Introduction
In his book, Developing the Leader Within You, John C. Maxwell engages readers in a discussion on some of the key aspects that would play a critical role towards building what would be considered as effective leadership. Maxwell has an in-depth understanding of the leadership spectrum taking into account that he is a renowned author touching on different books and articles all of which reflect on the prospects of decisive leadership. In this particular book, Maxwell (1993) focuses more on sharing some of the ‘timeless’ principles of leadership with the focus being towards ensuring that people develop positive change. Additionally, the provision of these principles seeks to build on one’s career platform with the focus being towards defining one’s ability to maintain a high standard as a leader. The focus of this report is to engage in an in-depth analysis of the teachings, as have been brought out within this particular book touching on the principles of leadership.
John C. Maxwell’s Definition and Reflection of Leadership
At the very beginning of the book, Maxwell (1993) works towards coining an accurate definition of leadership with the focus being towards ensuring that readers have a clear understanding of what guidance incorporates. Maxwell disowns the position that leadership is all about management arguing that true leadership does not depend on whether one is a good or useful manager. In his view, he indicates that true leadership can be considered from the perspective of the influence that one may have within his or her environment. From his perspective, Maxwell (1993) believes in the fact that a true leader is one who people will listen to and learn to follow regardless of the challenges that they may encounter.
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Thus, this seeks to highlight the value associated with promoting influence as one of the critical elements that would play a crucial role towards building on one's perspective platform towards becoming a true leader. On the question of whether leadership is inherent or inborn, Maxwell (1993) argues that leadership is not a skill that people are born with but is a learned skill, which people can learn within a given period depending on the environment. However, he goes ahead to indicate that majority of the schools fail in their bid towards teaching the concept of true leadership, as they do not show people to be leaders that others may follow. From this discussion, it is clear that this particular book does not only focus on the idea of building one's capacity as a manager but also reflects on ensuring that people understand what it would mean for them to become true leaders.
Maxwell’s Discussion on Key Principles of Leadership
In his discussion of leadership, Maxwell (1993) focuses more on providing his readers with some of the fundamental principles that would be of value towards building that prospective avenue for decisive leadership. One critical aspect to note from the discussion of these principles is that Maxwell stretches the possible understanding of leadership from multiple perspectives with the focus being towards building one's ability to become a true leader. Understanding these principles is essential towards defining what it means for one to work towards making on his or her capacities as a true leader. The basic tenets that Maxwell discusses extensively within his book include:
#1: Influence
When evaluating the principle of influence, Maxwell reflects more on what the concept of influence would be able to define as part of one's ability to maintain or build that positive platform from which to establish leadership. In his discussion of the principle of influence, Maxwell (1993) provides readers with one of his favorite leadership proverbs:
“ He who thinketh he leadeth and hath no one following him is only taking a walk” (p.1)
From this particular proverb, Maxwell can build on the understanding that most leaders believe in the idea of management as being one of the critical elements that define overall effectiveness in one's capacity as a leader. However, he argues that this is half true taking into account that a leader must also be in a position allowing him to influence those that they lead. In other words, this means that a leader must have the capacity enabling him or her to influence how others are expected to operate with the focus being towards the attainment of a given goal or leadership outcome.
Using this principle in an educational environment, a principal, who is the leader in a school, must be able to influence other teachers towards a shared vision within the school. The role of the principal as the leader is not only confined to the management of other teachers but also builds on the understanding that he or she must influence a vision among other staff members. The idea of controlling other staff members means that the principal would be in a better position from which to define what he considers as prospective outcomes associated with the performance of the educational institution.
#2: Priorities
The second the principle that Maxwell insights on as part of decisive leadership are the ability to define one's priorities. Maxwell (1993) points out that a true leader can prioritize what he or she would consider as the activities that are necessary for those that can be handled at a later time. The main idea of having to build on one's ability to prioritize is for one to develop the specific skills allowing him or her to achieve overall effectiveness taking into account one's role as a leader.
A leader must always be ready to evaluate the activities that are expected of him or her with the focus being towards defining the key priorities. The outcome of this is that the leader would be in a better position from which to establish a front for success achievement. In an educational institution, a principal may receive funds that are not adequate towards handling all significant activities with the school. From that perspective, the principle must learn the value of having to prioritize on the events that are most essential for the school, which would be handled first.
#3: Integrity
In his view, Maxwell (1993) argues that one of the missing elements among the majority of leaders, which accounts for their failure to meet set out standards is lack of integrity. Maxwell believes that sincerity does not only reflect on one's ability to maintain that positive platform from which to define performance but also builds on the front from which to understand the importance of having to undertake specific activities.
