Lead Up

Lead Up: The Discipline of Influencing Without Authority

When people talk about leadership, they often picture someone senior leading a team—decisions flowing top-down. But leadership doesn’t stop there. One of the most overlooked, yet essential, forms of leadership is leading up the chain of command.

You don’t need a title or formal authority to lead. You need trust, respect, and the discipline to take ownership—especially when things aren’t going your way.

Influence Begins With Ownership

Leading up starts with alignment. That means understanding your boss’s goals and priorities, then adjusting how you communicate and support them. It’s not about doing their job—it’s about making their job easier so they can make better strategic decisions and give you the space to deliver.

When things feel stuck, many people fall into blame. “My boss won’t listen.” “They take all the credit.” “They never make a decision.” But at Kaizen Summit, we apply Extreme Ownership. If there’s a gap, you own it. Not out of guilt—but out of power. The moment you stop waiting for your boss to change, and start working to build the relationship yourself, you take control of the outcome.

Build the Relationship—Regardless of the Boss

Whether your boss is brilliant or difficult, the mindset remains the same: build the best relationship you can. If they struggle to prioritise, help them do it. If they’re indecisive, come prepared with well-reasoned options and highlight how you’ve addressed the risks. If they crave credit, give it to them. If they don’t listen, start by listening first. Respect earns influence. Influence earns trust.

At the heart of this is the Kaizen Pillar of Community Connection. Relationships drive everything. Strong leadership isn’t built in isolation—it’s built through consistent effort to connect, support, and align.

Real Example: From Frustration to Ownership

At a recent event, a frontline supervisor told us, “My boss really needs to hear this. I’ve tried to offer solutions but they never listen.” When asked why the boss doesn’t listen, the supervisor could only shrug.

That silence said a lot. There was no trust in the relationship. And without trust, there’s no influence. But the solution wasn’t complicated. We encouraged the supervisor to take Extreme Ownership—to stop blaming and start building.

Listen more. Respect more. Ask better questions. Allow the boss to influence you first. That’s how you begin to earn the space to influence them.

Practical Application

This week, identify one place where you can lead up the chain. It could be preparing a clearer update, asking for feedback, or simply showing your boss they’ve been heard. Don’t wait for better leadership—demonstrate it.

Leading up isn’t easy. It takes humility, patience, and discipline. But if you want to be truly effective as a leader, it’s not optional. It’s essential.

Take ownership. Lead up. And build the trust that earns real influence.