Leadership theory

The Following Part of Leading

Katzenbach and Smith, authors of 'The Wisdom of Teams' talk of the "following part of leading", saying that the critical behaviours of leaders are:

Asking questions instead of giving answers	By asking such questions such as "What do you think we should do?" or "How do you suggest we proceed?" you take a step behind another person. Whether you stay behind, of course, depends on your intention to actually follow the suggestion or answer of that other person.
Providing opportunities for others to lead you	This goes beyond the traditional notion of looking for growth opportunities for other people. Unless the opportunity in question bears a real risk for your personal performance outcome, you are not actually positioning yourself as a follower.