Developing the Leader Within You Workbook

John C. Maxwell

• Publisher: HarperChristian Resources
• Year: 2001
• eBook ISBN: 9781418566685
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Personal Success

In the Developing the Leader Within You Workbook, John Maxwell examines the differences between leadership styles, outlines specific ways each reader can apply principles for inspiring, motivating, and influencing others. These principles can be used in any organization to foster integrity and self-discipline and bring a positive change.

Developing the Leader Within You Workbook also allows readers to discover how to be effective in the highest calling of leadership by understanding the five characteristics that set "leader managers" apart from "run-of-the-mill managers."

In this companion to the bestseller, John Maxwell shows readers how to develop the vision, value, influence, and motivation required of successful leaders.

Week 1
The Definition of Leadership: Influence

INTRODUCTION

Everyone talks about it; few understand it. Most people want it; few achieve it. There are more than fifty definitions and descriptions of it in my personal files. What is this intriguing subject we call “leadership”?

Perhaps because most of us want to be leaders, we become emotionally involved when trying to define leadership. Or perhaps because we know one, we try to copy his or her behavior and describe leadership as a personality. Ask ten people to define leadership and you’ll probably receive ten different answers.

How would you complete this sentence?

Leadership is

[Your Response Here]

After more than four decades of observing leadership within my family and many years of developing my own leadership potential, I have come to this conclusion: Leadership is influence. That’s it. Nothing more; nothing less. My favorite leadership proverb is: He who thinketh he leadeth and hath no one following him is only taking a walk.

James C. Georges of the ParTraining Corporation said, “Once you define leadership as the ability to get followers, you work backward from that point of reference to figure out how to lead.”¹

Most people define leadership as the ability to achieve a position, not the ability to get followers. Therefore, they go after a position, rank, or title, and upon their arrival they think they have become a leader. This type of thinking creates two common problems: Those who possess the “status” of a leader often experience the frustration of having few followers, and those who lead but lack the proper titles may not see themselves as leaders and therefore don’t develop their leadership skills.

My goal with this workbook is to help you accept leadership as influence (that is, the ability to get followers), and then work backward from that point to help you learn how to lead. Each week is designed to place in your hand another principle that will assist your leadership development.

This first week is designed to expand your amount of influence. As you explore the concept that leadership is influence, keep in mind these key insights:

1. Everyone influences someone.

To illustrate this in your life, take a moment now to jot down a few names:

List the People You Lead	List the People You Follow
[Your Response Here]	[Your Response Here]

Tim Elmore shared this amazing statistic with me: Sociologists tell us that even the most introverted individual will influence ten thousand other people during his or her lifetime! Tim and I concluded that each one of us is both influencing and being influenced by others. That means that all of us are leading in some areas, while in other areas we are being led. No one is excluded from being a leader or a follower. Realizing your potential as a leader is your responsibility.

2. We never know who or how much we influence.

J. R. Miller said: “There have been meetings of only a moment which have left impressions for life, for eternity. No one can understand that mysterious thing we call influence . . . yet . . . every one of us continually exerts influence, either to heal, to bless, to leave marks of beauty; or to wound, to hurt, to poison, to stain other lives.”²

3. The best investment in the future is a proper influence today.

The issue is not whether you will influence someone. What needs to be settled is what kind of an influencer will you be? Will you grow in your leadership skills? In the book Leaders, Bennis and Nanus say, “The truth is that leadership opportunities are plentiful and within reach of most people.”³

4. Influence is a skill that can be developed.

Robert Dilenschneider, the former CEO of Hill and Knowlton, a worldwide public relations agency, has been one of the nation’s major influence brokers. He skillfully weaves his persuasive magic in the global arena where governments and megacorporations meet. He wrote a book titled Power and Influence in which he shares the idea of the “power triangle” to help leaders get ahead. He says, “The three components of this triangle are communication, recognition, and influence. You start to communicate effectively. This leads to recognition and recognition in turn leads to influence.”⁴

For years I have believed that we can increase our influence and, therefore, our leadership potential. Out of this conviction I have developed a teaching tool to assist others in understanding their levels of leadership so they can increase their levels of influence.

This week you will

• explore the five levels of leadership:

Day 1: Position

Day 2: Permission

Day 3: Production

Day 4: People development

Day 5: Personhood

• discover what it takes to be a leader on each level

Read through the chart, “The Five Levels of Leadership,” and then start your daily study.

Day 1
Leadership Level 1:
Position

The first level of leadership is Position. This is the basic entry level of leadership. The only influence you have is that which comes with a title. People who stay at this level get into territorial rights, protocol, tradition, and organizational charts. These things are not negative unless they become the sole basis for authority and influence, but they are poor substitutes for leadership skills.

What position(s) do you currently hold?

[Your Response Here]

Complete these sentences:

My title is

[Your Response Here]

My position is

[Your Response Here]

My job description is

[Your Response Here]

A person may be “in charge” because he has been appointed to a position. In that position he may have authority. But real leadership is more than having authority; it is more than having technical training and following proper procedures. Real leadership is being the person others will gladly and confidently follow. A real leader knows the difference between being the boss and being the leader.

Circle the sentences that best describe your leadership style:

A	B
I drive others.	I coach others.
I depend on authority.	I depend on goodwill.
I inspire fear.	I inspire enthusiasm.
I often say “I.”	I often say “we.”
I affix the blame for a breakdown.	I fix the breakdown.
I know how it is done.	I show how it is done.
I say “go.”	I say “let’s go!”

Which has more circles, column A or column B?

Column A represents “the boss.” Column B represents “the leader.” If you circled more phrases under the letter A, you may tend to lead by position.

Characteristics of a “Positional Leader”

We all display leadership characteristics. By recognizing and improving weak traits and tendencies we become better leaders.

Answer and Evaluate:

Do you feel confident in your role at work?

[Your Response Here]

For a positional leader security is based on title, not talent. Since a title is arbitrary and usually bestowed by others, its security is fleeting, at best.

Were you appointed to a position or did you earn influence in the organization?

The positional level is often gained by appointment. It might not be at all based on ability, so it carries little influence.

How is your team’s morale? High or low?

[Your Response Here]

People will not follow a positional leader beyond his stated authority. They will do only what they have to do when they are required to do it. Thus, low morale is always present.

Do you find that you can easily influence a variety of people?

[Your Response Here]

Positio...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Ebook Instructions
• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• Week 1: The Definition of Leadership: Influence
• Week 2: The Key to Leadership: Priorities
• Week 3: The Most Important Ingredient of Leadership: Integrity
• Week 4: The Ultimate Test of Leadership: Creating Positive Change
• Week 5: The Quickest Way to Gain Leadership: Problem Solving
• Week 6: The Extra Plus In Leadership: Attitude
• Week 7: Developing Your Most Appreciable Asset: People
• Week 8: The Indispensable Quality of Leadership: Vision
• Week 9: The Price Tag of Leadership: Self-Discipline
• Week 10: The Most Important Lesson of Leadership: Staff Development
• Notes
• About the Author