The myths of leading from the middle of an organization come from John Maxwell and his book 360 Degree Leadership (a great book -- especially for assistant coaches):1. Ninety-nine percent of all leadership occurs not from the top but from the middle of an organization.
2. You don’t have to be held hostage to your circumstances or position. You do not have to be the CEO to lead effectively. And you can learn to make an impact through your leadership even if you report to someone who is not a good leader. You learn to develop your influence from wherever you are in the organization by becoming a 360- Degree Leader. You learn to lead up, lead across, and lead down.
3. Leadership is a choice you make, not a place you sit.
4. You can lead others from anywhere in an organization. And when you do, you make the organization better.
5. “To do nothing in the middle is to create more weight for the top leader to move. For some leaders- it might even feel like dead weight. Leaders in the middle can have a profound effect on an organization.”
6. Every level of an organization depends on leadership from someone.
7. Anyone can choose to become a leader wherever he is. You can make a difference no matter where you are.
