Leaders Around You by John

¶ … leaders around you" by John Maxwell

John Maxwell's book entitled, "Developing the leaders around you," is a detailed discussion of the important concepts and principles that must be noted by individuals who aspire to become not just effective managers, but also leaders, in an organization. Leaders and managers are distinguished from each other in the book, primarily because leaders assume roles that encompass the duties and responsibilities of managers in an organization. In effect, leaders have a more vital role in the organization, primarily because leaders delegate efficiency through personal interaction and social influence among other members of the organization.

Realizing the importance of leaders in increasing efficiency and competitiveness within the organization, Maxwell elucidates to his readers the importance of leaders, as compared against managers: "Managers are maintainers, tending to rely on systems and controls. Leaders are innovators and creators who rely on people." This assertion is made to help distinguish between the two: while both managers and leaders try to achieve the same set of organizational objectives, leaders are more capable of accomplishing these because they have access to members of the organizations, allowing them to identify specific problems within that are known and shared only by members.

Included in Maxwell's book are principles that serves as guidelines for aspiring leaders of a group or organization, such as identifying the qualities to look for in a leader (which includes, among others, positiveness, servanthood, growth potential, big picture mind-set, strong people skills, does not accept the status quo, self-discipline, and communication skills); a vision for effective leadership; determining a leader's "A" and "B" priorities; identifying differences between nurturing, equipping, and developing as functions of the leader; as well as the "ingredients" for a successful Dream Team headed by the Dream Coach (a.k.a. leader).

Among these concepts and principles in the book, the most remarkable information that Maxwell provides for his readers, which can also be identified as the book's strength, is the author's ability to create concrete "formulas" by that people can follow. Take, as an example, his "Four stages of adaptation," which helps leaders to undergo the decision-making process using visual, emotional, experiential, and convictional adaptation. Each level of adaptation allows the leader and his/her member to further understand a task or problem at hand; envisioning the problem in various perspectives creates a more effective solution for the problem or task. Thus, Maxwell's pluralist view of leadership -- that is, that leadership can be assumed in various ways or viewpoints -- makes "Developing leaders" a guide for various readers, individuals who have different sets of beliefs, attitudes, and behavior towards leadership and interaction or socialization with other members of the organization.