Constant press coverage on the hiring, firing and inflated salaries of Fortune 500 CEO’s creates the false impression that the fate of an organization lies within the power of a single individual.

Instead, the ability of that leader to engage leadership talent at every level of the organization is the real driver of success of the company. 

According to John C. Maxwell in The 360-Degree Leader  “Ninety-nine percent of all leadership occurs not from the top but from the middle of an organization.”

Maxwell identifies three positions from which leaders influence results:

• Leading Up: Individuals influence their leader by adding value that lightens the leader’s burden of responsibility. These individuals understand and use their unique talents to complement the talents of their leaders.
• Leading Across: From this position, leaders create alliances that generate positive results and overcome departmental barriers. Their power is based on influence and credibility.
• Leading Down: Although this includes the traditional positional leadership model, gifted leaders expand their reach to become role models and mentors who share their vision and recognize achievement.

Using Maxwell’s definition of 360 leadership, everyone is a leader regardless of their position in the organization. Individuals are capable of influencing positive results to benefit themselves and their coworkers. 

Why then, don’t more people not recognize that they have power to influence their own outcomes through their attitudes and behavior?

There are three primary reasons:

1. The Ability: Belief that leadership ability is based on the position causes people to hold back on making suggestions and stepping forward. They often undervalue their ability to influence change because they lack confidence about their unique talents.  While they may not be a candidate for the top leadership position, they do possess qualities that enhance their leader and lead to positive results.
   
   The truth is that every leader can benefit from a different perspective, an innovative idea or a reminder of past successes.
2. The Right: Some individuals assume that they do not have the right to advance their ideas because it will invade the territory of the person responsible. Others actually withhold their talents because they are "not being paid to do their job for them."
   
   The key is that adding value to the organization is ultimately the job of every employee. In the long run, becoming a go-to person increases potential for promotion.
3. The Skills: For today’s leaders the need for continuous learning is a given.  The need to keep up with technological changes, best practices and economic changes often overshadows personal skills development. Yet it is clear in many organizations. the power of influence is often overruled by positional directives.  It is difficult  to take time to build alliances, solicit ideas, provide motivating data and develop the leadership ability of others.  
   
   The benefit of developing personal influence skills within an organization is that teams begin to engage in joint positive initiatives rather than wasting time on internal copmpetition and blame.

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