Everyone knows leaders who “manage up.” To be clear, we all have bosses and need to navigate those relationships in order to be successful. That is not what I mean… I am talking about those leaders who do not treat their peers, their teams and/or their subordinates well, but do all the “right” things when it comes to senior leadership. While this may feel like a good strategy, in the long run it does not typically end well.

Over my 35+ year career, I worked for many senior leaders and led many teams. I developed my own leadership style by observing what I considered to be good and poor leadership by others, and by evolving my own approach based on feedback I received and lessons I learned along the way. Looking back, the most meaningful parts of my career were not the titles or accomplishments, but the opportunities I had to learn from others, make mistakes, grow, and help build environments where people could do their best work.