Part 1: Summary of the main points
Leadership is one of the most cardinal aspects of a society or a religion in any part of the world composed of human beings. Naturally, people in a group usually have the urge to have a leader who is in charge of the group's coordination of activities. One of the religions in the world with the most refined forms of leadership is Christianity. The doctrine has a hierarchy of the leaders in existence to ensure that the followers are informed of the various kinds of things they are supposed to do at any given time of the year. Just as the leaders of the other societies, Christian leaders have to be informed, practice advanced leadership skills, and wisely manage their areas of jurisdiction. The Christian leaders have also integrated 360-degree leadership which has vastly enabled them to be team players and improves their excellence at work. The leaders have also avoided selfish behaviors to be an excellent example to their followers.
The book, "The 360 0 Leader" by John C. Maxwell talks of the modern leaders dealing with the common myths that surround current leadership. For example, some of the people under a specific leadership position believe that they are not in a position to lead even if they are given an opportunity to do so. Others reluctantly say that they would learn how to be effective leaders once they are given some of the roles in leadership. The other group of myth is from the people who assume that if they become leaders, people will automatically start following them. Contrary to the myths, effective leadership is factual and has its actions laid out for the followers to earn and question them. Also, effective leadership is workable and fits the subjects under it. Those are the myths that the Christian leaders today need to eliminate to cultivate a society which is responsible for their actions.
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In his book, John C. Maxwell also talks about the challenges that the so-called 360-degree leaders face. The first challenge they face is tension and especially when they have to be in the middle of the troubles those under them face, for example. The tension ensues in the leaders and may make them appear ineffective or less empathetic to the issues of others, as well as those that directly affect them. Also, 360-degree leaders have an uphill task in fulfilling what is expected of them. The leaders are pressured to be at the front of every matter at hand. They find themselves trying to solve other people's problems for them, which may sometimes appear intrusive. The same case, the Christian leaders, have a fulfillment challenge heaped on them. They have set realistic goals and ensure they are solved to the best of their abilities. Their tendency of being in front of the others tends to make them responsible for everyone's actions.
The 360-degree leadership is based on principles. Unremarkably, leadership is based on specific rules. All the same, the new form of leadership emphasizes more on principles for its effectiveness. One of the laws is that they have to influence their bosses. Leadership is based on hierarchy, and each leader is answerable to a leader above him or her. The second principle that propels 360-degree direction is leading other leaders. Leadership assumes every human being is capable of leading in one capacity or another. It is not uncommon for the 360-degree leaders to consider their subjects are also leaders and treat them like such. The other principle is willingness. The new form of leadership centers itself on the leaders themselves being ready to do their activities without having been coaxed or forced to do so. In Christianity, the principle-based 360-degree command can also be integrated. The principles of general leadership would hold in a Christian leadership perspective.
John C. Maxwell also puts the value of 360-degree leadership across. He states that a team of leaders is more authentic than an individual leader. The main idea in leadership teams is to share different thoughts among leaders and come up with a system of agreed principles that guide their actions. Leadership is imperative to every level of the society. Leadership becomes valuable if it covers the entire scope of the organization it is supposed to target. Maxwell also elaborates that the new form of leadership, eponymous to the circular range of 360 degrees, is supposed to entail all the possible aspects of leading an organization needs. The leaders are flexible enough that they can lead in another company if given an opportunity to do so. The value of the 360-degree leaders extends to the Christianity approach of leadership. Christian leaders as well need to be in teams, embrace flexibility, and have a broad scope in their leadership.
Lastly, the book talks about the leadership loop in a circular manner which suggests that leadership is a cyclic process with detailed steps that can be repeated all over again. At the first step, a leader is supposed to care and be empathetic to the subjects and other leaders' issues. The second step brings the leader to learn all that a specific problem pertains. The third step is to apply the various principles that are relevant to the matter at hand. The new form of leadership has equipped the leaders with a handful of policies to ensure they lead wisely. The other step is the contribution. The leader is supposed to contribute to the matter at hand by suggesting ways to deal with it. The leader is also supposed to verbalize the solutions, led the implementation, and finally succeed in the resolution of the current issue. That explains much of what is supposed to be done in a Christian leadership perspective.
