Maxwell, The 360-Degree Leader

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John C. Maxwell, The 360-Degree Leader: Developing Your Influence from Anywhere in the Organization. Thomas Nelson, 2006.

The 360-Degree Workbook: Developing Your Influence from Anywhere in the Organization.

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Brief Intro to Maxwell

John Maxwell is perhaps the most widely-read author on leadership and life-effectiveness today. LifeandLeadership.com cross-lists Maxwell’s writings under different categories:

  • Inspiring Leadership — Maxwell is a strong leader in his own right, and equips people to exercise leadership that brings out the best in others.
  • Leadership and Life-Effectiveness — In a manner similar to many authors in the success genre, Maxwell presents his insights in terms of what it means to lead a more productive life.

Each of his volumes makes a solid contribution to literature on these subjects, but with so many titles, it is often hard to know where to start. The LifeandLeadership.com Ministry Resource Guide on the John Maxwell Leadership Library may help readers understand the unique value of each of his works, and how each relates to the others.

Observations on The 360-Degree Leader

This volume helps leaders who must wield their influence from less influential roles (link) within their organizations. For ministry, this is especially valuable for associate ministry staff positions, and even those who are seemingly placed in primary roles but deal with structures that limit or control them.

From the Publisher

In his nearly thirty years of teaching leadership, John Maxwell has encountered this question again and again: How do I apply leadership principles if I’m not the boss? It’s a valid question that Maxwell answers in The 360 Degree Leader voted best business book of the year by Soundview Executive Book Summary subscribers, and 2006 recipient of their Harold Longman Award. In this award-winning book, Maxwell asserts that you don’t have to be the main leader to make significant impact in your organization. Good leaders are not only capable of leading their followers but are also adept at leading their superiors and their peers. Debunking myths and shedding light on the challenges, John Maxwell offers specific principles for Leading Down, Leading Up, and Leading Across. 360-Degree Leaders can lead effectively, regardless of their position in an organization. By applying Maxwell’s principles, you will expand your influence and ultimately be a more valuable team member.

About the Author

In 1985, John Maxwell founded The INJOY Group, a collection of three distinct companies that employ 200 people and provide resources and services that help people reach their personal and leadership potential. In addition to building a successful organization, John has authored more than thirty books, including the New York Times best sellers The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership and Failing Forward.

Called the nation’s foremost expert on leadership, John was born in central Ohio five and a half decades ago. He credits his excellent leadership instincts and his early leadership training to his father, Melvin Maxwell, whom he followed into the ministry. For over twenty-five years, John led churches in Indiana, Ohio, and California.

In 1995, John began dedicating himself full-time to writing, speaking, and consulting. Each year he speaks live to more than 350,000 people. Known as a dynamic communicator, he is in high demand on the topic of leadership, and he speaks to many American corporations and entrepreneurial organizations. He also is a popular speaker for churches, non-profits, sports organizations, and television programs. In addition, he dedicates time each year to teaching leadership internationally.

John has earned bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees and has also received five honorary doctorates. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife of over thirty years and enjoys spending time with his two grown children and his grandchildren.


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