By Bryn Meredith

A few weeks ago I began to read Nelson Mandela’s autobiography, “Long Walk to Freedom,” (probably years overdue on my part as it has been in print since 94!) and I was intrigued to see that he recognized and adopted the concept of leading from behind at a very early age. While still learning from the elders in his village he notes, “As a leader, I have always followed the principles I first saw demonstrated by the regent at the Great Place. I have always endeavoured to listen to what each and every person in a discussion had to say before venturing my own opinion. I always remember the regent’s axiom: A leader, he said, 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 were being directed from behind.”

From someone who lives in Canada and has been gripped these past two weeks by the euphoria of the Olympics and the quest for medals, the concept of “Leading from Behind” is somewhat difficult to grasp.Everyone wants to win, and there would seem to be no way to win if you are letting everyone go ahead of you.

Wondering how many people might still consider this a current leadership model worth following, I thought I would do a quick Google search on the phrase “Leading from Behind.” Remarkably, it turned up 154 million hits!! Clearly not a new concept!

This led me to ask the question, “In today’s complex result driven organizations that many of us do our best to lead in, is “Leading from Behind” really a leadership style that can work?” When we consider the classic dimensions of modern day leadership such as inspiration, enablement, character and execution, we must now do so against a backdrop of shifting technology, globalization and changing demographics. The concept of allowing others to go ahead without guidance or direction is almost totally the opposite of everything we have learned about leadership. What if they mess up, and I’m left holding the can? How can people know what to do if I am not going first and leading by example? I’m the one who is supposed to inspire people and create the vision; they can’t just go where they want! I’m in charge. They are supposed to follow me!

However, if we consider the range of abilities that the modern day leader is required to have, we can quickly come to the conclusion that, yes, there are times where leading from behind can be effective. Leading in today’s organizations is a challenging endeavour, and we need to be open to the fact that, as leaders, we need to adopt a wide range of styles and skills, and know when to use which.

Holding back and letting people go before you does not come easily to most leaders. I would suggest you might wish to consider three scenarios where you might try it out and see what results.

1. Leading Innovation.

A leader facilitates innovation by creating an environment in which team members can challenge the status quo, generate new possibilities and embrace change. Innovation rarely is the work of the leader – of a lone genius. It is the result of teams trying out new things. This means letting people go ahead. Let them try out new things, making mistakes and trying until they get it right. It is the result of giving them some freedom to explore and experiment and then recognizing their success when it occurs. People and results flourish and grow far more when there is a sense of achievement of having done something by themselves instead of simply following someone else’s lead. Nobody sets out to work in the morning saying to themselves, “I hope I fail today.” Everyone wants to succeed. If you as the leader can lead from behind by creating a culture of innovation where people can take off in all directions, you might be surprised by what they come back with.

2. Developing High Potentials.

High Potential leaders, simply by what the name suggests, have high potential. Give them the room to use it. Let them know that you have so much confidence in them that you are not going to micro-manage every project you give them. The other key word here is “developing”. If you wish to develop leaders who can move to senior levels in your organization, then you need to allow people the opportunity to execute on their ideas. Once you see the results, then you can step back in front as a leader and coach, and debrief on the outcomes. People will thank you for having confidence in them and rewarding them with the responsibility to perform.

3. Customer Service.

Although there is no question that, at most times, Customer Service needs direction and leadership from the front, there are also times where leading from behind can be equally effective. Take for example the concept of allowing employees the space to think for themselves when dealing with customers and even empowering them with the authority to make decisions without having to seek confirmation from you. Two companies, at opposite ends of the corporate spectrum, Ritz Carlton - one of the leading luxury hotels in the world, and Zappos - the online shoe retailer, are both highly regarded in terms of the levels of customer service that they provide. Both allow employees a high level of freedom to lead by themselves. The Ritz Carlton allows employees to make customer service decisions without having to seek authority from anyone else up to a limit of $5,000. Zappos gives their employees similar freedom. Take for example a recent story I read about the shoe retailer. A customer called in asking if she could return the shoes that had been delivered for her husband. He had passed away suddenly and hadn’t worn the shoes yet. How would the folks who you lead respond? This customer service rep not only arranged for the shoes to be picked up and issued a full refund, she also arranged for a bouquet of flowers to be delivered to the customer in sympathy for her loss.

Modern day leadership demands that we display a whole array of different skills, competencies and abilities. Leading from behind is just one of those that you might like to consider and not discount too quickly. As Mandela suggests, try listening to what everyone else has to say before venturing your own opinion and you might just be surprised by the results.

Bryn Meredith is Vice President of Client Services at Bluepoint. He can be reached by email.

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