Leading from the Back‼️

⏺We’ve heard about “leading from the front”.

It means taking the initiative to make decisions and showing the way.

This phrase has been around for centuries. It comes from the military arena, where leaders had to be at the forefront of hand to hand combat.

⏺In today’s era of unpredictability,  events like black Swans are more common. With the tumultuous nature of change, a century of progress can be contained in a month.

⏺Ravi Kant, former Chairman & CEO,of Tata Motors, believes it’s time for leaders to ‘lead from the back’.

According to Ravi Kant and his co-author  the new Gen Z wouldn’t want to postpone their freedom and opportunities to contribute –  that long.

⏺Ravi Kant crystallises the concept of “Leading from the Back” into 3 parts.

1⃣⏺How do I change myself, the way I deal with tasks & with the team?

⏺ Be open- minded (easier said than done). Successful leadership  is not limited to one expert, but may include many lesser leaders, who can assume ownership mentality, perhaps not solely attached to the goodwill of organization.

2⃣⏺Trust becomes the lubricant for all collective and distributive leadership  vertically as well as horizontally.

⏺This model leverages the strengths of all and is not trapped by the weakness of one powerful leader.

3⃣⏺The modus operandi is: Being tough on  tasks and testing limits.

⏺But soft on human beings,  recognising that each person is going through different circumstances.

⏺Striking a balance between competitive targets and being empathetic.

⏺Such a leadership model, based on Trust is more sustainable in the long run.

⏺When people are given trust, majority give it back to you.

⏺It also becomes easier to feel the pulse for early warning signals and threats.

⏺For example, when new leader joins the organization, but refrains from bringing his old team along with him

⏺This boosts the morale, loyalty and productivity of the team. People feel trusted and valued.

⁉️But is this model something most organisations will be willing to adopt?  That’s the question.

⁉️It would depend on what kind of leadership, talent and culture, the Company wants to build – to grow and last.

✅Would love to hear your perspectives on the subject.

#career #leadership #culture
#coaching #skillgrill