The John C. Maxwell blog post must include three main ideas that we found most important. The three I have chosen are the Leadership Loop, Become a go-to player, and Two ways to get ahead: People who rely on production.
The leadership loop describes the pivotal aspects of being a 360° Leader. The concepts of the leadership loop are caring, learning, appreciating, contributing, verbalizing, leading, and succeeding. Each idea within the John C. Maxwell 360° book can be grouped into one of these main ideas. For the first concept, the book explains that a leader should take interest and care about the overall concerns of their followers, as people are less likely to follow a leader who does not care about their opinions. This point categorizes other smaller concepts like “be a friend” or “team-first.” When these ideas are combined, they summarize the book as the leadership loop. I chose the loop because of its easy memorability. I use it to remember the qualities that make a good leader and TALONS student without having to reread the book. Without the essential skills in the leadership loop, getting into the TALONS Program would be nearly impossible since everything we do is dependent on these qualities. If we did not have verbalization during the execution of an Adventure Trip, there would not be any clear communication between students, which would lead to people getting lost or injured. Outside of TALONS, this information can also develop my leadership skills on the soccer field. I can use the knowledge to help my team succeed by verbalizing strategies and encouraging my teammates when they make a good play.
Becoming a go-to player means more than contributing to the group; it means working well under pressure, taking arduous jobs, and following instructions. Go-to players will take the worst jobs to see the company or organization succeed. My dad demonstrated both the consequences and rewards of being a go-to individual when he took a hard job related to education. It made him work tireless hours, and each day was a struggle, but my dad pulled through. In the end, he was paid a lot of money for his work and became well known to the company owners. Every day, I try my best to become a go-to player, which is why I picked this concept for this assignment. I have seen firsthand how influential and crucial these people are to success. Without these individuals, jobs would not get completed in companies or programs like TALONS. Imagine a planning group of TALONS students that never wanted to take a more difficult task, like planning food deliveries for cultural events. The entire affair would suffer and fail consequently. Then again, the TALONS program is for students willing to do what it takes, not for the average person. I demonstrated being a go-to player by assigning myself more work in group projects, creating a reputation of dependability. With this recognition, people were willing to follow my bolder ideas, and in turn, I got to develop my other leadership skills.
John C. Maxwell’s idea about people who rely on production explains how individuals can advance in an organization by putting in the work. The people on the opposite scale take shortcuts and let others control them. Relying on production is the much better option of the two because it allows you to control where you stand in the company. Take Jeff Bezos for example. He started Amazon in his garage with only a few employees and grew it into one of the most successful companies in the world. He dedicated his life to the company, and now Amazon defines online shopping. This is important because it shows how hard work pays off in the end. There is no point in succeeding in a company if you sacrifice your personal beliefs in the process. I chose this concept because it tells us how to advance in a company without letting others influence our decisions. In the TALONS Program, we learn how to rely on production. That means we work hard and do what it takes to succeed in school. Basing decisions on logic, always putting in the effort, and striving for improvement are good aspects of a leader. I incorporate some of these values into my day-to-day life to advance my own leadership skills. By combining John’s list concepts and my own leadership experience, I create a new style of leading that is customized to my personality.
Maxwell, J. C. (2005). The 360-degree leader: Developing your influence from anywhere in the organization. Nelson.
Image: https://www.worthypublishing.com/contributor/john-c-maxwell/