17 is an Odd Number

I think of Seven (8) Habits of Highly Effective Leaders, the top 10 List of David Letterman, the eight Beatitudes, even the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by the same author and wonder why does 17 in numbering the essential qualities of a team player strike me as an odd number?

It is an odd number.
It's the first prime number after lucky 13.
A team can be five on the court or 9 on the field.

But Seventeen?

And then I thought of leadership from within - being a part of a team while being the one, de facto or de jure, who leads the team. While integral to the teams success, culture, image, and effectiveness, to leaders sometimes have to stand alone, a separate number apart from that perfect square, that 2- squared-squared?

And what if the challenge is to lead great leaders? John Maxwell advises that essential team players are:

1. Adaptabile
2. Collaborative
3. Committed
4. Communicative
5. Competent
6. Dependable
7. Disciplined
8. Enlarging
9. Enthusiastic
10. Intentional
11. Mission Conscious
12. Prepared
13. Relational
14. Self-Improving
15. Selfless
16. Solution Oriented
17. Tenacious

That's a long laundry list of desirable characteristics. Number 11 stands in the forefront of my mind, the need not only to know and embrace the organization's mission, but one's personal mission with many opportunities for reflection.

So how does one adapt to the high demand for competency in a solution-oriented, tenacious field?

By counting on insights from friends and family around the world who inspire and challenge.

Have a great weekend!