The 360 Degree Leader must learn the skills to lead up (with your leader), lead across (with your colleagues), and lead down (with your followers). Each of these draws on different principles and requires different skills. Leading up is the greatest challenge. Your underlying strategy should be to support your leader, add value to the organization, and distinguish yourself from the rest of the pack by doing your work with excellence. 

Let’s study the “Lead Up” principles one by one in this lesson. 

Learn to lead yourself before you try to lead others. The keys to leading yourself well are self-management and self-discipline. Nothing will make a greater positive impression on those above you than your ability to lead yourself. 

John Maxwell lists the following areas in which you must manage yourself: 

 1.  Manage your emotions. 

 2.  Manage your time. 

 3.  Manage your priorities. 

 4.  Manage your energy. 

 5.  Manage your thinking. 

 6.  Manage your words. 

 7.  Manage your personal life. 

If I can’t lead myself, others won’t FOLLOW ME.  

If I can’t lead myself, others won’t RESPECT ME. 

If I can’t lead myself, others won’t PARTNER WITH ME.

The top leader carries many responsibilities. He can give up many things, but he cannot give up final responsibility. As a subordinate leader in his organization, you can make his load lighter, or you can make it heavier. 

Helping the top leader carry the load does the following: 

 1.  Shows you are a TEAM PLAYER.  

 2.  Shows your GRATITUDE for a place on the team. 

 3.  Makes you part of something BIGGER. 

 4.  Gets you NOTICED. 

 5.  Increases your VALUE and INFLENCE. 

Follow these principles: 

* Do your own job well first.

* When you find a problem, offer a solution.

* Tell leaders what they need to hear, not what they want to hear.

* Go the second mile by doing more than is asked of you.

* Stand up for your leader whenever possible.

* Ask your leader how you can help lift his load.

Few things gain the appreciation of a top leader more quickly than a subordinate with a whatever-it-takes attitude. This person can think outside their job description and tackle the kinds of jobs others are too proud to do or too frightened to take on. This is crucial to becoming an effective 360 Degree Leader. 

John Maxwell teaches several things to do to become a 360 Degree Leader who leads up: 

 1.  Take on the TOUGH JOB. 

 2.  Work hard even if no one NOTICES you. 

 3.  Learn to get along with DIFFICULT people. 

 4.  Be a RISK TAKER. 

 5.  Admit faults, but never make EXCUSES. 

 6.  Do more than is EXPECTED of you. 

 7.  Be first to VOLUNTEER to help others. 

 8.  Perform tasks that are not in your JOB DESCRIPTION. 

“Leaders must be good managers, but managers are not necessarily good leaders.” 

Leadership is much more than management. 

Leadership is: 

 1.  People more than projects 

 2.  Movement more than maintenance 

 3.  Art more than science 

 4.  Intuition more than formula 

 5.  Vision more than procedure 

 6.  Risk more than caution 

 7.  Action more than reaction 

 8.  Relationships more than rules 

 9.  Who you are more than what you do 

Sum it up this way: Managers work with processes – leaders work with people. 

 1.  Leaders think LONGER term. 

 2.  Leaders see the LARGER context. 

 3.  Leaders push BOUNDARIES. 

 4.  Leaders see the INTANGIBLES. 

 5.  Leaders invest POWER in others.

 6.  Leaders see themselves as agents of CHANGE. 

All good leadership is based on relationships.  People won’t go along with you if they can’t get along with you.  As a 360 Degree Leader, you must take it upon yourself to connect not only with the people you lead, but also with the person who leads you.  If you want to influence those above you, you must take the responsibility to connect up. 

Here’s how to get started: 

 1.  Know and relate to your leader’s INTERESTS. 

 2.  Know your leader’s PRIORITIES. 

 3.  Know your leader’s STRENGTHS. 

 4.  Support your leader’s VISION. 

 5.  Understand your leader’s PERSONALITY. 

 6.  Earn your leader’s TRUST. 

 7.  Respect your leader’s FAMILY. 

The Law of the Catalyst in The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork states, “Winning teams have players who make things happen.” These team members demonstrate consistent competence, responsibility and dependability. These are the people who will step up and make a difference when it matters most, often when the pressure is greatest.  Go-to players gain tremendous influence with the leaders above them.

 

They produce! 

 1.  They produce when the PRESSURE is on. 

 2.  They produce when the RESOURCES are few. 

 3.  They produce when the MOMENTUM is low. 

 4.  They produce when the LOAD is heavy. 

 5.  They produce when EVERYONE is tired. 

 6.  They produce when the LEADER is absent. 

 7.  They produce when the TIME is limited. 

Do you volunteer to help your leader in challenging times and situations? 

How can you develop as a go-to player for your leader and team?

 

Be prepared every time you take your leader’s time.  

Bring ideas and solutions to the table. 

Know when to push and when to back off.  

Make the right move at the right moment with the right motive. 

Be better tomorrow than you are today.  

The key to personal development is being more growth-oriented than goal-oriented. 

So let’s be leaders who lead up and LEAD ON!

Sutton