360 DEGREE LEADER

Value

The common underlying theme among the five is the fact that leadership is not only practiced at the top but on all levels of an organization, i.e. from the top, middle and lower tiers. Leadership is paramount as it is the driving force behind any organization or institution. Without leaders, no organization or institution can be able to meet or accomplish its specified vision and mission. The 360° leadership values try to highlight on the basic qualities that are supposed to be held by every leader who aims to improve on the value of the institution and him in general. The values are very simplified and practical and can be employed by anyone at whatever level that one is serving. The values highlight on the basic truth that everyone has the potential to lead and can practice leadership at whatever level one is serving. There is no need for any interested person to wait until he or she is awarded with a position of leadership for one to start exercising leadership skills and values (Maxwell, 2006).

One of the values identified in the 360-degree leadership values is the one that states, “A leadership team is more effective than a single leader”. I personally agree with this idea, as it is very true and practical in the real world. It is a recognized fact that two indeed are better than one as together they can achieve greatness. Creating and building leaders at every level of an organization will enable the organizations meet its objectives more quickly and efficiently. One of the simplest reasons for this is the fact that leaders do not need to be followed in order to complete their assignments. Leaders have a deep feeling that they have a deep obligation to meet every objective and goal with minimum supervision as they have the feeling that they are the ones on top. The time and effort that is usually consumed in following up staff is saved and utilized to perform more other tasks that add value to the company. A good example is a soccer team where every player is a leader in his or her own position with only one captain. The team will perform best when every player plays his or her role with minimum supervision and without laxity (Maxwell, 2006).

I also agree with the second value that highlights the fact that “leaders are needed at every level of the organization”. The leader is the person who has the responsibility of spelling out the goals and objectives that are to be met by the entire organization. He holds the vision of the whole team and ensures that the day-to-day activities are directed at meeting the perceived vision. The leader curtails any activity that deviates from the stated mission and vision. Having a leader at every level of an organization is very credible than having only one supreme leader. The problem with having only one leader is that one is overburdened when overlooking all the levels and departments that entail the organization. This will end up in incurring heavy time losses unmet deadlines, the creation of conflicts and low morale in the team. The creation of leaders at every level however, needs to be approached very cautiously. The objectives, tasks and jurisdictions of the available leaders ought to be clearly outlined to curtail on the creation of conflicts and redundancy of positions and duties (Maxwell, 2006).

The fifth value of the 360-degree leaders highlights on the need to have “leaders who possess qualities every organization needs”. Most leadership qualities are inherent although anyone can acquire and master these qualities with proper training and practice. A good example is evident in the world famous leaders who have made it making their companies achieve in harsh economic times. Leaders like Warren Buffet, Bill Gates and Sir Richard Branson are known to posses the priceless qualities of being innovative, resourceful, visionary and adaptable. They have been able to perceive visions that not many can accomplish and have been able to communicate these ideas effectively to their subordinates in a comprehensive way. They have been able to achieve results even in the midst of the global economic crunch (Maxwell, 2006).

References

Maxwell, J. C. (2006). The 360 degree leader workbook: developing your influence from anywhere in the organization. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.