Leadership at All Levels – “Leading Down”

This week in our Leadership at All Levels discussion we’re talking about “Leading Down”.

Right off the bat, I don’t like that phrase “leading down”.  It sounds a little derogatory, but the only other way for me to say it is “leading those who report to you” which is really too many words for a title… so I hope you’ll bear with me as I roll with it.  The heart of the concept is that if you are in leadership, you will likely at some point be leading others who are accountable to you.  And with that influence comes great responsibility.

With that understanding, let me share with you the notes from our staff discussion on this topic. 

Pete led this week of the series, so all the credit for the wisdom shared belongs to him.

1) Invest uniquely in each team member.

Provide growth opportunities for them.

Know their dreams and source of energy.

Be aware of the 3 questions that people have of their leaders:

  1. Do they care about me?
  2. Can they help me?
  3. Can I trust them?

2) Place people in their strength zones.  (Marcus would be so proud of us! 🙂 )

Seriously, this is one of my greatest passions – helping people understand and operate in their gifts.  There is nothing more fulfilling as a leader than to see people thriving!

3) Model the behavior you desire.

What you do trumps what you say.

Attitude determines atmosphere.

4) Transfer the vision.

Over communicate the vision because the vision always leaks.  (Bill was right.)

5) Reward for results.

What gets rewarded gets repeated.

Give praise privately and publicly.

What else do you think makes someone a great leader at this level?

Other posts in this series:

Leadership at All Levels (overview)

Leading Self

Leading Your Peers

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