How Good Are You At Leading From The Back?

Issue #32

For those of you who don’t know, I was born, raised, and still reside in the suburbs of Philadelphia. So … GO BIRDS!! 🦅 😂

And while the Super Bowl and the parade may be over, there were so many amazing leadership lessons that came out of the Eagles season and ultimate win at the end of it all that I wanted to touch on one here.

Which brings us to this week’s lesson…

Learn To Lead From The Back

When we think about leaders, we often imagine the person at the front of the room, or blazing the trail with their team following behind them. And while this is a necessary part of being a great leader, leading from the back can be just as important as well.

Personally, I’ve always thought a leader has two primary roles to fulfill (after setting the vision and direction).

1. Encourage and inspire those in their care to be the best they can be.
2. Create more leaders.

In the case of the Eagles, and leading from the back, there’s a video floating around of the last pre-game team meeting. While Nick Sirianni (the head coach of the Eagles) kicked it off, he very quickly turned it over to the other leaders on the team. And if you watch to the end, something amazing happens. The players messages to their teammates were more inspiring and influential than anything the head coach could have said to them.

Nick saw the opportunity to let other’s lead, and he stepped back and gave them the space to do so. And now the rest is history. 🏆

Where in your world might you have the opportunity to empower another leader within your business or even your family?

When we can model what great leadership looks like and then give others the opportunity to build their personal leadership skills, everyone wins.

Here’s to paying attention in the coming weeks to those who are ready to step forward, and then taking that step back to give them the space to learn, grow and lead.

With you on the journey,

Suhaiba

P.S. – If you’d like to watch the video, you can do so here. Please note, it’s rated “R” for language. 😂