A Story of "Leading Up" Submitted by Vicki Gray, USGS If we
believe and promote the idea that leadership can occur at any
level in the organization then "leading up" becomes a desired
characteristic of the USGS. "Leading up" isn't always
understood. However, it really isn't much different than any
other leadership act—it relies totally on the credibility and
reputation of the person doing the leading. Isn't that true for
any real act of leadership? In the story I'm about to tell, see
how many of the USGS Leadership Guiding Principles you can
identify. One of the 4 main aspects of the USGS Strategic Plan
is People. The goals under People include improving the Reward
System. The Rewards goal was assigned to two senior managers in
the organization—managers that didn't always work well together.
It soon became apparent that neither of them was going to take
the lead on this. As time went by and deadlines for plans and
the like drew near, nothing had been done or discussed or
planned. This lack of movement frustra