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

Encourage readers to reflect on how the book relates to their own life or work and how its lessons could help them.

1. Which of the 21 qualities resonated most with you as an area of personal strength? How has that quality contributed to your effectiveness in leading others, and what might happen if you developed it even further?

2. Maxwell argues that character limitations ultimately cap a leader’s potential regardless of talent. When you consider your own trajectory, can you identify moments where internal character issues—rather than external circumstances or skill gaps—held you back from opportunities or damaged relationships?

3. Several chapters discuss qualities that require vulnerability—servanthood, teachability, admitting mistakes. Which of these feels most uncomfortable or risky to you in your current environment? What does that discomfort reveal about your workplace culture or your own fears?

4. Maxwell uses the concept of “destination disease” to describe leaders who stop learning after achieving success (144). Have you experienced this plateau in your own development—a period where achievement led to complacency? What circumstances either pulled you out of that stagnation or kept you there?

Prompt readers to explore how the book fits into today’s professional or social landscape.

1. Maxwell published this book in 1999, before social media, remote work, and today’s emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion in leadership. Which of his principles feel timeless, and where do you notice gaps or outdated assumptions that might limit the book’s relevance for contemporary leaders?

2. The book emphasizes individual character development as the primary path to leadership effectiveness. How does this focus align with or diverge from current conversations about systemic barriers, organizational culture, and structural factors that affect who gets to lead and how effectively they can do so?

3. Maxwell’s examples predominantly feature men, Western contexts, and traditional hierarchical organizations. To what extent do you think his 21 qualities apply across different cultural contexts, gender experiences, or organizational structures (flat hierarchies, collaborative networks, volunteer organizations)?