Can you be a leader at work if you don't have the "boss" title somewhere near your name?

John Maxwell says it's possible. "Leadership is more — if not much more — influence, rather than position," he says.

Maxwell, an author of a number of books on leadership, says employees need to understand that even if they don't hold the top title, they can still have a great impact on an organization.

"The reality is that 99 percent of all leadership occurs not from the top but from the middle of an organization," Maxwell says. "You can learn to develop your influence from wherever you are in the organization."

The key, he says, is understanding that you can't give up. That's bad not only for your career, but your employer. Maxwell says that by striving to increase your influence at work, you increase the chances of improving your position and, at the same time, help the company's bottom line through your improved attitude and performance.

Maxwell, who has written a new book, "The 360-Degree Leader: Developing Your Influence From Anywhere in the Organization" (Nelson Business), says leadership must be something that employees strive to reach no matter what position they hold. Waiting for the "official" title doesn't make sense.

"Good leadership is learned in the trenches ... a lifelong learning process," he says.

Maxwell says that trying out leadership skills at lower levels is less risky. You should use it as a chance, he says, to hone and develop top leadership skills so that when you achieve higher-profile positions, you are less likely to make mistakes. And, he says, those higher profile positions will eventually come to someone who decides to work at improving leadership and influence.

"People shouldn't be afraid to try it ... ," he says. "If they try to increase their influence 360 degrees, then their chance of getting a title, a higher salary and more prestige is better than what they had before."

In his book, Maxwell outlines several ways an employee at any level can increase his or her influence.

For example, if you want to take a leadership position with co-workers, then strive to avoid office politics and be committed to seeing the best idea win. If you want to influence those above you, then be willing to lighten the boss's load and pitch in to do what others won't. And to influence those below you, always be supportive of individual development and reward results.

"Great leaders always put others first," Maxwell says.

He says it's important to let go of all the myths you have about leadership, such as believing that you can't have influence and leadership without a title, or that your potential cannot be realized without it.

"In a meeting, watch the participants when it's time for a decision to be made. The person with the real influence may not be the one that is speaking. The people's eyes will go to those with the most influence," he says.

If you want to find career success and personal satisfaction, you must start to function as a leader, Maxwell says.

"The only way companies can increase leadership effectiveness is to increase the leadership of everyone," he says. "As organizations flatten out, there is great hope for everyone. You don't have to wait to become a leader. You can do it now."