The outcome of this is that the leader would be better positioned towards making effective leadership decisions affecting different stakeholders that seeks to build on the expected success margins. In a school setting, integrity may be seen from the perspective that teachers must have the motivation allowing them to undertake their duties with due diligence. That means that the teachers will not only focus on the idea of having to expect to be told what they ought to do but must understand that they are accountable for their actions and must reflect on the consequences of their actions.
#4: Creating Positive Change
Maxwell (1993) builds his discussion on the prospects of leadership on the basis that indeed leaders must be ready and willing to influence or impact change as part of their leadership spheres. In other words, a true leader is defined by his or her ability to control or promote change within his or her leadership sphere. However, it is essential to take note of the type of change that a leader would be able to bring about as part of his or her front from which to define performance with the focus being towards building on one's leadership capacities. The outcome of this is that the leader would create a front from which he or she can define the expected levels of change.
In this case, it can be seen that a leader must focus more on ensuring that the change that he or she influences is positive for his or her followers. In education, the influence of positive change should not only be the responsibility of a principle or teacher-in-charge. Instead, it should be the responsibility of every stakeholder to ensure that the leaders in the education sector are held to account for their actions. The outcome of this is that it will be much easier to establish a front from which to propel positive results as part of building that prospective platform from which to influence change.
#5: Problem Solving
In his observation within the book, Maxwell takes note of the fact that most people tend to dislike the idea of exposure to problems considering that they do not have the requisite problem-solving skills or capacities. Maxwell (1993) argues that the effectiveness of a leader can be seen from the perspective that a leader must focus much attention on ensuring that he or she learns what is expected of him or her in dealing with problems. Maxwell makes this conclusion by arguing that for a leader to build on his or her effectiveness, he or she must be in a position from which to deal with some of the underlying problems. The problems touch on different areas of leadership from where it becomes somewhat necessary for a leader to learn the value of problem-solving as a critical skill.
Problems are inevitable within any given environment, thus, meaning that a true leader would be in a position from which to appreciate such issues and learn how to deal with them effectively. In the education sector, adoption of changes that include educational reforms among others paves the way for problems that a true leader must be ready to deal with effectively. If these problems arise, principals and other leaders must be in a position from which to effect necessary approaches allowing them to deal with changes effectively. The leaders would be in a better position from which to transform the education sector based on their abilities to deal with critical issues that may impact the sector.
#6: Attitude
In the chapter on attitude, Maxwell (1993) begins by allowing readers to engage in an exercise in which they would seek to write down a name of an individual that they admire, as well as, write down the one thing that they admire. From the outcome of the exercise, Maxwell noted that approximately 95% of the people taking this exercise focused on a trait that reflected more on the other person's attitude. Thus, this means that for a leader to be considered as a true leader, he or she must reflect an approach that would allow him or her to stand out with the focus being towards influencing performance.
Maxwell builds on his discussion on attitude arguing that although it may not act as a defining asset in developing a great leader, this particular principle is essential towards ensuring that a leader can achieve his or her full potential. In an educational institution, a leader is expected to always focus on providing that his or her attitude matches the set out principles within the institution. For example, a principal must still work towards ensuring that he is available for his or her other teachers, as this may mean that the other teachers would be inspired towards building on their regular performance. The outcome of this is that it would become much more comfortable for the principal to encourage a shared vision with the focus being towards ensuring that the institution meets its strategic goals.
#7: People
Maxwell also discusses the aspect of people as being one of the essential elements that build or defines performance outcomes for a given leader. From this perspective, Maxwell (1993) believes that a true leader must always focus on ensuring that he or she works towards creating that positive avenue from which to encourage others towards performance. On the other hand, a leader must also work towards his or her followers can ‘buy into' his or her leadership taking into account that this would act as one of the key elements that define prospective outcomes. The long-term expectation of this is that a leader would be better placed towards making effective decisions that reflect on the general idea of building other people's performance expectations. In an education perspective, this would mean that a principal must learn the value of other teachers taking into consideration that this would act as a determinant of whether the principal can build on the expected performance expectations.
#8: Vision
Lastly, Maxwell (1993) discusses the principle of vision arguing that the ability to differentiate between a true and ordinary leader is on the concept that the leader may hold as part of his or her leadership. A true leader holds a positive vision that he or she inspires towards others with the aim of ensuring that others understand the value of having to buy into the vision. On the other hand, ordinary leaders fail in their bid towards projecting a given vision, as it becomes somewhat challenging for them to reflect on what is expected of them in defining the prospective understanding of a vision. Maxwell relates the performance of the majority of successful leaders in the world today with the fact that majority of these leaders tend to hold a positive vision, which acts as a driver towards their success.
References
Maxwell, J. C. (1993). Developing the Leader Within You . Edinburgh, Scotland: Thomas Nelson Inc. Printing Press.
