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The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player

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Where can a person go to learn how to become a better team player? Your choices are definitely limited. John C. Maxwell takes the pain out of knowing what makes a team tick. If you want to have a better team, you have to develop better players. Great team players, like great teams, are formed from the inside out. The qualities Maxwell teaches quickly take you to the heart of teamwork. Anybody can understand them and apply them -- whether at home, on the job, at church, or on the ball field. If you learn the 17 essential qualities of a team player, you can become the kind of person every team wants. If everyone on your team does it, there will be no holding you back.

176 pages, Paperback

Published April 6, 2012

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1950 people want to read

About the author

John C. Maxwell

998 books5,818 followers
John Calvin Maxwell is an American author, speaker, and pastor who has written many books, primarily focusing on leadership. Titles include The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership and The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader. Some of his books have been on the New York Times Best Seller List.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
Profile Image for Adam Busuttil.
89 reviews3 followers
May 25, 2015
Eh typical leadership text. I did like the real world anecdotes, but all in all pretty self explanatory qualities.
5 reviews
December 22, 2023
“One is too small a number to achieve greatness”

This was my first John C. Maxwell book that I have read, and I enjoyed it. As the title suggests, there are 17 qualities of a team player and Maxwell dives into each quality through 17 respective chapters. The chapters follow the same format: quotes regarding the quality, story of a person embodying said quality, specific ways the reader can grow in that area, questions to ask oneself, a high-level review, and a short story at the end. The following are the 17 qualities from the book broken down by their points and quotes that stood out to me:

1. Adaptable
a. Points:
i. Teachable
ii. Emotionally Secure
iii. Creative
iv. Service Minded
b. Quotes:
i. “Teamwork and personal rigidity just don’t mix”
ii. “People who are not emotionally secure see almost everything as a challenge or threat”
iii. “A person’s age can be determined by the degree of pain he experiences when he comes in contact with a new idea”

2. Collaborative
a. Points:
i. Perception: See Teammates as Collaborators Not Competitors
ii. Attitude: Be Supportive, Not Suspicious of Teammates
iii. Focus: Concentrate on the Team, Not on Yourself
iv. Results: Create Victories Through Multiplication
b. Quotes:
i. “Cooperation is working together agreeably. Collaboration is working together aggressively.”
ii. “True progress in any field is a relay race and not a single event”
iii. “Collaboration has a multiplying effect on everything you do because it releases and harnesses not only your skills but also those of everyone on the team.”

3. Committed
a. Points:
i. Commitment Usually Is Discovered in the Midst of Adversity
ii. Commitment Does Not Depend on Gifts or Abilities
iii. Commitment Comes as the Result of Choice, Not Conditions
iv. Commitment Lasts When It’s Based on Values
b. Quotes:
i. “The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender”
ii. “Far too many people think that conditions determine choices. More often, choices determine conditions.”
iii. “Anytime you make choices based on solid live values, then you are in a better position to sustain your level of commitment”

4. Communicative
a. Points:
i. Do Not Isolate Themselves from Others
ii. Make It Easy for Teammates to Communicate with Them
iii. Follow the 24 Hour Rule
iv. Give Attention to potentially difficult relationships
v. Follow up important communication in writing
b. Quotes:
i. “You cannot have teamwork unless you have communicative players.”
ii. “Most communication problems can be solved with proximity.”
iii. “If you have any kind of difficult or conflict with a teammate, don’t let more than twenty-four hours go by without addressing it.”

5. Competent
a. Points:
i. Committed to excellence
ii. Never settle for average
iii. Pay attention to detail
iv. Perform with consistency

6. Dependable
a. Points:
i. Pure motives
ii. Responsibility
iii. Sound thinking
iv. Consistent contribution
b. Quotes:
i. “If someone on the team continually puts themself and their agenda ahead of what’s best for the team, they have proven themselves to be undependable”
ii. “The one quality that all successful people have... is the ability to take on responsibility”

7. Disciplined
a. Points:
i. Disciplined Thinking
ii. Disciplined Emotions
iii. Disciplined Actions
b. Quotes:
i. “Discipline is doing what you really don’t want to do so that you can do what you really want to do”
ii. “People have just two choices when it comes to their emotions: they can master their emotions or be mastered by them.”
iii. “Discipline means doing the right things at the right time for the right reason.”
iv. “A person lacking discipline is in a prison without bars.”

8. Enlarging
a. Points:
i. Value their teammates
ii. Value what their teammates value
iii. Add value to their teammates
iv. Make themselves more valuable
b. Quotes:
i. “The most important measure of how good a game I played was how much better I’d made my teammates play.”
ii. “Your teammates can tell whether you believe in them.”
iii. “No man is more cheated than the selfish man”
iv. “People will always move toward anyone who increases them and away from others who devalue them.”
v. “Encourage and motivate people out of their comfort zone, but never out of their gift zone. If you try to push people to work in areas where they have no talent, you will only frustrate them.”
vi. “There is nothing as valuable—or rewarding—as adding value to the lives of others.”

