Lead Your Boss

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The majority of my 33-year nursing career has been clinically oriented by choice, but now I find myself in an “official” capacity of managing and leading others. The title of this book piqued my interest because of my new leadership role. This book is about a style of leadership for the middle manager, with “how to lead” principles that can be applied at all levels. Lead Your Boss is not about doing the boss' job, however; it is about leading the way to excellence in an organization.

Leading from the middle ranks—or “leading up,” as it is referred to by the author—requires putting oneself forward, not only helping others but teaching them to lead through positive action and communication. Leading up is an active process of observing, listening, and interacting and, most importantly, communicating with supervisors, peers, and team members. As stated by the author, leading is not a solo act and is not performed in a vacuum. From the beginning of the book, the author sets the expectation that leaders at all levels are team players who are adept at making good things happen by bringing people together for a common cause. Success is achieved through helping others succeed.

There are three parts to the book, and each part poses a question. Answering each question requires following three steps. In total, the author lays out nine distinct steps and discusses them throughout the book:

These questions and the steps for each identify opportunities for the middle manager and become the basis for a plan of action to develop the ability to lead up. The steps describe how to implement leadership principles in a way that stimulates ideas for personal application.

Each step is described through stories of influential individuals and what their actions can teach readers about leading up. The concepts and qualities of each step are further developed with various examples, leaving the reader to interpret the salient point that coincides with that step. For example, “pushing back the right way” describes tips for diplomacy in decision making or reacting to criticism of those decisions, “breaking down the doors” describes the art of influencing others, and “bending but not breaking” describes resiliency.

Answering each of the three basic questions requires a plan of action. In the final analysis of each question, the author offers advice in the form of motivational phrases that can be used to help actualize the steps described. For example, “Knowing when to disagree and when to go with the flow” is specific for pushing back the right way, “Keep the needs of people foremost” is a suggested action to effectively break down doors, and “Turn setbacks into comebacks; learn what you did wrong and how you can turn it around the next time” represents an action to take in learning how to bend without breaking.

Interwoven throughout the book are important concepts such as teamwork, effective communication, shared visions, strong values, and strategic goals. The author also discusses leader attributes that garner respect and trust, such as confidence, conviction, visibility, passion, persistence, diplomacy, resilience, influence, and accountability.

This book is easy to read, and the stories are interesting. There are some overlapping concepts, but they are presented from a somewhat different perspective in their respective sections. At the end of the book, the author provides “A Smart Guide to Positive Push Back” with additional pointers and suggestions, including some that were not discussed previously. Although it is aimed at the middle manager, this book has practical application for leaders at all levels.

The author advocates teamwork when leading from the middle. As perioperative nurses, we advocate for efficient and effective teamwork to facilitate safe surgical experiences for our patients. Perioperative leaders at all levels can promote such teamwork by engaging in the steps provided in this book.