What’s a leadershift? What changes must you make if you want to keep growing as a leader?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In his book Leadershift<\/em>, John Maxwell argues that today\u2019s leaders must abandon traditional management<\/a> practices and make “leadershifts.” This is the word he uses to describe changes in how people think, communicate, and act as leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Continue reading for an overview of Leadershift<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n In Leadershift<\/em><\/a>, John Maxwell shares lessons from a lifetime of leading organizations and coaching developing leaders<\/a>, sharing common leadership mistakes<\/a>, and providing guidance for becoming a transformative leader who can inspire great things from others. By making Maxwell\u2019s leadershifts, you can maximize your leadership abilities and amplify the success of your team or organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maxwell is a popular speaker and leadership coach committed to raising new generations of leaders. He\u2019s founded various organizations dedicated to this goal, including EQUIP Leadership<\/a> and the John Maxwell Leadership Foundation<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ve synthesized Maxwell\u2019s 11 leadershifts into five leadership principles. We\u2019ll explain the importance of each principle and how to make the leadership changes Maxwell suggests to run an effective organization. Along the way, we\u2019ll provide insights from other experts on the theory and psychology of good leadership, and we\u2019ll provide additional practical tips for making Maxwell\u2019s leadershifts in your work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maxwell argues that today\u2019s leaders must be dynamic, forward thinkers who understand the importance of change. <\/strong>In the business world of the 1970s, the management model of leadership thrived in stable, predictable work environments. However, in modern society, things change rapidly. To help your team and organization excel in a changing environment, you must stop thinking like a manager<\/em> and become a leader<\/em> who can encourage growth within your organization, connect with your team, and help people perform at their best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ll explore the five fundamental principles we\u2019ve distilled from Maxwell\u2019s 11 leadershifts for becoming an adaptive and successful leader, and we\u2019ll discuss the key changes leaders must make to thrive in business today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, Maxwell writes that to be an effective leader, you must prioritize your team\u2019s needs over your personal ambitions.<\/strong> Many leaders think in terms of what\u2019s best for themselves<\/em> and base their decisions on their personal goals and opinions. However, Maxwell suggests you consider how you can help your team perform and shine instead of how your team can help you achieve a certain objective. When you focus on supporting your team\u2019s needs and leveraging each member\u2019s strengths, you can harness the collective power of your team and achieve greater results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To adopt a team-oriented focus, Maxwell suggests you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. Acknowledge the importance of others. <\/strong>Recognize that you need others, and help your team members recognize this, too. Promote collaboration in your team by inspiring each person to help others improve instead of trying to outdo them. This turns team members into collaborators instead of rivals. By doing this, you cultivate an environment where people uplift one another, which in turn boosts morale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Pace yourself with the team. <\/strong>Maxwell writes that leaders tend to be people of action who like to hurry toward their goals. But he notes that when leading a team<\/a>, it\u2019s important that you don\u2019t seek your own individual success if it leaves your team behind. <\/strong>Match the speed and efforts of your team to ensure everyone moves forward together. This means adapting to your team\u2019s changing needs: At times, you\u2019ll need to take the lead, but stay close enough for team members to see you and be inspired to follow you. Other times, walk alongside your team by discussing the journey with them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You may also need to support your team<\/a> from behind with encouraging words. Even if the pace seems slower, progressing toward your objectives collectively as a team makes everyone feel energized and connected, and it allows you to make more significant strides toward your goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. Look for opportunities to help others.<\/strong> Instead of focusing on what you can get from others, focus on how you can improve the lives of your employees. Look for ways to help others become better and to celebrate their successes. Maxwell argues that giving is more rewarding and, although you shouldn\u2019t let this be your primary motivation for helping others, you\u2019ll often receive more in return by naturally helping others than you could have asked for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maxwell argues that leaders must make an active <\/strong>effort<\/em><\/strong> to grow and improve instead of just treating growth as a natural result of their experiences.