In recent years the phrase, leading from behind, has become popular. People often mention Nelson Mandela as a person who popularized this leadership concept. In his 1994 autobiography, “Long Walk to Freedom,” Mandela described his model of leadership in this way: “a leader…..is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind.”

In the more traditional view of leadership, it was the leader who was out front, or in the spotlight. The leader provided direction and instruction for his/her followers. The followers dutifully (or sometimes reluctantly) waited for commands and carried them out. The leader received credit for the accomplishments of the team.

In a 2010 article in the Harvard Business Review, Dr. Linda Hill described the changing business environment and the impetus provided for changing from the traditional view of leadership to a lead from behind model. Dr. Hill cited two major drivers. First, “the psychological contract between companies and employees is changing. Among other things, people are looking for more meaning and purpose in their work lives.” She went on to say that people “increasingly expect to be valued for who they are and to be able to contribute to something larger than themselves.” They expect to receive credit for their contribution. Secondly, the article described the increasing importance of innovation in determining a firm’s competitiveness. The necessary innovation is increasingly the result of successful team effort. This team effort is most effective with a lead from behind model of leadership.

The best leaders are continually working to reproduce themselves. One of their priorities is the growth and development of their followers into effective leaders. Effective leaders are not seeking the spotlight but value each team member and their contribution.

Leading from behind is not sitting on the sidelines, watching the team from afar. It is not passive leadership. Nor is it shirking the responsibilities of leadership. Those that lead from behind are not detached from their team members.

Instead, leading from behind is active leadership but with a different mindset than the traditional view of leadership. The traits, practices, or beliefs for leading from behind include the following:

• View leadership as a collective or collaborative effort. While one person may appear in the organizational hierarchy as the leader, leadership is shared within the team. The functional leader is intentional about developing the leadership abilities of team members and each one has the freedom to take a leadership role when their capabilities suggest doing so.
• Actively work on team dynamics. The lead from behind leader seeks to maximize the effectiveness of the team by assuring that all members have their voice and that the team operates with respect and mutuality. The leader seeks to build the relationships within the group and to assure that no one hijacks the group.
• Incorporate the group’s combined intelligence and talents. The combined capabilities of the team exceed the sum of the parts. The leader assures that the team draws out and adequately weighs the input of each member. The leader models the valuing the contribution of each team member.
• Practice humility. While functionally responsible for and in charge of the group, to lead from behind requires that the leader values all of the team members and seeks to recognize and reward the team’s effort and the contribution of each member. “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less.” The leader’s voice is of equal weight with every team member.
• Ask, don’t tell. To lead from behind sometimes requires that the leader draw out the input from the team members. This often means utilizing the coaching technique of asking powerful open-ended questions, rather than offering suggestions.
• Speak last. To prevent team members from deferring to the leader’s opinions, especially in the early days of building a lead from behind environment, the leader often must withhold their input until the other team members have all weighed in with their input. It is easy for some team members to simply accept and follow the opinions of the leader.
• Don’t confuse assertiveness with leadership. There will be times when assertiveness is required to keep the process on track, but leadership is about influence built on a relationship of trust and respect. And in the lead from behind model, team leadership is a shared function. Therefore, assertiveness must frequently be held in check.
• Assure that the vision and goals are on target. While the moment by moment leadership is shared amongst the team, leading from behind does not mean abdicating the responsibility for keeping the team on track. If the team begins to wander off course, the leader must remind them of their goals and re-focus them.
• Step forward in key moments. While leading from behind can be the general philosophy or model of leadership, there are certain times when the hierarchical leader must assert him- or herself. These could be instances when the team dynamic becomes unhealthy, when the team gets off course, when the sense of urgency gets lost, etc. And a general rule is that successes are attributed to the team and failures are shouldered by the leader.

To operate as a true team and maximize the synergy of thought and action, functioning as a group of equals is necessary. Leading from behind allows the functional leader to step out of his/her position of authority and operate on common ground with the rest of the team.

Are you able to effectively lead from behind? In what ways do you struggle to do so?