360° Leader Key Concepts

The first big concept that I picked from John Maxwell’s 360° leader book is knowing when to push and when to back off. As a middle leader, you may feel the need to sometimes push an idea. To find out whether you should pressure it, ask yourself these questions. 1) Does my boss need to know this? 2) Is time running out?  3) Are my responsibilities at risk? Next, to find out if you should back off, ask yourself this: Does this cause personal gain? If yes, it’s most likely the better choice to back off. I picked knowing when to push and back off because I believe that it’s important to not overstress your leader. A top leader can often be overstressed and coming up to them with questions that don’t help them or the organization can just cause even more stress, which is what no one wants.  This can be applied in TALONS every day. On an adventure trip, a top leader can often be stressed having to deal with organizing everything. Being in command of the people’s safety and wellbeing around you can be quite stressful. By asking yourself these questions you might lessen the load of your leader pack. Knowing when to back off and when to pressure an idea or thought can further your social leadership abilities. One of a leader’s jobs is to know the people around them in depth. 

One key idea from the book that I think is important is the multiple hat concept. This concept is about wearing different “hats” depending on the situation. A hat is a role that you play as a leader, and true leaders have several different hats they put on daily. The different types and number of hats that you have depended on your role and organization. I picked this topic because I believe that to be a great leader it’s important to understand and master this concept. Having different hats mastered means that as a leader you can fill multiple roles, which can lead to more growth and development in an organization by filling certain gaps. The “hats” concept can be applied to TALONS daily. As a student or teacher, you can still be a leader from the middle of the pack, and that means you deal with a lot of different people. You would have a certain hat when talking to a superior, and a different one when talking to a peer. You may not notice it, but you probably already have different hats that you automatically switch to when you talk to a person. Having multiple hats can increase your leadership skills a lot. Being able to fill in for multiple roles is a valued skill in leadership. It allows for more flexibility and flow in an organization and can cause more success.  

The third key idea I picked was to be better tomorrow than you are today. “The key to personal growth is to be more growth-orientated (Maxwell, 2006).”  I like that quote as it describes one of the key factors to being a good leader. To be a leader you must grow and develop daily to keep up with the ever so changing society around you. Personal growth is key to being a great leader. I picked this quote because I personally believe that it is one of the most important statements in the book. It not only is crucial to being a good leader but it can be applied to just regular life. In everything you practice, you should strive to be better the next day. I feel as if this idea can be applied to TALONS in not only leadership but in regular school too. With every test, assignment, and task you strive to do better next time. In TALONS trips, striving to be better every day is a must. This furthers your leadership abilities by developing your skills on a daily basis. By trying to be better every day, you are constantly developing your skills. Living by this standard can be life-changing for many.