Part 2: Response to the book
The book, "360 0 Leader" by John C. Maxwell is an informative book on the leadership foundations and their changes in the way of interacting with the society. One of the most significant things I have learned from the book is that leadership is devoid of the common myths that are supposed to be degrading it. For example, I am not supposed to be comfortable saying that until I am a leader, I am not supposed to care what leading is actually like. I have therefore learned that I am supposed to start leading my life, the first beginning of being capable of leading others. The second most significant thing I have learned from the book is that leadership is based on principles. Leaders have to be guided to ensure that they have an efficient way of leading those under them. One of the most vital tenets is that the leaders have to lead from the midst of the people to get to the top.
There were also some aspects of the new form of leadership that changed my thinking about the topics we covered in class about leadership. Firstly, I learned that the value of leadership spans the holistic society approach to leadership. One of the leadership values is teamwork. There before, I would think that leaders function effectively when they make decisions as individuals. The idea of the effectiveness of the teams formed by the leaders revolutionized my thinking towards leadership as it was covered in class. Secondly, the applicability of the 360-degree command came as a different idea to me. I realized that the form of leadership could be applied to other distinct aspects of the society. For instance, a Christian leader who has embraced the concept of 360-degree administration can use the leadership principles to the other different congregations in which he or she is supposed to be a leader.
Also, some of the principles I learned in class are by the book's point of view as far as leadership is concerned. One of the laws is the cyclic nature of the process of leadership. In class, I learned that leadership is more of a process than it is of an outcome, and hence, the various steps that are basic and can be applied in all leadership scenarios are inherent to the efficiency of the leadership. The other principle that the book featured and I had learned in class is that leadership is based on robust rules. More often than not, leaders do not act out of autonomy. In most cases, there are set guidelines that ensure they behave in a certain way and avoid misleading the people. Christian leaders have to be conversant with the fundamental principles that explain what they are supposed to do at each part of their quest for effective leadership.
The knowledge on leadership is useful to my life as well as in my ministry. First and foremost, I have to be the leader of my life. I have to control my life desirably to convince the other people that I will be an active leader to them, take a case of my religious quest. The discard of the myths that waken new leadership will help my life regarding me deciding to rise and take my leadership position seriously. The teachings on leadership are intrinsic to the success of my work in the ministry. To begin with, the lessons on the presence of the principles guiding leadership and the importance of following them is going to help me be a devoted leader who is ready to support specific guidelines that are supposed to be keenly observed in the ministry. Secondly, the leadership loop will enable me to solve the various challenges that the ministry is going to pose against me as a leader. I have to take a considerable part in the settling of the problems for my fellow ministers.
In addition to the covered topics, I will learn the origin of the term 360-degree leadership. Thinking about the 360 degrees, I realize that it means a circular turn and back to the original. That is to say that this form of leadership is an all-rounder. This is the type of leadership that applies to all the levels of societal and organizational leadership. Moreover, 360-degree leadership is modern and has likely success for leadership in today's world. One more important thing to note about 360-degree leadership is that it incorporates all the aspects of leadership in a particular society. In a Christianity perspective, the implementation of 360-degree leadership would cause harmony between the leaders and their followers. Furthermore, the modern leadership concept would bring together all the leaders since they would have the leadership skills in common.
The course material has also impacted my current interactions. Leadership in the ministry is based on interacting with other people to know their needs and work towards fulfilling them. I have become more social. I have learned about the interpersonal skills and how they are supposed to help me in ministry work to interact with my peers, be a good example to them and work together with them as a team. The course materials have enabled me to be principled. I learned that I have to ensure that my life is based on guidelines so that I can fulfill what my ministry work expects of me.