9. Enthusiastic
a. Points:
i. Take responsibility for their own enthusiasm
ii. Act their way into feeling
iii. Believe in what they do
iv. Spend time with other enthusiastic people
b. Quotes:
i. “People can succeed at almost anything for which they have enthusiasm.”
ii. “Positive people are positive because they choose to be.”
iii. “Enthusiasm is contagious. It’s difficult to remain neutral or indifferent in the presence of a positive thinker.”

10. Intentional
a. Points:
i. Have a purpose worth living for
ii. Know your strengths and weaknesses
iii. Prioritize your responsibilities
iv. Learn to say no
b. Quotes:
i. “It’s about focusing on doing the right things, moment to moment, day to day, and then following through with them in a consistent way.”
ii. “Some men have thousands of reasons why they cannot do what they want to, when all they need is one reason why they can.”
iii. “Playing to your strengths rekindles your passions and renews your energy.”
iv. “One is not born into the world to do everything, but to do something.”
v. “If you try to do every good thing that comes your way, you won’t excel at what you were made to do.”

11. Mission Conscious
a. Points:
i. Know where the team is going
ii. Let the leader of the team lead
iii. Place team accomplishment ahead of their own
iv. Do whatever is necessary to achieve the mission
b. Quotes:
i. “He who has a “why” to live for can bear almost any “how”.”
ii. “When you discover your mission, you will feel its demand. It will fill you with enthusiasm and a burning desire to get to work.”
iii. “Any time a team member hinders the leader, it increases the possibility that the team will be hindered in its goals.”
iv. “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.”
v. “For a team to win, the leader must be allowed to lead.”
vi. “If success can come to the team only by your compromising, trying something new, or putting your agenda on hold, then that’s what you need to do.”

12. Prepared
a. Points:
i. Assessment
ii. Alignment
iii. Attitude
iv. Action
b. Quotes:
i. “The man who is prepared has his battle half-fought.”
ii. “Courage has no greater ally than preparation, and fear has no greater enemy.”
iii. “Before everything else, getting ready is the secret to success.”
iv. “You can claim to be surprised once; after that, you’re unprepared.”

13. Relational
a. Points:
i. Respect
ii. Shared experiences
iii. Trust
iv. Reciprocity
v. Mutual enjoyment
b. Quotes:
i. “Anyone who loves his opinions more than his teammates will advance his opinions but set back his team.”
ii. “You can’t make the other fellow feel important in your presence if you secretly feel that they are a nobody.”
iii. “Trust is the foundation of leadership and all good relationships.”
iv. “To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved. Without trust, you cannot sustain any kind of relationship.”
v. “One-sided personal relationships don’t last...there has to be a give-and-take.”

14. Self-improving
a. Points:
i. Preparation
ii. Contemplation
b. Quotes:
i. “And what’s true for the individual is just as true for the company as a whole.”
ii. “People who look for fixes stop doing what’s right when the pressure is relieved.”
iii. “It’s not what you are going to do, but it’s what you are doing now that counts.”
iv. “When individuals are intentional about learning something every day, they become prepared to handle whatever challenges they meet.”
v. “Most people change only when one of three things happens: they hurt enough that they have to, they learn that they want to, or they receive enough they are able to.”

15. Selfless
a. Points:
i. Be generous
ii. Avoid internal politics
iii. Display loyalty
iv. Value interdependence over independence
b. Quotes:
i. “When you stop giving and offering something to the rest of the world, it’s time to turn out the lights.”
ii. “We’re here on Earth to do good for others. What the others are here for, I don’t know.”
iii. “All getting separates you from others; all giving unites to others.”
iv. “You must live for others if you wish to live for yourself.”
v. “You have not lived today successfully unless you’ve done something for someone who can never repay you.”

16. Solution Oriented
a. Points:
i. Problems are a matter of perspective
ii. All problems are solvable
iii. Problems either stop us or stretch us
b. Quotes:
i. “Don’t find a fault; find a remedy”
ii. “The majority see the obstacles, the few see the objectives, history records the successes of the latter; while oblivion is the reward for the former.”
iii. “Obstacles, setbacks, and failures are simply a part of life.”
iv. “When it comes to approaching problems, you have four choices: flee them, fight them, forget them, or face them.”
v. “No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking.”

