The Complete 101 Collection by John C. Maxwell provides concise summaries on 8 leadership topics: attitude, self-improvement, leadership, relationships, success, teamwork, equipping, and mentoring. Each chapter summarizes one of Maxwell's previous "101" books on these topics. The book achieves its goal of educating readers on what every leader needs to know. It provides useful advice through principles, guidelines, and real-world examples. While an enjoyable read, the book could have more directly highlighted Jesus as the best role model for leadership.

1. Polytechnic University of the Philippines
Graduate Studies - College of Education
Sta. Mesa, Manila
JOHN C. MAXWELL
THE COMPLETE 101 COLLECTION
WHAT EVERY LEADER NEEDS TO KNOW
ATTITUDE, SELF IMPROVEMENT, LEADERSHIP, RELATIONSHIPS,
SUCCESS, TEAMWORK, EQUIPPING, AND MENTORING
A Book Review Submitted to
SAMUEL M. SALVADOR, Ed.D
Faculty Member of Polytechnic University of the Philippines
Graduate Studies - College of Education
Sta. Mesa, Manila
In Partial fulfilment of the Requirements for the Subject
ETHICAL LEADERSHIP AND HUMAN RELATIONS
(DEM 736)
KATHLEEN C. ABAJA
DEM Student

2. TITLE: The Complete 101 Collection
What Every Leader Needs to Know
Attitude, Self Improvement, Leadership, Relationship,
Success, Teamwork, Equipping, and Mentoring
AUTHOR: John Calvin Maxwell is an American author, speaker,
and pastor who has written many books, primarily
focusing on leadership. He is an evangelical
Christian, and followed his father into the ministry. He
completed a bachelor's degree at Ohio Christian
University in 1969, a Master of Divinity degree at
Azusa Pacific University, and a Doctor of Ministry
degree at Fuller Theological Seminary.
PUBLISHER: Thomas Nelson
YEAR PUBLISHED: 2010
BRIEF CONTENT/SUMMARY:
The Complete 101 Collection by Maxwell is written in an essay-like format that mirrors
several other books written by our author, which is the “101” series of books. The 101
series includes short, pick-up-able works focused on one overarching topic, including
subjects like attitude, leadership, success, teamwork, or mentoring. Each of the
chapters in The Complete 101 Collection is a summary of each of these books, and so
the chapters contain already-published revised content.

3. STRENGTHS OF THE BOOK:
1. The author was able to achieve the stated purpose of the book in which to
educate the readers on what a leader needs to know specifically on the following
subjects: attitude, self-improvement, leadership, relationships, success,
teamwork, equipping, and mentoring.
2. It’s chuck-full of useful advice for those who not only want to be a better leader,
but even just a more effective, more productive, better human being. This was
my first exposure to Maxwell, and I can see why he’s such a popular authority on
leadership. The book is a breeze to read, and super easy to comprehend. It’s a
lot of common sense. But, as we know, common sense isn’t always as common
as we’d like to think. This book is very straight to the point without fluff and filler.
The concepts are easy to understand, but there are so many things in here to
work on over the course of a lifetime.
3. It’s a book that could be read over and over again with much usefulness gleaned
from each read. It’s great too because it covers a wide variety of topics. While it
is certainly a big book, it’s a lot shorter than reading 8 full length books!
4. Maxwell adequately and consistently developed a process on which the readers
can be able to achieve personal growth as a leader by providing axioms,

4. principles, suggestions, guidelines, steps, and procedures in each subject for
them to follow.
In his Attitude 101, Maxwell states the seven axioms about attitude to help you
better understand how it impact’s a person’s life (16). Indeed, he writes the
following for us to explore its importance:
Attitude Axiom #1: Our attitude determines our approach to life
Attitude Axiom #2: Our attitude determines our relationships with people
Attitude Axiom #3: Often our attitude is the only difference between
success and failure
Attitude Axiom #4: Our attitude at the beginning of a task will affect its
outcome more than anything else
Attitude Axiom #5: Our attitude can turn our problems into blessings
Attitude Axiom #6: Our attitude can give us an uncommonly positive
perspective
Attitude Axiom #7: Your attitude is not automatically good because you
are a religious person (16-23)
Furthermore, Maxwell enumerates the eight principles that will help you develop
into a person dedicated to personal growth on his Self-Improvement 101 (85).
These are as follows:
 Choose a life of growth
 Start growing today

