During a yoga class today I was reflecting on my experience as a leader of nonprofit organizations. Something about yoga makes me focus on all sorts of things from the past that need to be reconciled or processed. One of the realizations that came to me was how, in the midst of lots of success with fundraising, board development, strategic planning and implementation, I had failed over and over to connect with and inspire many people on the staff. Somehow I missed the trees amidst my soft focus on the forest!

The lesson is more complex that the forest and the trees, though. It is really about the interconnected nature of leading and following. I had missed the nuances of the dances we need to do with our teammates, colleagues and employees.

If you lead in a traditional way, you may learn to be a pretty good listener, use a variety of methods to show appreciation for people you work with and generate a pretty healthy organizational culture, but if you as a leader fail to see the value in following as part of your leadership, you lose an important opportunity to create a truly powerful dynamic.

Some people refer to this as "leading from behind." Recently there has been focus on conscious leadership and wisdom in leadership in books and articles, so I am not forging new territory except that it is an important revelation for me.

There is something here. I look forward to exploring it more by myself and with others.