Be Willing to Lead Up

One of the leadership topics I’m most passionate about is leading up. Leading up is how I coach, how I promote, and how I grow. I love it when my team offers up alternative ideas and insight for a project I’m working on. The value my team brings when they lead up helps move me – and our organization – forward.

But leading up consists of a lot more than just sharing your opinion. Leading up requires sacrifice. It requires vulnerability. It requires a hunger for excellence. And, as John Maxwell points out in his book, The 360° Leader, leading up is often a leader’s greatest challenge because leaders want to lead, not be led.

Today, I want to share my perspective and experiences with three of the leading up principles from The 360° Leader.  These acts of leading up are often done behind the scenes and when no one else is looking, but when done consistently, they will allow you to earn your leader’s trust, reliance, and respect. (more…)