I am quite not sure if I am ahead of time, behind time or on time to emphasis this concept. But as I finish half a decade in my current job, on looking back as well as looking around, I feel my management style has been abstract. I could not figure out if abstract was a style till I realized the right word for it and it was – “Leading from Behind”.
This thought was in my mind ever since the question of why there are so many leadership programs on “How to be a leader” selling like hot cakes but not a single program on how to be a team player. It was my quest that we must learn to be team players before we take on the leadership role. Leading from Behind is exactly what I was looking for and what exactly made my 5-year long tenure so much more fruitful and a sheer pleasure. I can’t emphasis enough that I enjoy being a team member most.
“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.”- Lao Tzu
Having spent many years working with numerous inspiring leaders in a great many cultures, I found that the dynamics and principles of effective leadership are universal. I need to point out that “leading from behind” is more of an observation at this point of time for me, based on the premise that future will be different than today.
Many leaders need to learn how to lead from behind
Leading from behind sounds a bit confusing and seems a little nebulous. If you ask any number of individuals what leading from behind means, you will likely get a number of different answers. It can mean, “I’m not going to do it, you do it.” That probably would end up being a little counterproductive or at the very least create attitude issues with the team members. Leading from behind can have real important meaning if utilized properly. It has a great essence of empowerment, which for me is the need of the hour and in the following paragraphs I will explain how.
When leaders move out of the way and let their team take over, real growth happens.
I always believed in building teams of individuals who can operate on their own in almost any environment. It is often hard for some leaders to let go and let someone else sink or swim based upon their actions alone or lack thereof. My goal has always been to build a team of individuals that can be autonomous, solving problems or adapting as necessary to fluid situations on their own.
It is my strong belief that for now and into the coming decade or so, the most effective leaders will lead from behind, not from the front. Maybe many aspiring leaders may not like to read this or believe this as for them, as a leadership role is associated with being in the spot light and being in front with the right designation, job tittle and power. But leadership is anything but this! As a child, I was quite fascinated by mountains and one very common sight at the mountains are the shepherds – this quite sums up the concept of “Leading from Behind”. Shepherds stay 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.
What I realized in these 5 years indicates to me that the time has come and here is why:
The psychological contract between companies and associates is changing.
Among other things, associates are looking for more meaning and purpose in their work lives. They want and increasingly expect to be valued for who they are and to be able to contribute to something larger than themselves. Associates expect to have the opportunity to co-author their organization’s purpose. Whenever this hotel was chosen for any pilot project, as a team we always volunteered as we always wanted to contribute. Similarly, I took orientation sessions for new joinees, shared the Vision, Mission and Values and explained that this was made not by any outsider but a group of hotel associates itself before we started operations. At that very moment, I see a sparkle in many eyes desiring to be a part of it. We all want to associate and participate towards organizations goals as active members. This feeling from within brings the commitment and efficiency.
Innovation — not simply incremental but continual breakthrough innovation — will be a key driver of competitiveness.
Society’s notion of the brilliant innovator, the solitary genius with a sudden flash of creative insights is hard to shake. But, after all, a Google glass or technology around touch interface is not the product of a single person’s vision or labors. Most innovation is the result of collaborative work involving a diverse group and a collective process of iteration and discovery. Those in positions of authority have been taught to think that it’s their job to come up with the big idea — but sustained innovation comes when everyone has an opportunity to demonstrate a “slice of genius”. That’s how we as a team keep coming with new ideas and drive each one with passion. Frankly, not all ideas worked out, but they did not fade away without giving us a lesson of how to improve. Breakthroughs come when seemingly ordinary associates make extraordinary contributions. This happens very often with us and makes us proud of each other.
Leaders can encourage breakthrough ideas not by cultivating followers who can execute but building communities that can innovate.
Of course, we need to act as direction-setters and vision-makers, and we need to prepare ourselves for these roles. But we often emphasize these skills at the expense of others that are growing in importance. If you’re looking for innovation, it doesn’t make much sense to say that the leader’s job is to set the course and mobilize associates to follow them there. If you want your team to produce something truly original, you don’t know where you’re going, almost by definition. The traditional leadership model just doesn’t work or more appropriately, it does not act like a catalyst to propel the ecosystem.
Leading from behind doesn’t mean abrogating your leadership responsibilities. After all, the shepherd makes sure that the flock stays together. He uses his staff to nudge and prod if the flock stray too far off course or into danger. For me, it’s a matter of harnessing our associates’ collective genius. Doing so entails two primary responsibilities — and they are not easy to get right.
First, you must create environment that’s willing to innovate. This is fundamentally about building community. Some leaders refer to this function as “creating a world to which associates want to belong.” In these communities, associates are valued for who they are and have the opportunity to contribute to something larger than themselves. These communities have a common purpose, values and rules of engagement about how associates should interact and problem-solve together. A shared purpose brings the associates together and makes them willing to do the hard work of innovation.
Second, to build the organizational capabilities necessary for engaging in the innovation process, the three essential organizational capabilities are:
- Creative abrasion (the ability to generate ideas through intellectual discourse and debate);
- Creative agility (the ability to test and refine ideas through quick pursuit); and
- Creative resolution (the ability to make decisions in an integrative manner).
Those who are exceptional at leading from behind are likely to be different than those who excelled at leading from the front. And this raises the question: are we identifying and developing the leaders who can tap the power of collective genius?
So what leading from behind is:
- It is deliberate not accidental.
- It is purposeful not incidental.
- It is collaborative and cooperative.
What it is not:
- It is not rewriting the facts to make it look like something happened when it has not. (CYA)
- It is not ignoring a situation or neglecting one then claiming you are leading from behind.
- It is not passive.
- It is not an excuse for doing little or nothing while at the same time claiming to be leading.
- It cannot take the place of strategic thinking and strategic planning.
In short, one can lead from behind only if one knows what lies ahead and what it will take to get there.
About the author
Saurabh Bakshi is General Manager of Sheraton Grand Bangalore at Brigade Gateway, where he is responsible for the entire hotel operations, and aligning management style, working practices and conduct with Sheraton Grand Bangalore’s and Starwood’s vision, corporate values, operating standards and policies. Saurabh has a diverse educational background from Cornell University, New York, to the Indian Institute of Management – Ahmedabad and the Institute of hotel Management – Pusa, New Delhi. His work philosophy has five elements – Quality, Efficiency, Effectiveness, Integrity and Humanity.