<\/strong> You can do this by pursuing growth instead of achievement and by innovating instead of sticking to tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maxwell says leaders must stop focusing on achieving goals and instead prioritize continuous, long-term growth. <\/strong>He argues that when you pursue goals<\/a>, you focus on external achievements and recognition. While goals may help you accomplish tasks, they don\u2019t necessarily lead to significant personal development or lasting fulfillment. Conversely, when you focus on growth, you develop and challenge yourself, so you can become a more capable person and leader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To prioritize growth over goals, Maxwell suggests you do two things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. Believe in your ability to grow.<\/strong> Your mindset affects the amount of commitment you put into bettering yourself. If you believe you can improve your skills<\/a> and abilities, you\u2019ll put more effort into doing so. On the other hand, if you don\u2019t believe in yourself<\/a>, you won\u2019t pursue learning opportunities or try to improve yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Live each day with the intention to learn.<\/strong> Be curious and intentional about growth: Look for opportunities to grow, take time to reflect on what you\u2019ve learned, and share the lessons you\u2019ve learned with others every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maxwell writes that to make growth a priority in your daily life, you must keep your mind open to new and inventive ways of doing things. <\/strong>This means nurturing your creativity and constantly looking for better, more efficient ways to do things instead of sticking to established practices. If you can be more open-minded, you can function at your highest potential, spot unseen possibilities, and more easily make changes to your life<\/a> and organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maxwell recommends several ways you can be more creative<\/a> and open-minded:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. Be curious. <\/strong>Instead of dismissing ideas that seem initially unfeasible, intentionally explore them a little deeper. Don\u2019t let a fear of failure<\/a> hold you back from considering new ideas\u2014remind yourself that there is more than one solution to a problem. When you\u2019re more open to ideas, you\u2019ll be able to see more possibilities and help your organization achieve better results than other leaders who remain bound to tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Elevate your results with the 10-80-10 strategy. <\/strong>When performing a new task, spend the first 10% of the time identifying your objective and then 80% of the time accomplishing your task. Then, once you\u2019ve completed your task, spend the last 10% trying to improve your work. By devoting time to rethinking your work, you give your team the opportunity to think outside the box one last time and inject creativity and innovation into every project to achieve better results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. Add flexibility to your plans. <\/strong>Plans are necessary for getting tasks done, but if they\u2019re too rigid, you\u2019ll fail to adapt to inevitable curveballs along the way, and you\u2019ll miss out on opportunities. Because of this, Maxwell recommends you leave room to change your plans. Once you\u2019ve determined your overall goals and course of action, continue to look for options: Anticipate potential problems, adjust your plan, and review it daily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first two leadership principles cover mindset changes you should make to lead more effectively. Next, we\u2019ll explore management<\/em><\/strong> changes you can make to help your team operate at its highest level. <\/strong>Maxwell writes that leaders must: 1) understand instead of command, and 2) encourage diversity<\/a> instead of uniformity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, Maxwell recommends you try to understand team members\u2019 needs and desires instead of simply imposing orders without considering their perspectives.<\/strong> Teams achieve better results when the leader and team members are on the same page about what needs to be achieved and why. However, many leaders mistakenly assume they understand their team\u2019s thoughts without asking them. As a result, team members may feel out of sync with the company\u2019s goals and the tasks they\u2019re assigned. They may complete their work but without full commitment, affecting its quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To learn about another person\u2019s needs and desires, encourage people to share their thoughts by asking questions and then thoughtfully listening to their answers<\/strong>. This approach isn\u2019t easy, Maxwell writes, because we can get caught up in thinking about how to express ourselves and how to get the other person to see our point of view. To avoid falling into this trap, remind yourself daily to make listening a priority. Pay attention to when you interrupt people, and ask others to let you know if they feel you aren\u2019t listening to them. When you learn about people\u2019s thoughts and feelings, you help them feel valued, align your expectations with theirs, and uncover the best ways to motivate and lead them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Besides asking questions and listening well, <\/strong>leaders can also empower their team by fostering a culture that celebrates diversity instead of homogeneity and conformity.