John C. Maxwell 360° Leader Assignment

Complete others, don’t compete

360° leaders play the invaluable support role in the organization, not only to the higher ups, but also to their equals. There are plenty of leaders in the middle, and the 360° leader might feel the urge to compete against them and become the best. They must resist this, and instead complete them (Maxwell, 2005). This is because the organization relies on 360° leaders to bind the company together; it doesn’t matter how well you lead the bottom if it all falls apart in the middle. You may not want to rule out competition altogether, as it can serve as a friendly motivator for everyone. The trick is to compete with your peers, not against them (Maxwell, 2005). This brings everyone up together, reinforcing the organization at the middle, instead of tearing it apart. To create a healthy working environment, there must be a mix of teamwork and competition, which encourages collective growth. To achieve this, a 360° leader must keep a healthy mindset; holding team growth above personal success; knowing a win for the team is a win for them; including others, strengthening the trust between teammates; having an abundance-mindset, where they think of power and success as abundant, rather than scarce; and above all, truly believing that the team is a team (Maxwell, 2005). By thinking as your people as one group, rather than a collection of individuals, winning as a team becomes winning for you, allowing you to fully complete your role as a 360° leader.

Position is not equal to leadership

A common belief people hold is that one’s position is accurately reflective of their leadership skills; this is not true and leads to dissatisfaction in the minds of 360° leaders (Maxwell, 2005). You can give people positions, but you cannot grant them true leadership. Someone could have the highest position possible yet be an utterly incompetent leader. People will follow them simply because they must, rather than because they truly want to. This leads to the bare minimum of what is required, because for the workers, there is no reason to go any higher than that. Conversely, people will follow a true leader with enthusiasm because their leadership is a reason to try. True leadership is a collection of traits that allow one to effectively motivate people to follow them willingly and with enthusiasm. People will work for a person with a position, but they will work hard for a leader with a position. The power of a position is greatly diminished without the power of a leader behind it. A powerful position can make people have to work for you but will not make them want to work for you. That is the difference between position and leadership: influence and motivation. A leader motivates the people to work for them by presenting ideals that drive the people to contribute their best, while a position only makes them contribute what they have to.

Circumventing the ego challenge

A 360° leader might feel underappreciated, as they are always in the shadow of their higher-ups. Being in the middle, their leadership is never in the spotlight, and they may never be truly valued for what they are; therefore, they must learn to cope with being “second best”. A 360° leader must always know that without them, the higher-ups would be helpless. Without the workers, and the 360° leader that leads them, no matter how much the higher-ups try, the project would fail. It is said that a leader’s potential is determined by those who surround him (Maxwell, 2005). The 360° leader is one that surrounds the main leader, and while it isn’t the flashiest role to play, it is one of the most important. A 360° leader must focus on their duty to add value to the main leader, and to keep everything flowing smoothly, so the main leader can focus on other matters. The organization would fall apart otherwise. Believe it or not, good leadership will get noticed by your superiors, and the time will come when you might become the big leader that needs their 360° leaders. Merit is rewarded more often than not, and it is only a matter of time (Maxwell, 2005). A 360° leader can take solace in this fact. Not everyone will understand the irreplaceable role a 360° leader plays, but it is important nonetheless, and a 360° leader should take pride in that fact that they are the hidden lifeblood of the organization.

More on the book: The 360 Degree Leader Workbook: Developing Your Influence from Anywhere in … – John C. Maxwell – Google Books

Maxwell, J. C. (2005). The 360° leader Workbook: Developing your influence from anywhere in the organization. Thomas Nelson.