Leadership in Developing the Leader

Leadership

In Developing the Leader within You, John Maxwell (1993) defines leadership simply as the ability to influence people. Leadership is "nothing more; nothing less" than influence (p. 1). Having followers is what defines a leader, not a title. Leadership can exist without an official position or status. In fact, many people with titles or official positions of power are inefficient or ineffective leaders. A boss is not a leader; a boss is simply a boss. Maxwell sets out to define what leadership is, and how to develop leadership skills. The author notes that everyone has the potential to be a leader by developing innate skills and changing attitudes and perspectives. All people, claim Maxwell, are already influential. The key is capitalizing on the skills and potentials that already exist.

In Chapter Two, Maxwell emphasizes the importance of priorities and of setting goals. Leadership depends on knowing what you want and how to get it. Achieving goals in turn depends on setting priorities and being aware of what tasks require the most amount of energy expenditure. Maxwell (1993) also defines success as "the progressive realization of a predetermined goal," (p. 19). To set priorities, it is crucial to rate tasks on their level of urgency or importance. Moreover, Maxwell (1993) applies the Pareto Principle to prioritizing. The Pareto Principle suggests that 80% of people at a picnic will consume 20% of the food. Applied to an organization, the Pareto Principle can help leaders become more effective and help their companies be more productive. The key is to spend 80% investment of time, energy, money on the 20% most important things. To be more efficient and productive depends not on how hard you work but on how smart you work (Maxwell 1993, p. 22).

Chapter Three is among the most philosophical of the book. Maxwell defines and discusses "the most important leadership ingredient," integrity. Integrity is defined as wholeness, as the matching of words to deeds. A person with integrity has no divided loyalties, nothing to hide, and expresses themselves exactly as they are. Maxwell claims that integrity leads to happiness and contentment. Leaders with integrity put into action what they believe, and therefore others follow. Integrity builds trust among others and therefore has influence value. Moreover, integrity in a leader facilitates high standards in an organization. The result is a solid reputation based on fact not superficial image-building.

In Chapter Four, Maxwell points out that the ultimate test of leadership is creating positive change. Without change, an organization is doomed to failure. Maxwell breaks down the process by which change happens via the people responsible. Change begins with innovators -- those 2% of the population who initiate new ideas. A small group of early adopters are the first followers of the new idea and can influence others to adopt change. The majority--60% -- of people are "middle adopters" who respond to the opinion of others, whereas about 20% of the people will be late adopters and somewhat resistant to change. Finally, about 8% of people will be laggards, perpetually resisting change. The task of the leader is to recognize this pattern in any organization and enact change within it.