Building a Lasting Impact in Your Organisation: Leading Upwards, Sideways, and Down

Sep 23, 2024

4 min read

In today’s complex work environment, leadership is not just a top-down activity. True leadership operates on multiple levels: upwards to influence superiors, sideways to collaborate with peers, and downwards to guide and empower teams. Understanding how to lead across these directions is essential to creating a lasting impact in your organisation.

Below is a podcast where I speak a bit about the fact that "...being good at executing is not enough..." and that we have influence all around.

Leading Upwards: Influencing Without Authority

Leading upwards is often the most challenging direction for many professionals. It involves influencing those who have formal authority over you—executives, board members, or senior managers—without relying on positional power.

Here are some strategies to effectively lead upwards:

Understand Their Priorities

Senior leaders are often focused on strategic goals, high-level risks, and long-term business growth. To effectively lead upwards, align your contributions with these priorities. Ask yourself: How can your work solve their problems or make their jobs easier? This approach not only shows initiative but also proves that you have a broader understanding of the organisation’s vision.

Communicate Proactively and Transparently

Executives are inundated with information and decisions. To stand out, provide concise, insightful updates that focus on solutions rather than problems. Be transparent about challenges but present them alongside actionable recommendations. Demonstrating foresight and problem-solving skills helps you build trust and credibility.

Be Empathetic

Leaders are human, too, and often face immense pressure. Acknowledging their challenges and finding ways to support them—whether by reducing their workload, offering innovative ideas, or simply showing understanding—can build strong, mutually beneficial relationships.

Leading Sideways: Collaborating with Peers

Leading sideways involves working with colleagues and peers, often without formal authority. Success here depends on collaboration, influence, and shared goals.

Foster Strong Relationships

Building solid, trust-based relationships with your peers is crucial. Understand their strengths, weaknesses, and priorities, and look for ways to help them achieve their goals. By demonstrating that you’re invested in their success, you cultivate reciprocity and goodwill. This strengthens collaboration and enables you to lead by influence rather than authority.

Embrace Healthy Conflict

Conflict between peers is inevitable, but it doesn’t have to be negative. Healthy conflict encourages diverse perspectives, promotes innovation, and leads to better solutions. The key is to manage disagreements constructively. Focus on solving the problem rather than proving who’s right, and always aim for a win-win outcome.

Be a Problem Solver

If you’re the person who consistently brings solutions rather than problems, you’ll naturally become a leader among your peers. Whether it’s finding a more efficient way to collaborate or identifying opportunities for cross-team synergies, being solution-oriented will enhance your influence and make you the go-to person for your colleagues.

Leading Downwards: Empowering Your Team

Leading downwards involves guiding and empowering your direct reports or junior colleagues. This is where leadership is often most visible, but it’s also where lasting impact is most deeply felt.

Empower Through Autonomy

One of the greatest gifts you can give your team is autonomy. Micromanaging stifles creativity and reduces morale, whereas giving people the space to make decisions encourages ownership and personal growth. This doesn’t mean leaving them unsupported—guide them, but trust them to take the reins.

Focus on Development

True leaders don’t just manage tasks; they develop people. Invest time in mentoring, training, and coaching your team members. Help them see the bigger picture and connect their day-to-day tasks with the organisation’s broader goals. When people feel that their personal development is a priority, they become more engaged and motivated to excel.

Create a Culture of Feedback

Feedback is a two-way street. Encourage a culture where constructive feedback flows both ways—upwards, downwards, and sideways. Regularly give actionable, specific feedback to help your team improve, and be open to receiving feedback from them as well. This creates a continuous learning environment where everyone can grow and adapt.

The Power of Leading in All Directions

When you master leading upwards, sideways, and downwards, you create a holistic leadership style that drives results and builds lasting relationships.

Your small actions can create a lasting ripple of positivity.

Here’s why this multi-directional approach is so powerful:

It builds influence and trust. Leading upwards and sideways often requires influencing without authority. By being solution-oriented, collaborative, and empathetic, you gain trust and credibility, which in turn amplifies your impact.

It drives long-term success. Leading in all directions means you’re not just focused on short-term wins. You’re contributing to the organisation’s long-term growth by developing future leaders, improving team dynamics, and aligning with strategic goals.

It fosters a positive work culture. When leadership exists at all levels, it creates an environment where everyone feels empowered, valued, and part of a collective mission. This culture of shared leadership drives engagement and innovation across the organisation.

Leadership isn’t confined to hierarchical structures. Whether you’re influencing senior leaders, collaborating with peers, or empowering your team, the ability to lead in all directions is essential for long-lasting impact.

By leading upwards, you align with strategic goals and build credibility. Leading sideways fosters collaboration and innovation among peers. Leading downwards empowers your team to grow and succeed. Mastering all three ensures that your leadership leaves a lasting legacy—one that influences not only today’s outcomes but the future direction of your organisation.