Leaders can only succeed if they are able to influence people at various levels in relation to them; above, below and side-by-side.  Leadership is influence and every leader has the opportunity to influence people at every level of a business, corporation or organization. At The John Maxwell Company, we call this leading from the middle…

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360-Degree Leaders are all-around leaders. As one, leading up can be the greatest challenge. “Most leaders want to lead, not be led. But most leaders also want to have value added to them. If you take the approach of wanting to add value to those above you, you have the best chance of influencing them.”…

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In 1804, Lewis and Clark faced the daunting task of finding their way across the vast wilderness of the American continent to reach its Pacific Coast. Their 33-member expedition included some of the most experienced navigators, scouts, woodsmen, and hunters in the United States. Yet despite their collective talents, the explorers would have died of…

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With $50 in his pocket, Dustin Hoffman headed to New York, hoping to find work as an actor. Inexperienced and unknown, Hoffman struggled to find employment. Acting gigs were not paying his bills, so he worked an assortment of odd jobs to stay afloat, including typing for the Yellow Pages, stringing together Hawaiian leis, and…

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Ernest Kent Coulter walked away from a promising career as a newspaperman to serve as clerk in the New York Children’s Court. He was disturbed by the procession of juveniles streaming through the state’s penal system. Time and again, he witnessed the same pattern: a youth got into trouble, was branded as a “bad” kid,…

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Public confidence in Congress has dropped to historic lows, and the American people have little to no respect for big businesses and banks. The President’s approval rating hovers around 40%, and less than 1/3 of the public expresses “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in the media. At a time when a…

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Lady Mary Wortley Montagu equipped an empire with a defense against the scourge of smallpox. Her story yields powerful insights for leaders desiring to learn how to equip their organizations for success. #1 Be a Student of Success Likely, several English visitors to Turkey had noted the peculiar absence of smallpox in the country. However,…

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The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. houses the personal belongings Abraham Lincoln was carrying the night he was assassinated. Among them is a well-worn newspaper clipping lauding Lincoln’s achievements as president and describing him as, “One of the greatest statesmen of all time.” Now, President Lincoln was by no means an egomaniac. In fact, he…

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