17. Security

A leader must be secure in themselves.
Provide security to others.
Give more than you take.
Expand your best people.
Expand your organization.
Give your team credit.
Know yourself.

18. Self Discipline

"The first and best victory is to conquer self." -Plato
A Plan + Not Quite Enough Time = Success
Develop and follow your priorities.
Create a disciplined lifestyle.
Challenge your excuses.
Remove rewards until the job is done.
Stay focused on results.
Sort out your priorities.
Get rid of your excuses.

19. Servanthood

Servanthod is all about attitude.
Put others ahead of your own agenda.
Love yourself.
Initiate service to others.
Serve out of love.
Start serving.

20. Teachability

"As long as you are green, your still growing. Once your ripe, you start to rot." -Roy Kroc, Founder of McDonalds
Overcome your success.
Trade in your pride.
Never pay twice for the same mistake.
Try something new.
Learn in your strengths.

21. Vision

Walt Disney and the Disneyland Vision

Walt Disney originally had a vision that consisted of two things. They came about because one time he was at a carnival and he was watching a beautiful carousel go round and round. As he moved in closer, he noticed that the paint on many of the animals was chipped and only the animals in the outer ring went up and down while the rest remained stationary. He soon decided that he would make a theme park of his own. He summed up his vision for Disneyland with the phrase: "No chipped paint, all the horses jump."

Vision starts within.
A great vision meets others needs as well as your own.
Write your vision down.

Conclusion

All in all, this was a good little book with some nice tidbits to help you become a better leader. The best way to read this book would be to focus on the qualities themselves, and not get too overloaded with remembering all of the little tips, techniques, quotes etc. It certainly seems like a great book to come back to every once in a while, and not one meant to be read once and just forgotten. This is in part why I wrote this review, and I hope that it can be something that you can come back to and revive yourself with more motivation and direction to become an excellent leader.