5.  Focus on self-development, not self-fulfilment
 Never stay satisfied with current accomplishments
 Be a continual learner
 Develop a plan for growth
 Pay the price
 Find a way to apply what you learn
In his Leadership 101, he specifies how we should prioritize our life (176). As a
matter of fact, he states the following to keep your priorities in place:
o Evaluate: Every month review the three Rs
(Requirements/Return/Reward).
o Eliminate: Ask yourself, “What am I doing that can be done by
someone else?”
o Estimate: What are the top projects you are doing this month, and how
long will they take?
Likewise, Maxwell’s Relationships 101 details suggestions to build your belief in
others, created using the initial letters of the word BELIEVE. Certainly, this will be
helpful for you to become an important relationship in their lives – and they in
yours.
Believe in Them Before They Succeed
Emphasize Their Strengths
List Their Past Successes

6. Instill Confidence When They Fall
Experience Some Wins Together
Visualize Their Future Success
Expect a New Level of Living
Moreover, Maxwell mentions five guidelines in his SUCCESS 101 to help you
cultivate and maintain a teachable attitude (354). Indeed, if you want to grow in
your organization, you have to remain teachable.
o Cure Your Destination Disease
o Overcome Your Success
o Swear off Shortcuts
o Trade In Your Pride
o Never Pay Twice for the Same Mistake
In his Teamwork 101, Maxwell identifies twelve power-unleashing activities to
help you make a commitment to revolutionize your organization (407).
Doubtlessly, this will encourage you to start the process of the leader’s daily
dozen.
 Place a High Value on People
 Commit Resources to Develop People
 Place a High Value on Leadership
 Look for Potential Leaders
 Know and Respect Your People
 Provide your People With Leadership Experiences

7.  Reward Leadership Initiative
 Provide a Safe Environment Where People Ask Questions, Share Ideas,
and Take Risks
 Grow with your People
 Draw People with High Potential into your Inner Circle
 Commit Yourself to Developing a Leadership Team
 Unleash Your Leaders to Lead
Also in his Equipping 101, Maxwell provides ten steps you can take to invest in
your team which I believe would be helpful as most people recognize that
investing in a team brings benefits to everyone on the team (474).
o Make the Decision to Build a Team – This Starts the Investment in the
Team
o Gather the Best Team Possible –This Elevates the Potential of the Team
o Pay the Price to Develop the Team – This Ensure the Growth of the Team
o Do Things Together As a Team – This Provides Community for the Team
o Empower Team Members with Responsibility and Authority – This Raises
Up Leaders for the Team
o Give Credit for Success to the Team – This Lifts the Morale of the Team
o Watch to See That the Investment in the Team Is Paying Off – This Brings
Accountability to the Team
o Stop Your Investment in Players Who Do Not Grow – This Eliminates
Greater Losses for the Team

8. o Create New Opportunities for the Team – This Allows the Team to Stretch
o Give the Team the Best Possible chance to Succeed – This Guarantees
the Team a High Return
Lastly, Maxwell’s Mentoring 101 clearly details the procedures to get started on
the equipping process. Truly, this will help the leaders equip for excellence (573).
 Share Your Dream
 Ask for Commitment
 Set Goals for Growth
 Communicate the Fundamentals
 Perform the Five-Step Process of Training People
o Step 1: I model.
o Step 2: I mentor.
o Step 3: I monitor.
o Step 4: I motivate.
o Step 5: I multiply.
 Give the “Big Three”
o Responsibility
o Authority
o Accountability
 Check on Them Systematically
 Conduct Periodic Equipping Meetings

