“To succeed upstream, leaders must: detect problems early, target leverage points in complex systems, find reliable ways to measure success, pioneer new ways of working together, and embed their successes into systems to give them permanence.” from Upstream: The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen by Dan Heath
One of the ways I help my clients level up is to help them take new perspectives on their work and lives, seeing their systems in new ways and finding those leverage points and opportunities to develop systems to help make work easier and more effective.
One of my favorite successes is when a client realizes that work doesn’t always have to be hard to be high impact.
Being an upstream leader is an approach that helps you thrive because you can focus on the big opportunities and challenges rather than getting distracted firefighting brush fires. It’s a way of looking at a dynamic environment that ensures you don’t miss the forest for the trees.
Image by Alex Cook.
Teal Executives 