Leading From Behind

“It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.” ~ Nelson Mandela

As the leader, you do not always need to be the bride at every wedding and the corpse at every funeral. It’s not always about you.

Grow your people so each of them can take point on projects. Step out of the spotlight so they can step in. Give them opportunities to show you what they can do. If you have built up their skills and their competence, they probably will impress you.

Let them impress you. And reward them for doing so.

You are still the leader. You still need to know what is going on with the projects on your team. But you can and should stay in-the-loop while not taking over. Empower your people to work well even when you are not in the room.

(image source: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/nelson_mandela_393048?src=t_leadership)