The unappreciated art of leading from Behind
In a team-based environment it is often the best Choice
You have seen it before. You have probably done it. But you may not have recognized it as a form of leadership, or even realized that you had done it.
The action of leading from behind has a bit of a nebulous character, yet it is a real and powerful tool that can often make or break a project or organizational mission.
Probably the most overt and cliched manifestation of this skill of leading from a non-traditional leadership role is that of the surgical nurse assisting the surgeon. The act of preparing the surgical suite and tools along with anticipation of the surgeon’s needs and actions all driven by an ability to anticipate expected positive and negative outcomes is an oft overlooked form of leadership.
The key to the act lies in the person in the non-defined leadership role to both anticipate and adapt to changing situations.
Yes, the surgical assistant can be entirely reactive and respond only to direction from the surgeon. That is a form of active followership.
Leading from behind takes the concept one step further into the proactive and anticipatory arena rather than simply reactive. When the person in the subordinate role undertakes the…
