Ubuntu: Leading From Behind

Ubuntu – the idea that we are empowered by other people, and then we become our best selves through unselfish interaction with others

As I implicitly stated in the Leading From Ahead post, being an in-front leader is largely symbolic. How? Every movement, organization, set of ideas, or collective has at one time or another a physical face representing its core beliefs. If you don’t believe me, read this list:

• Earvin “Magic” Johnson is the man we think of when we hear about the Los Angeles Lakers greats, although Kobe Bryant is close. 
• President Barack Obama is the face the rest of the world looks to for aid, advice, and leadership. 
• For breast cancer survivors, Susan G. Komen carries significant weight. 
• Even the four-year-old son of a close friend has come to symbolize the objectives of Easter Seals in how he is able to represent that organization.

In basketball, everyone wants to be the hero making the last-second fadeaway jumper over an outstretched arm to win the game. The true greats, however, understand how to pass to others and let them take that shot for a team victory. Note: I did not say defer. I said PASS. Magic Johnson understood the team concept better than anyone else; without his deft passing skills and ability to guard all five positions on the floor, the Showtime Lakers were able to win five world championships in the 1980s. To get the best out of a team, make sure the members are able to reap the glories of victory and more importantly, let them feel like they are influencing the decisions. 

Contrary to what certain politicians think (read: John Boehner, Eric Cantor, Tim Griffin, and right-wing news media), leading from behind is not always a sign of weakness. I’ll share a shepherd’s parable:  When you want cattle to move in a certain direction, you stand at the back with a stick. Convince the cleverer cattle to go to the front to move in the direction you want them to go. The others will follow the more energetic cattle, but really you are leading from behind. The idea of leadership is at its most fundamental core about moving people in a certain direction – usually changing the direction of thinking and actions. Unlike taking the megaphone “follow me!” approach, we empower others to move ahead of us through imparting our ideas and leadership by nudging them. One example of this leadership is Wal-Mart’s Open Door Policy which any associate can speak with a member of management about any issue concerning performance or a life issue. The associate comes away with ways to impact the company at a grassroots level, or at the very least, feels satisfied airing grievances to a supervisor or manager. Another example worth citing is at home:  parents would call family meetings (rare for us) to guide children for sensible rules and behavior versus strictly laying down the law. 

People of this caliber do the following:
• Putting in the work to truly understand things and examine issues from all sides
• Utilizing the better-qualified people in their circles, and learn from them
• Asking questions to clarify process
• Becoming allies with your team
• Learning to defer to others to increase their allegiance to them
• Listening, summarizing, molding opinions, and steering people in the right direction

Leading from behind is not the worst brand of leadership we can show; not leading effectively after being provided with all of the necessary tools to succeed is a far more damning fate. While leading from ahead clearly articulates a face to the message, those who activate the masses often remain behind the scenes,  as they are the ones who impact change.

This completes the two-part Ubuntu series of leadership. I'm glad you took the time to read to read both posts, and if you haven't done so, check out yesterday's post Ubuntu: Leading From Ahead.