<\/strong> Maxwell writes that a diverse team\u2014one where team members have different backgrounds and perspectives\u2014achieves greater results than teams where everyone thinks similarly. When teams are diverse, one team member can make up for what another lacks in knowledge, perspective, or experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some leaders shy away from diversity because it can generate conflict if people disagree on plans and ideas. But Maxwell argues that conflict often allows teams to generate better ideas. Instead of settling on the first ideas pitched, diverse teams challenge one another\u2019s assumptions and perspectives. In doing so, they generate more innovative ideas and excel at solving problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maxwell suggests you ensure your team environment is a safe space for sharing ideas. <\/strong>To achieve this, encourage people to participate by putting less emphasis on job titles<\/a> and roles, acknowledging people\u2019s contributions, and sharing responsibilities, task ownership, and rewards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ve explored how leaders should shift their mindset and team management approach to lead effectively. However, as a leader you must <\/strong>also <\/strong>develop your influence over others. To do so, you must gain moral authority\u2014respect and recognition for exemplary personal qualities, values, and actions. <\/strong>Having a leadership position may force <\/em>people to follow you, but earning moral authority<\/a> makes people want<\/em> to follow you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To develop moral authority, Maxwell suggests you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. Demonstrate excellence. <\/strong>Prove to your team members that you\u2019re committed to producing excellent work even with the smallest of tasks. By regularly producing quality work, you\u2019ll establish a reputation for competence and earn others\u2019 confidence and esteem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Be consistent in your actions and values. <\/strong>Be steady and reliable by living according to good character traits like integrity, authenticity, humility, and love. This shows people that you mean what you say, which builds trust and security within your team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. Face challenges courageously.<\/strong> Maxwell writes that leaders should be prepared to face difficult realities and to be the first to take action. Recognize that success doesn\u2019t come without sacrifice, and demonstrate bravery and resilience when confronting challenges. By demonstrating courage, you can inspire others<\/a> during crises and energize them to perform at their best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maxwell writes that the hallmark of effective leadership in the modern era is not a leader’s personal achievements, but rather their ability to inspire others to grow and become leaders in their own right.<\/strong> Maxwell suggests two ways to become a leader who inspires a new generation of leaders: 1) Focus on what makes people better, not what makes them happy, and 2) encourage others to make a positive difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A common misconception is that, to be a good leader<\/a>, you must please everyone and get them on board with your plans and ideas. However, Maxwell argues that effective leadership is about pushing people to reach their potential, which occasionally means making difficult decisions<\/a> that might not please everyone.<\/strong> This can be hard because we like hearing affirmation and knowing that everyone is happy with our decisions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To guide others to become their best, you must balance care<\/em> with candor<\/em>. Maxwell writes that leaders tend to either be too caring or too candid. If you\u2019re too caring, you won\u2019t initiate difficult conversations to help people grow. If you\u2019re too candid, you\u2019ll fail to connect with others<\/a> because you\u2019ll seem unsympathetic. To balance the two, have a genuine interest in what\u2019s best for the other person. This way, you can be supportive but also willing to challenge people to improve.<\/p>\n\n\n\nOverview of Leadershift<\/em> (John Maxwell)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Leadership in a Rapidly Changing World<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Principle #1: Put Your Team First and Yourself Second<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Principle #2: Be Committed to Growth and Improvement<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Pursue Growth Instead of Achievement<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Be Open-Minded<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Principle #3: Unlock Your Team\u2019s Potential<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Understand People\u2019s Needs and Desires<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Build a Diverse Team<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Principle #4: Gain Respect With Moral Authority<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Principle #5: Equip Others for Success<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Focus on What Makes People Better, Not What Makes Them Happy<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n