When I think of how to categorize different styles of leadership, one that I often use first is whether someone “leads up” or “leads down”.

Someone who leads up views his team’s main purpose to serve him in fulfilling his job.   Someone who leads up concerns herself with making herself look good to her superiors more than how she is perceived by those she leads.  At it’s most worst, leading up means shifting blame to members of your team rather than taking responsibility as the ultimate leader of that team and viewing the current position only as a stepping stone to the next higher one.

Someone who leads down views their most important job is enabling those on their team to be successful at theirs.   Leading down means taking prioritizing the dynamics of your team: who is doing well, who needs help, where do changes need to be made in how you are getting things done.  Leading down means being aware of the barriers your team is facing and working to eliminate them.

From the previous two paragraphs, the easy conclusion is that leading up is bad and leading down is good.  I do want to lead down and spend time trying figure out how to lead down better.  But I have also come to appreciate that there is a downside in leading down too much.  Some probably believe that leading down can be synonymous with being soft.  I do not agree with this view.  Leading down doesn’t mean that you can’t put your foot down and say it has to be done your way.  It does mean that you put your foot down in a way that doesn’t belittle your team and only after making a effort to see if someone else’s way may be just as good.  Rather the downside in leading down too much is isolation.  Prioritizing your team’s performance should not come at the expense of keeping your superiors informed on your plans and problems.  If your leader is not informed on your plans, they may begin to believe that you don’t have one.  If you are not timely in presenting your problems to your superior, you both can be burned when they become obvious to the larger organization.  Also, a little self promotion is often necessary to move up in an organization and your impact as someone who leads down will ultimately be limited if you do not make yourself more influential.   Finally, if you are isolated, it can mean the people on your team are prone to be isolated as well.  Leading up and making yourself an integral part of your superiors organization gives you an opportunity to promote your team.

As I try to become a better leader, I now try to make sure I have a proper balance between leading up and down.  I think leading down should be the preferred mode, but you should know how to lead up as well - both for your success and your team’s.