Overview

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Welcome to the National Guard Family Program e-learning lesson on communicating with and supporting leadership. Communicating with and supporting leadership is closely tied to the concept of leading up. Leading up is the act of working with people above you to help them and you perform better. Organizations that receive overall direction from below are able to think strategically, communicate persuasively, and act decisively. In this lesson, participants will consider ways they can influence their leaders to achieve organizational goals. By learning skills to advocate for their needs and ideas, participants will be better prepared to act as leaders as they work with their own leadership figures.

A staff that can effectively lead up achieves greater results for its clients.

With strong collaboration and support between leadership and Family Program staff, skillful discussion can lead to promising outcomes for National Guard families. The importance of supporting the mission and vision of leadership is critical to successful collaborative relationships and partnerships. When communication breaks down, there can be serious consequences. A unified team is a force multiplier.

At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

Recall the mission and vision of the National Guard Family Program
Explain the importance of influencing senior leadership

There are seven best practice areas for effectively leading up.

Michael Useem, a leading thinker in the concept of leading up, has identified seven best practice areas that should be used when leading up:

Confidence
Actions
Communication
Difficult times
Lateral relations
Mission-focused approaches
Downward leadership