Leadership Analysis : The360 Degree Leader By John C. Maxwell

“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” John C. Maxwell

In Leadership 101 by John Maxwell, the author uses practical application points to give guidance on what it takes to be good leader. The book is divided in three parts, linking the development, traits and impacts of a leader, with a series of questions that the author answers. He also uses real-life stories and quotes from leaders such as the McDonald brothers and Princess Diana, to demonstrate leadership principles. The author also uses these examples and a detailed framework to help the readers enhance the leadership abilities they already possess. Maxwell suggests that in order to be a successful leader you need to; Follow your vision and bring others with you, produce a lasting legacy, grow the loyalty of your followers, make continual

Leadership is, and always has been, a vital aspect of social and economic constructs. It is essential to the survival of societies, industries, organizations, and virtually any group of individuals that come together for a common purpose. However, leadership is difficult to define in a single, definitive sense. As such, theories of leadership, what constitutes a great leader, and how leaders are made have evolved constantly throughout history, and still continue to change today in hopes of improving upon our understanding of leadership, its importance, and how it can be most effective in modern organizational cultures.

The pressures that we as leaders engage daily tend to become universal and the leaders of today face many challenges such as persuading people at all levels of an organization. For anyone that has led they know the bulk of leadership does not begin at the top of the organization it stems from the middle level of leaders. In the book 360-degree leader, authored by John C. Maxwell, he describes philosophies a leader can implement in order to increase value and empowerment in the organization on all levels. With the 360 model, leading up, leading across, and leading down is the overall goal. From my experiences, I feel that most supervisors feel that because they are not higher up on the management ladder that they are not in a position to influence their manager, peers, and direct reports. Following the model allows leaders to use the 3 different philosophies to more effective and efficiently influence other to become an all-around 360 degree leader (Maxwell, 2005).

The story of Captain D. Michael Abrashoff and his command of USS Benfold has now become legendary inside and outside the Navy. Captain Abrashoff offers this tale of top-down change for anyone trying to navigate today’s uncertain seas. When Captain Abrashoff took over as the commander of USS Benfold, which is a ship that is completely armed with every cutting-edge system available, but unfortunately, the ship was like a business that has all the latest technology but it lacked in productivity and teamwork. Knowing that that the responsibility for improving performance rested with him as the new USS Benfold’s Captain, Abrashoff realized that he had to improve his own leadership skills before he could improve the crew aboard the ship. Within months, Abrashoff created a crew of confident and inspired problem solvers eager to take initiative and responsibility for their actions. The slogan on board became “It’s your ship,” and the USS Benfold was soon recognized far and wide as a model of naval efficiency. (Abrashoff, 2002) From achieving amazing cost savings to winning the highest gunnery score in the Pacific Fleet, Captain Abrashoff’s extraordinary campaign sent shock waves throughout the entire U.S. Navy fleet. By reading this book, it can really help you change the course of your leadership skills, no matter where your battles are fought. As a society, we continue to invest in the latest

Burns wrote the book to address the essence of leadership. His intended audience is the everyday

My father once told me that, “everything we do— be it in academia, at work, social or family life—we are guided by principles, beliefs and values that collectively form our ideology of life.” I believe that every leader, to a certain extent, is shaped through her individual personal experience. Although in some cases, we may not realize to what extent our personal assumptions and beliefs shape our ability to lead or be led.

Mary used her gift of writing to effectively communicate her stance on women's rights, and help spread awareness for her cause.

Contemporary thinking offers a variety of obstacles to the success of the Christian Church. Jesus said that the gates of hell would not prevail against the church (Matt. 16:18), and to date, they have not. However, current ministries face stiff opposition and the leadership of these ministries needs practical answers in order to move the gospel forward (McMullin, 2013). Societies around the world continue to grow more secular, casting the impression that the church is irrelevant (McMullin, 2013). With this threat, leaders may consider solutions based on contemporary culture, rather than biblical truth. Resisting this temptation is essential. Christian leaders must insure

believe that I will bring to my leadership positions. The main gift that I will bring is my ability to listen to anyone. No matter what the problem is, big or small, I am always available to listen. I believe that being a good listener is a great quality. These retreats really force you to open up and talk about things that you really do not want to talk about. However, when you do finally get comfortable tot talk you are going to want a good listener there to support you. I like to think that even the smallest problems or stories I am always listening. With a good listener, you are always going to need a person who is good at giving advice. I know that if I am selected to be a retreat leader I will try my hardest to give good advice. With

Throughout the modern era, we have had many individuals that have exemplified both great and terrible leadership qualities. Some pursue innovation, adhere to a strict moral code, or attempt to improve the life of millions through their company. There are others whose name cannot be mentioned without the word fraud coming shortly after due to their lack or a moral code. In fact, some the worst leaders in recent history, ruined the lives of thousands simply to make a profit. Perhaps the best way to illustrate this point of a moral leader compared in comparison to a corrupt one. The CEO and founder of the e-commerce giant Amazon.com, Jeff

The stresses that we as leaders encounter daily tend to become a problem across all organizations and the leaders of today find themselves facing many challenges such as coaxing people at all levels. For anyone that has led, you know the main part of leadership does not begin at the top, it stems from the middle level leaders. In the book “The360-degree Leader”, authored by John C. Maxwell, he outlines philosophies a leader can implement in an effort to increase significance and empower on all levels of the organization. A leader that follows the 360 model, leading up, leading across, and leading down should be able to apply its principles, in order to be successful. From my experiences, I feel that most supervisors have a feeling that because they are not as high on the management ladder, they are not in a spot to influence their manager, peers, and employees. Following the model allows leaders to use the three different philosophies described by Maxwell, to more effective and efficiently influence others and become an all-around 360-degree leader (Maxwell, 2005).

Maxwell begins his book by identifying the number-one misconception public believe about leadership, which is leadership that comes from the position. He does not think the employee needs a title to be a leader of his division, department, or organization. Possessing a title in order to be a leader is the position myth. Maxwell provides an example of people tied up to a position. He makes connection between the title and the leader tasks. He argues that people should not wait for authority to be given in order to lead. However, they can lead through building a relationship with others, and influence them naturally. Maxwell claims that the effective leader is aware of a leadership identification toll. He likes to call them the five levels of leadership which are position,

Application of a leadership theory to CompuCom is an extremely difficult process. CompuCom uses many different leadership theories to make the company work efficiently. However, after reviewing the text the one theory that stood out was the Open-System model. CompuCom is an industry innovator; the company is always looking for new ways to re-invent how to accomplish its goals. With the inclusion of the associates in the decision making process, getting input from stakeholders, and proceeding from the premise that in order to get a good idea, you must consider all the options. The definition from the book is, “The open–systems model, which is in the upper right quadrant and demonstrates flexibility and an external focus, values innovation, adaptation, growth, and resource acquisition” (Weiss, 2011). Being able to adapt to the industry and overcome any challenges that come up, the company has to be open to new ideas and consider all the options.

The book 360 leader is written by the author John C. Maxwell. The book was dedicated to Dan Reiland who was a friend, student, teacher and partner to the author John C. Maxwell.There are six sections in this book written by John C. Maxwell. The six sections in this book talk about principles to lead up down and across, challenges, myths of leading from the middle of an organization and the value of 360 degree leaders. Maxwell’s book 360 leader provides a lot of facts on leading from the middle to the top of an organization reminding leaders that it’s all about influence when it comes to leadership.