Co-Elevation In the Workplace

 

What can combat the Quiet Quitting that is happening in the workplace? 

COVID-19 has shifted the way the world does business and it might be changing the way the world sees and follows leadership. There is a new trend out there in the workplace called lateral leadership. 

As you think of your dream culture does it include a hierarchy of leadership or is it more organic? 

Lateral Leadership is a new kind of leadership for these times. Lateral leadership means leadership without disciplinary leadership, without authority. The guide direction is not limited from top to bottom. Lateral or peer leadership has an explicit effect on the horizontal level. Everyone has leadership responsibilities towards their colleagues. It does not matter where they are located in the artificial hierarchy. This explicitly includes the direction of the employee to the boss. The great challenge for employees is to recognize the importance of their own leadership and to take responsibility for it and to find ways and ways to do it.

Lateral leadership is a step in the right direction when it comes to not allowing Quiet Quitters to run the workplace.

Job titles do not equate to leadership skills. Many people have experienced this first hand. 

So why does lateral leadership work so well? Imagine a team that all works well together. They are in sync with each other and they all help each other be their best. 

Lateral Leadership is about crafting a vision, understanding the drivers and motivations of your peers, strengthening relationships, and building coalitions. It's about knowing the best next step for the organization and assembling the team to get there -- all without line authority or mandates.

This concept of lateral leadership is also being referred to as co-elevation. This is a new concept to many of us but inherently we all want each other to win. When a company does this, all the players win.  

Best, 

Manal