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

Maxwell argues that effective leadership requires the ability to anticipate, accept, and systematically address problems rather than avoid them. He illustrates this principle through Sam Walton’s journey from small-town variety store owner to founder of Walmart. When discount retailers like Herb Gibson entered Arkansas in the 1960s, Walton faced a critical choice: resist the inevitable shift in retail or adapt. He chose to study the discount concept thoroughly, opened the first Walmart in 1962, and continued solving successive challenges—improving distribution through centralized systems, managing debt by taking the company public, and ultimately building America’s largest retail chain. Maxwell contends that this problem-solving mindset distinguishes successful leaders from those who complain about circumstances beyond their control.

Maxwell identifies five qualities of effective problem solvers: They anticipate difficulties rather than expect smooth paths; they accept reality instead of denying problems exist; they maintain perspective on the larger mission without getting lost in details; they address challenges sequentially rather than attempting to fix everything simultaneously, and they avoid making major decisions during low points. This framework reflects the pragmatic, business-oriented leadership philosophy prevalent in late 20th-century American management literature, where individual resilience and adaptability were prized above systemic critique.

The chapter offers a TEACH method (Time, Exposure, Assistance, Creativity, Hit it) for systematically approaching problems.