9. 5. I enjoyed Maxwell’s writing style. He uses a lot of little stories and examples
which put some skin on his ideas. He establishes and supports his underlying
statements and reasoning using experiential truths and expositions of great
leaders, Biblical characters, and prominent personalities, thereby providing a
balanced, well-documented work through the use of the texts supplied.
In his Attitude 101, he made use of the story of Roger Bannister as an inspiring
example of the way attitudes often compound. A British runner and university
student ran a mile in 3 minutes 59.4 seconds during a meet in Oxford.
Bannister’s attitude and actions compounded when exposed to others. Truly,
attitudes are contagious!
Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president and is also considered as one of the
greatest presidents of the United States was accounted in Maxwell’s Self-
Improvement 101. Lincoln’s firm decision during the Civil War made him
prominent for he was willing to give up everything – except final responsibility.
Definitely, the kind of attitude leaders needs to have.
Maxwell’s Leadership 101 mentions the leadership lid Ray Kroc and how he
began to assemble a team and build an organization to make McDonald’s a
nationwide entity. Today the company has opened more than 21,000 restaurants
in no fewer than 100 countries. Undoubtedly, leadership ability is always the lid
on personal and organization effectiveness.

10. Maxwell also included King Solomon of ancient Israel who stated the value of
working together in his Relationship 101:
Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:
If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!
Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
but how can one keep warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
I believe that everybody needs somebody to come alongside and help. If we’d
understand the willingness of giving to others and helping them, and maintaining
the right motives, their lives and ours can change.
A millionaire industrialist Henry J. Kaiser, the founder of Kaiser Aluminium as well
as the Kaiser-Permanente health care system, was also mentioned in Maxwell’s
Success 101. He said, “The evidence is over-whelming that you cannot begin to
achieve your best unless you set some aim in life”. Truly, nothing can take the
place of knowing your purpose.

11. The statements of Maxwell on Teamwork 101 were supported by C. Gene
Wilkes, in his book Jesus on Leadership which he asserts the power of teams.
He states:
o Teams involve more people, thus affording more resources, ideas, and
energy than would an individual.
o Teams maximize a leader’s potential and minimize her weaknesses.
Strengths and weaknesses are more exposed in individuals.
o Teams provide multiple perspectives on how to meet a need or reach a
goal, thus devising several alternatives for each situation.
o Teams share the credit for victories and the blame for losses.
o Teams keep leaders accountable for the goal.
o Teams can simply do more than an individual.
It may be a cliché, but it is nonetheless true: Individuals play the game, but teams
win championships.
In Maxwell’s Equipping 101, he made use of the story of Morgan Wooten who is
an American former high school basketball coach. Wooten’s attitude reaps
rewards not only for the team, but also for the individuals on the team. He equips
his players because it is the right thing to do, because he cares about them. That
practice made his players good, his team’s success, and his career remarkable.
He is the first basketball coach to have won 1,200 games at any level. Indeed,

12. equipping your team compounds over time and developing people pays off in
every way.
Lastly, Maxwell’s Mentoring 101 made use the statement of General George S.
Patton who was a senior officer of the United States Army. He says “Never tell
people how to do things. Tell them what do and they will surprise you with their
ingenuity.” It is important that we also give them enough freedom to be creative.
WEAKNESSES OF THE BOOK:
Personally, I do not find John Maxwell very preachy at all, and as a Christian
myself would’ve liked to see Jesus clearly held up as the undisputed best thing that
could ever happen to anyone. That is basically my only criticism of this book.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Without reservation, I heartily recommend this book especially for those who are
passionate about their personal growth for most of their lives. Each 101 book is an
introduction to a subject, not the “advanced course.” I believe these concentrated
versions will help the readers on their way to significant growth in specific areas of their
life. This is an enjoyable volume to read and it serves the readers well as they seek to
improve their life and achieve their dreams.