by Ken Vincent, Featured Contributor
It is generally accepted that to lead one must be in the front. The very term “leadership” implies that.
But, is there such a thing as leadership from behind? If there is, is that good or bad.
Are you leading from behind when you tell someone that they are being promoted and they respond that they don’t think they are ready yet? You are sure they are ready and you nudge or push them into the new roll.
You introduce a new plan of action and find there is significant resistance. But, you push ahead with the program. Are you leading from the front or pushing from the back?
One of your employees proposes a great idea. You put him in charge of implementing it and give him support. Is that leading from the front, or following his lead?
So, my questions to all you veteran leaders out there is can you sometimes lead from the back? Do you sometimes find that leadership means that you must also be a follower?
Or, are we perhaps too rigid in our definition of leadership?
