360 Degree Leadership

As I have been reading the Book of Acts again, preparing for my Sunday messages, it has been interesting to take a new look at leadership at the same time. I have been reading “The 360 Degree Leader” by John Maxwell. This is such an amazing, down to earth book.

Over 32 years of ministry I have met literally thousands of leaders that have amazing abilities – but as yet they do not know it. These are not famous people – that have been elected or have risen to power with their wealth. They are ordinary people. Let me explain what they do and the way that they touch their world. You are one of these kind of people.

Please get a picture of a 8 sided star in your mind – or draw this on a piece of paper. Four points of the star are at the North, South, East and West of a compass. The other four points are at the points in between, i.e. North-west, North-east, etc.

Now label the points –

• the top-(north) Your Boss,
• the bottom – Your subordinates,
• the left & right(east & west) – Your peers,
• the top left and right – Your boss’s peers,
• and finally the bottom left & right – Your subordinate’s peers.

You are in the middle of the star. Around you there appears an array of people that will be in your life.

This not only applies to people that are employed but also to stay at home parents/retired folks and everyone else. We all connect with many.

• Change boss for partner/spouse/leader of a group,
• peers with friends,
• and subordinates with children…
• then add the peers of each of these groups of people.

You are still in the middle. Your life is influenced by these host of people around you. But you are also a leader in all of their lives.

Realizing this potential is the hardest part. Often this happens too late in life to make a difference. Or in some delightful cases it happened without us even knowing what was happening.

I looked up to my father as a boy. Then there were other times that his discipline in my life was hard to handle – I didn’t like it. Yet today as I look back and see the huge influence he had on my life – he was in that “north position” on my star. Then all the others in my life fell into place – my brother and sisters were peers. Their friends were there as “peer subordinates”. My parent's friends were My boss’s peers.

They all had a deep affect on my life – but most importantly I had some form of leadership roll in their lives as well.

In our early years this was even more true. Place a brand new baby into a family – he or she is the “leader” for quite a few years. And this will continue through this little one’s life – at every stage.

If I haven’t already lost you completely (I thought I might with the compass/star diagram) – there is a huge lesson here. You are a leader in your world.

Now take that potential thought and place some design around it… “How might you change the circumstances of your situation as a leader?”

In another way we can state it this way …Your leadership touches all areas of your compass/star.

Your life reaches Up, Across, Down and Out....

• Lead Up - Influence the boss and others higher in your world
• Lead Across - Influence co-workers/peers in your world
• Lead Down - Influence subordinates and those lower in your world
• Lead Out - Influence those who do not work in your world

1. What is your potential as a parent today?
2. What is your potential as a grand parent today?
3. What is your potential in your place of work or your social club etc.?
4. What is your potential?

A long while back in an earlier life I read a poster that simply said it all…
“Bloom where you are planted”

God knows your potential. He states something powerfully for us to remember…

Isaiah 55:8-12 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.(NIV)

- by PML