17. Tenacious
a. Points:
i. Giving all that you have, not more than you have
ii. Working with determination, not waiting on destiny
iii. Quitting when the job's done, not when you’re tired
b. Quotes:
i. “To finish first, you must finish.”
ii. “Trying times are no time to quit trying.”
iii. “Every successful person finds that great success lies just beyond the point when they’re convinced their idea is not going to work. Tenacity hangs on until the job is finished.”
iv. “You beat 50% of the people in America by working hard. You beat another 40% by being a person of honesty and integrity and standing for something. The last 10% is a dogfight in the free enterprise system.”
Profile Image for Nicholas Cardot.
32 reviews5 followers
January 16, 2022
This book became a chore to actually finish.

1. Each chapter was created using a chapter-by-chapter template.
2. Each chapter felt like slamming on the brakes, shifting gears, and taking off on a new direction rather than a continuous flow of ideas.
3. It contained a lot of filler sentences. There were times when there were words on the page, but nothing was actually being said. Let me provide a specific example: "It's appropriate to finish the discussion of the essential qualities of a team player by talking about tenacity because tenacity is crucial to success." Isn't that life changing?
510 reviews
May 26, 2021
SEVENTEEN Essential Qualities! Phew! That's a lot. I recommend the author aim for "Three Essential Qualities (Plus Fourteen More Ideal Qualities) of a Team Player". I don't feel like I am walking away from this book with any growth or insight. Even the highly advertised online link to figure out your team player profile doesn't work.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed reading these short chapters because they are mostly anecdotes and stories to illustrate each trait. Some of those stories are fascinating and make me want to search out books that would allow me to read more deeply into them.

Conclusion: rubbish "self-help" book, but great stories from history.
Profile Image for Carrie Daws.
Author 32 books143 followers
August 6, 2018
I love that this book is little--Mr. Maxwell packed in only the most essential information and left out all the fluff.
I love that this book is about building teams, about what I can do or change to make every team I'm part of more successful.
And, I love the stories that he picked to help cement the concepts and showcase the best of what he was trying to explain.
Profile Image for Cathy.
49 reviews
April 25, 2020
More like 4.90. I read this as a work book-study. Loved it. Adaptable to so many areas.
Profile Image for JJ Khodadadi.
451 reviews128 followers
June 12, 2013
کتاب حاوی 17 فصل درباره 17 اصل فعالیت در کارهای تیمی هست که بصورت مشروح درباره هرموضوع با ذکر دو داستان کوتاه درباره هر مورد و همچنین بیان نکات مختلف درباره این موارد ترجمه شده است.
برخلاف باور من که فکر میکردم این کتاب راهنمای رهبران و مدیران تیم ها هست، این اثر بیشتر مناسب افراد تشکیل دهنده گروه هاست.
2 reviews
August 11, 2019
This book, centred around teamwork and leadership qualities, provides valuable insights into how a person can help make their team around them better. I think that, because every single person will have to take part in a team or group during their lifetime, this book can be read by everyone, regardless of demographic. The way each chapter is written is very helpful, with a "Bringing it Home" section at the end of each chapter in which the author details ways to incorporate each quality into your life. However, this book can be, at times, hard to stay engaged with. Several of these qualities overlap with each other in multiple ways, leading to some redundant points throughout the course of the book. A lot of points made throughout this book also seemed to be common knowledge and common sense, but there were also several points that were very insightful and helpful that I will definitely try to utilize in my teamwork-related activities. There were also anecdotal examples in a lot of sections of the book, and most of them helped to emphasize the difference that these qualities would make. However, a few of these anecdotes ended in a somewhat underwhelming fashion, making only very subtle differences to whatever the subject was doing. Therefore, I would argue that, though the anecdotes helped to keep this relatively dry and boring topic more engaging, some of these qualities are much less than "essential qualities of a team player" as the title mentions. Overall, I enjoyed this book, and even despite my several nitpicks, I do recommend it for any person who actively participates in a team of any sort to read as it will help you and your team to get better in one way or another.
Profile Image for Michael Frazier.
135 reviews5 followers
July 29, 2021
"Some [people] have thousands of reasons why they cannot do what they want to do, when all they need is one reason why they can." - Willis R. Whitney

Current and aspiring leaders should grab a copy of this and keep it handy at all times. Much of it seems like common knowledge, but often becomes lost in the everyday struggle of quantitative results over quantity, particularly where teams and workforce are concerned.
Profile Image for Jason Watkins.
150 reviews1 follower
August 13, 2023
Quick read, some generally decent tips. I do enjoy the focus on the team qualities however Maxwell digresses often to individual qualities. There’s very little, if any, science in this book—not to say it’s required, but I would be careful regarding the content as an expert opinion. Many core elements of team dynamics in fact were notably absent and very parochial. That said, it’s a pithy read with good intentions.
Profile Image for Mark Roossinck.
272 reviews22 followers
September 22, 2017
Not necessarily keen on the list style of writing. But he had many great insights on how a team player can more effectively work with their team. In fact, this would be a good book to do one quality a day. Each chapter is a quick read, which a quality a day would be reasonable to put that quality into practice.
Profile Image for Paco Romero.
54 reviews
February 16, 2018
Amazing!!

