There were several points in this video that stood out to me. The first one was one of the myths that are often believed by people in the middle: the Position Myth: “I can’t lead if I am not at the top.” (Maxwell 2006). I found this interesting because it is a myth that I have often thought was true, and it changed my perspective. It means that if you do not have a position at the top, a position of power, you cannot be a good leader because people will not follow you. What I learned is that people will follow you if you are a good leader. You do not necessarily have to have a position with lots of power to lead people. “You can lead from anywhere in an organization. And when you do, you can make the organization better.” (Maxwell, 2006).  

This is important for TALONS because each of us should know that we don’t have to be assigned a leadership position in order to make a change. Whether we’re doing a project or hiking in a group, every person in the group can contribute and lead others in some way. It’s also helpful for me to know outside of TALONS because I’ll remember not to become frustrated or believe that I can’t be a good leader if I’m not in a position of power. Instead, I’ll work toward making the best impact that I can in the position that I have.  

Another point that was inspiring to me was when he talked about “leading up”. Leading up means influencing the person/people in a position of power. If you can influence a leader in a positive way, you’ve done something great. Leading up principles include lifting the leader’s load, finding ways to succeed with difficult people, and valuing the leader’s time. This section also emphasizes the difference between leading and managing, which I thought was a great point. If you can work toward being a better leader yourself, you can follow many of the leading up principles such as lightening the leader’s load. The book also states that “helping your leaders means supporting them and standing up for them whenever you can.” (Maxwell 2006) 

I find leading up and influencing the leader important for a few reasons. Firstly, the leader might need assistance. Giving help to them is a good deed, and one that they may remember for a while. Second, if you can teach the leader or provide feedback, shaping the way they lead for the better, you are doing something great for the entire organization. I think it’s a good reminder that you can always influence people that are in positions higher than you. Knowing this improves my leadership skills because I won’t only focus on helping and providing feedback to people that are in positions below or equal to mine, but also help the organization by providing help and feedback to those in leadership positions. It applies to TALONS because it’s important for us to give our opinions and thoughts to those who are leading group activities. 

The third point that stood out to me was one of the challenges 360-degree leaders face: “The Multi-Hat Challenge”. This challenge is all about how 360-degree leaders must switch up their attitude or how many responsibilities they take on based on who they’re with. “Remember that the hat sets the context when interacting with others.” (Maxwell 2006). It can be difficult to switch your hat so many times, and I chose to include this point because of how relatable it is and because I know it’s a challenge that I’ll relate to even more once I begin taking jobs. It’s also relative to TALONS because depending on who we’re interacting with, we must change the way we act and how we take the lead. For example, if there’s a teacher or even an older TALONS learner that is stepping up and taking charge, we should know to let them lead and fulfill our duties. Of course, it’s important to give them feedback and voice our opinion when necessary. Knowing when to change my hat and what to change it to is good for my leadership skills, especially if I’m leading in the middle. I cannot treat those who are in higher leadership positions the exact same way that I treat those who are in positions below mine. I would not treat them with any less respect, but rather take more responsibility to lead these people.