8Leading from the Back
I thought you'd rather have a live donkey than a dead lion.
Sir Ernest Shackleton
It is a misconception that, to be seen to be in charge, you need to lead from the front all the time. How can you see what is going on around you if all you can do is look straight ahead?
Allowing other people to lead does not result in a loss of control, far from it – it represents true confidence in a team.
In this chapter, we explore the need for delegation:
- Leading from the back. How to empower your team by taking a back seat.
- The blame culture. Why teams fail.
- Sir Ernest Shackleton. An example of how a great leader acted.
- Strategic versus survival thinking. How ‘Leading from the Back’ can make you a more effective leader.
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