The 360 Degree Leader: Developing Your Influence from Anywhere in the Organization

I use The 360 Leader Workbook for a supervisory training workshop in the Federal sector that I conduct - all participants receive copies of the book since I believe that this book is perfect for supervisors/managers to enhance their skills and explore ways to be more effective in the workplace. I also use it for a non-supervisory workshop call Leadership 21 so that employees know that no matter what your position you can influence and add value. Vilma Colon, Transition Matters, Inc.

This is one of the best and most practical books that I've every read on leadership. It one of only a handful of books on leading up (your boss) and leading across (fellow employees). Most books are on leading down (those who report to the boss), but only a very small portion of any organization is in that position.

In a number of the self-improvement blogs I follow, one book title kept appearing over and over... The 360 Degree Leader: Developing Your Influence from Anywhere in the Organization by John C. Maxwell. Curiosity got the best of me, and I decided to see what the talk was all about. Bottom line is that I found it to be one of the most practical books on leadership I've ever had the pleasure to read. And you don't have to be a CEO to apply the truths... Contents: Section 1 - The Myths of Leading from the Middle of an Organization: #1 - The Position Myth - "I can't lead if I am not at the top."; #2 - The Destination Myth - "When I get to the top, then I'll learn to lead."; #3 - The Influence Myth - "If I were on top, then people would follow me."; #4 - The Inexperience Myth - "When I get to the top, I'll be in control."; #5 - The Freedom Myth - "When I get to the top, I'll no longer be limited."; #6 - The Potential Myth - "I can't reach my potential if I'm not the top leader."; #7 - The All-or-Nothing Myth - "If I can't get to the top, then I won't try to lead." Section 2 - The Challenges 360-Degree Leaders Face: #1 - The Tension Challenge - The Pressure of Being Caught in the Middle; #2 - The Frustration Challenge - Following an Ineffective Leader; #3 - The Multi-Hat Challenge - One Head... Many Hats; #4 - The Ego Challenge - You're Often Hidden in the Middle; #5 - The Fulfillment Challenge - Leaders Like the Front More Than the Middle; #6 - The Vision Challenge - Championing the Vision Is More Difficult When You Didn't Create It; #7 - The Influence Challenge - Leading Others Beyond Your Position Is Not Easy Section 3 - The Principles 360-Degree Leaders Practice to Lead Up: #1 - Lead Yourself Exceptionally Well; #2 - Lighten Your Leader's Load; #3 - Be Willing to Do What Others Won't; #4 - Do More Than Manage - Lead!; #5 - Invest in Relational Chemistry; #6 - Be Prepared Every Time You Take Your Leader's Time; #7 - Know When to Push and When to Back Off; #8 - Become a Go-To Player; #9 - Be Better Tomorrow Than You Are Today Section 4 - The Principles 360-Degree Leaders Practice to Lead Across: #1 - Understand, Practice, and Complete the Leadership Loop; #2 - Put Completing Fellow Leaders Ahead of Competing with Them; #3 - Be a Friend; #4 - Avoid Office Politics; #5 - Expand Your Circle of Acquaintances; #6 - Let the Best Idea Win; #7 - Don't Pretend You're Perfect Section 5 - The Principles 360-Degree Leaders Practice to Lead Down: #1 - Walk Slowly Through the Halls; See Everyone As a "10"; #3 - Develop Each Team Member as a Person; #4 - Place People in Their Strength Zones; #5 - Model the Behavior You Desire; #6 - Transfer the Vision; #7 - Reward for Results Section 6 - The Value of 360-Degree Leaders: #1 - A Leadership Team Is More Effective Than Just One Leader; #2 - Leaders Are Needed at Every Level of the Organization; #3 - Leading Successfully at One Level Is a Qualifier for Leading at the Next Level; #4 - Good Leaders in the Middle Make

The author spends a good deal of time articulating the dilemma for middle managers in an organization. Their plight typifies why some people are best working for themselves rather than in an organizational setting. A good middle manager must concentrate on assigned duties and not dreams. Sometimes , it is necessary to do the work that others won't or to do the work that others are incapable of doing. The middle manager is squeezed between the demands from the top and the expectations of followers in the organization. There are a whole list of don'ts in an organization. Don't do the following: -be insecure or ineffective -be selfish or overly controlling -political or manipulative There are times when it is necessary to let the boss take the credit. In other situations, you may have to compensate for specific weaknesses in a boss or human frailties. To some extent, a middle manager is limited by the amount of empowerment bestowed upon him/her in an organization. A strength of this work is that the author discusses many aspects of corporate governance that are not written down per se. Therefore, the presentation is unique in many important respects.

The 360° Leader is a very easy to follow and enjoyable book to read. Dr. Maxwell writes in a very personable style using real life stories, analogies, and numerous quotes to provide the reader with great advice on leading from not only the top, but also from the middle and from the bottom of an organization. I was initially drawn to this book due to my interest in 360° performance appraisals; looking for ideas on how to better write them. However, not only did I gain a better understanding of what to look for in writing appraisals, I also now feel I have a better understanding of what I need to be doing to get great 360° performance appraisals myself. The best part of the book is that each section includes either suggestions for leaders or questions leaders should be asking themselves. Dr. Maxwell then provides a step-by-step process for each of the books leadership principles that any leader can immediately use. Many of the suggested steps use real world examples that I could easily relate to; which I plan on using in my own organization.