I have read some other books from JC Maxwell, they always help me enlighten and clarify things on my business life and personal life... I recently read “the 17 laws of teamwork...” and now this... they are the perfect combination if you need to build a team to achieve something you want... I realized I need a team for everything I really care about...
Profile Image for Analie.
587 reviews4 followers
March 14, 2020
This book is very readable. Because the chapters are short (about 6-7 pages each), I could see myself reading one a day after work or using them in a discussion group. I particularly enjoyed the quotes the author chose and I found it packed with inspiring little stories. These bite-size illustrations were just the right length to keep thinking about and apply in my own life.
Profile Image for Ian McGaffey.
585 reviews2 followers
January 6, 2021
This book came up in the queue at a very opportune time. Going into a teamwork exercise at work and this guidance will assist greatly. It is a good reminder to always work for the good of the team and be cognizant of the other team members. It was a short but impactful read, and worth a revisit in the future.
Profile Image for Ed Barton.
1,303 reviews
November 27, 2022
Are You A Team Player?

John Maxwell is prolific and consistent in his leadership writing and messages. In this book, it is as much about being a follower as a leader - and how to set the tone as a team member or leader. Like most of Maxwell’s books, it is well organized and well written with bite sized chapters and great summaries and calls to action.
Profile Image for Omid Milanifard.
391 reviews43 followers
March 10, 2025
مکسول در این کتاب در قالب ۱۷ فصل، به ویژگی های بازیکنان موثر تیمی پرداخته است. ساختار هر فصل شامل نقل‌قول‌هایی درباره آن ویژگی، یک داستان کوتاه در این خصوص و روش‌هایی برای رشد خواننده در آن زمینه آورده است.
"سن یک فرد را می‌توان از میزان دردی که هنگام مواجهه با یک ایده جدید تجربه می‌کند، تشخیص داد."

Profile Image for Paula.
333 reviews17 followers
June 9, 2018
I liked this. A short read and one which can be returned to when looking up specific topics. (The table of contents lends itself to this.)
After reading a few of Maxwell's books, however, it appears to me that when you've read one, you've read them all.
Profile Image for Agoes.
509 reviews36 followers
July 31, 2019
Light reading about teamwork and leadership. It's an older book so some of the people mentioned in this book might not seem that relevant to younger readers. I do think that the concept still applies to modern-era organizations.
336 reviews
January 21, 2020
Read this for a leadership class. I love that the chapters are short and he provides practical times to strengthen areas of weakness. I didn’t find it enthralling or completely engaging, but it held my attention well enough.
Profile Image for Kristy Berry.
77 reviews2 followers
January 23, 2020
I really enjoyed listening to this book. No fluff, lots of great information. This should be required by management teams when evaluating employees performance. I’ll be listening to it again so that I can take notes.
Profile Image for Bill.
228 reviews87 followers
July 9, 2020
Even more terse than contemporary blogs, you likely won't learn anything new from this but it probably would work well as a springboard for discussion. Despite the brief style, they have pull quote blocks right next to the quote which made me laugh.
Profile Image for JT Lungu.
9 reviews
October 10, 2020
The qualities mentioned provided noteworthy content for individual improvement and how they could positively impact the team/group, the examples where relate-able as well as easy to understand. The fact that the qualities mentioned could be used on individuals-only, made this an extremely good read for me.
19 reviews
July 22, 2022
John is a great story teller, it makes for an easy read. A little bit of repetition, and a bit light, as you'd expect being a small book. Still a good read for anyone who works in a team, with actionable items for each quality.
Profile Image for Jovita.
36 reviews5 followers
August 2, 2022
The book includes a list useful tips on what makes a good team player. (I think it is worth keeping the list on your office wall). It is written in style of online media making it an easy read but, in my opinion, it lacks on background substance, i.e. evidence from social research.
53 reviews
February 1, 2023
There are many common sense ideas that are brought up in this book. It is easy to forget about what makes a leader effective and even harder to put it in practice. This is a good reminder of what habits will ultimately allow you to find success.
2 reviews
July 14, 2023
This Book Was A Required Study

This book can assist your personal and professional career. I believe it is also effective in helping people improving themselves and their relationships.
1 review
March 16, 2025
Being Great

Great Book, My Pastor Brooks is good friends with John Maxwell.
I follow John in his books and seminars. GBSL and John Maxwell are greatly appreciated by friends, Christians and I. Thank you.
Profile Image for Stephen.
682 reviews56 followers
February 24, 2017
READ FEB 2017

Nice companion to Maxwell's 17 Essential Laws of Teamwork. This book is good for team members as well as team leaders.
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