We tend to think of leaders as people at the top. Leaders are at the top of their game, at the top of the organization chart. People who want to be leaders fight their way to the top. Some people even climb to the top of the leadership mountain.
We believe that leadership flows from the top down. Leaders surround themselves with people to do things for them. Each of those people surrounds themselves with people to do things for them. Level by level, corporations are built to serve the leaders at the top.
The fact is that leadership is everywhere in a strong, healthy organization. Leadership is not like lava, pouring out of the top and flowing down the structure. Leadership is more like flame, sparking everywhere until the whole structure catches fire.
We watch a football game thinking the leadership is the coach, the quarterback, the owner. Each of them plays their part, but leadership is everywhere on the team. Each member is a leader, especially when things do not go as planned.
When a football team fumbles, leadership flows from the bottom of the pile. It is not the players who jump on top of the pile who make the difference. The players at the bottom, who take initiative first, determine the outcome of the play. A coach’s ability to design great plays has little to do with which team recovers the ball.
The leaders who inspire me are able to turn things upside down. They recognize that corporations exist to serve people who work directly with customers. Resources invested in equipping and empowering them to work well are not wasted.
The leaders who inspire me recognize the leadership potential of each person.
Do you know people who lead upside down?
Whose leadership helps your organization catch fire?
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