Leading in All Directions
The Leadership Compass
Lead It Like a Project – Part 2.1
As a compass points north, south, east, and west, true leaders know how to lead up to authority, down to those they mentor, across to their peers, and outward into the world around them (others).
The Leadership Compass emphasizes that you must work with people in all directions. A leader needs people, and people need a leader. Without people, you cannot be a leader. As you know, a compass points north, south, east, and west, and leadership operates similarly. A leader works with individuals across an established set of directions.
Directional leadership is not limited to forward motion. Instead, just like a compass allows you to navigate north, south, east, and west, it’s essential to recognize the various roles that people play in your life. Understanding who these individuals are in each direction of your leadership compass is crucial. (I will share the specific names for these directions later.)
I’m fortunate to be able to discuss these subjects, particularly the concept of unity and working with leadership. Now, I know that it sounds strange to use such a topic, but it’s essential to understand that, in most circumstances, employees are not unified with their leadership, and their leadership is generally not unified with the employees. Unity is necessary to be successful; we must be moving in the same direction and pursuing the same goals.
I recall a movie I watched many years ago called “Drumline.” In it, the idea is that we must march to the same beat. To form a successful band, the drummers cannot have one beat while the horns have another. We have to march to the same beat, have the same goals, and have the same march. We have to take the same steps, the same stride, the same destination, and the same goals. The same thing applies when we’re talking about leadership.
But to do that, I need to talk to you about taking on the leadership role. I hate saying it this way, but to help clear the picture, the average Joe Blow is the leader. That’s you. You get to lead because you have a life that’s yours. Your life, You Incorporated! It’s your business. It’s your life, and there’s only one person in charge of running your business, and I mean it, it is your business to run. Seeking, creating, and establishing unity in your leadership approach is essential.
With that in mind, I want to discuss “leading in all directions.” I’m certain I’m not the only person in history to have used such a phrase. However, this is not one that I read or sourced from elsewhere. It’s a term I often use in examples, even though I recognize that others may have used it as well, likely because there are people who are much smarter than I am.
The Leadership Compass
I refer to this concept as the Leadership Compass, which represents leading in all directions. When we think about a compass, it only has four standard directions: north, south, east, and west. While we’re used to stating them in that order, they can be arranged differently without changing their meaning. The key point is to understand your role and position within this framework.
“Look as far as you can see in every direction—north and south, east and west.” [1]
As an individual, you are located at the intersection of all directions, literally at the center of the compass. However, for someone else, you hold one of these directional positions, which means there are people above you, below you, to your right, and to your left. It’s important to remember that you are leading in all these directions. Holding a leadership title is not what defines a leader. Every person has the ability to lead, and every person is a leader – everyone has something they must lead, and that’s their life, You Incorporated.
North = Up
The first direction, up, refers to leading those you report to. If you want to be successful, you need to excel not just in being led but also in helping those above you lead you effectively. Consider how you can serve the individuals above you—your boss or supervisor—in a way that ultimately serves you. It’s not that we serve to be served, but because we serve, the product or the result of us serving another is that, in return, we get served. Whatever we sow is what we reap. [2]
Reflect on how you can better serve the person you report to—the one who conducts your evaluations. How can you serve them in such a way that it ultimately serves you? How do you get better at being you by serving the person that’s above you? Those are questions you must ask, and that’s just one direction you must consider. For example, in my career, I worked for a vice president; because I wanted my life to be peaceful, I developed strategies to help ease their stress. In other words, I was no longer going to allow the stress of the day to be dictated by my boss, the person north of me. I recognized that each day would present new challenges, and rather than waiting until the end of the day to address them, I proactively approached them each morning to discuss the key issues we needed to tackle. This approach significantly improved our work environment. It was a solution that didn’t come top-down but from the center (of the leadership compass) up.
So, you must discover ways to lead those above you, which is the upward direction for leadership.
South = Down
The next direction is down, which pertains to those who report to you—your team. These are the individuals who look to you for guidance. It’s essential to learn how to lead them effectively. What can you do to get the best and most value out of them by giving them value?
In order to receive value, you must give value.
In order to get people to grow, you must grow.
In order to help others become better, you must become better yourself.
A true leader does what the average person will not do. An average person is not going to sow in any of these directions, especially not all of them. Therefore, mastering the Leadership Compass is crucial in becoming a next-level leader.
Across = East & West
Having discussed the individuals above and below you, let’s now focus on your peers—those to your left and right (west and east). These individuals are on the same organizational level as you and do not hold positional authority over you. Instead, they are positioned directly across from you. Everyone is on an equal playing field regarding your organization.
East or Right: Starting with those to the right, these are your teammates—individuals working alongside you. The people you get in the trenches with, the people who, if you lose, they probably lose too. If you sink, they sink. So, what can you do to ensure your team is winning? How can you interact and serve the people who are beside you in such a way that you all become winners? What can you do to add value to the people who are with you, have the same goals, the same direction, doing the same work, and have the same objectives? How can you get them to become more because you’re on the team? You have a responsibility to lead the people around you so that your life can be as successful as possible.
You have a responsibility to lead your peers—your success is connected to theirs.
West or Left: And then the people to the left. If you’ve got peers who are on the left, they report to different teams, not yours. They are part of a different team. Their actions and your actions affect each other; it’s interconnected. What they do and what you do work together. What they do impacts you, and what you do impacts them. It’s a lateral thing. We’re all working together.
I have spent most of my career in telecommunications, focusing on information technology and information systems. However, my roles have not been limited to my field; I have frequently collaborated with other teams. For example, I have worked closely with marketing teams, which play a crucial role in the organizations. I regularly provided them with marketing reports and target data. Although I wasn’t responsible for their outcomes, my work directly impacted their success. In turn, their efforts affected me, as they relied on the information I could provide. Therefore, I needed to deliver accurate and valuable reports (my best work) to help them achieve their desired results, and they needed to do the same.
We had to work in tandem for the benefit of both teams. I must think about how I can serve my colleagues effectively, ensuring that my contributions assist them while positively impacting my work. I constantly seek ways to add value to those I collaborate with, and you must do the same.
You have to work and collaborate with other teams for the good of both teams. Therefore, you have to think about how you can serve the people to the left of you in such a way that it benefits not only them but also impacts you. This also includes your impact outward into the world around them. How can you add value to the west, those left of you?
Understanding and applying the Leadership Compass allows you to lead in all directions—upward, downward, and across—creating a more effective and harmonious work environment while giving you an advantage in leading others in every direction.
[1] Genesis 13:14 NLT, Bible.com, accessed April 9, 2025, https://bible.com/bible/116/gen.13.14.NLT
[2]Galatians 6:7 ESV, Bible.com, accessed April 29, 2025, https://www.bible.com/bible/59/GAL.6.7.ESV
All Scripture references used by permission, see our Scripture copyrights.
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