science

Leading from behind

Leading from behind is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Leading from behind rather than just read about it. In short: Leading from behind is a phrase quoted by journalist Ryan Lizza as having been uttered by an anonymous advisor to Barack Obama in April 2011 with regards to the Libyan civil war. Although the phrase was assailed by critics of Obama, four months after the phrase was first uttered, journalist Ben Smith applauded Obama's policy in the Libyan civil war during the Battle of Tripoli (2011).

Key takeaways

Leading from behind belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Leading from behind to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Leading from behind from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Leading from behind is a phrase quoted by journalist Ryan Lizza as having been uttered by an anonymous advisor to Barack Obama in April 2011 with regards to the Libyan civil war. Although the phrase was assailed by critics of Obama, four months after the phrase was first uttered, journalist Ben Smith applauded Obama's policy in the Libyan civil war during the Battle of Tripoli (2011). As of October 2011, the identity of the person who uttered the phrase has not been identified. National Security Council spokesperson Tommy Vietor speculated that the phrase did not originate within the Obama Administration, but Lizza stood by his report that it was said by a person associated with the administration. The phrase inspired several books, including

Miniter, Richard (2013). Leading From Behind: The Reluctant President and the Advisors Who Decide for Him. St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 978-1250031389. London, Herbert (2017). Leading From Behind: The Obama Doctrine and the U.S. Retreat From International Affairs. Liberty Island Media. ISBN 978-0692839218. Feaver, Peter (2012). "American Grand Strategy At the Crossroads: Leading from the Front, Leading From Behind, or Not Leading at All". In Lord, Kristin M.; Fontaine, Richard (eds.). America's Path: Grand Strategy for the Next Administration. Center for a New American Security.

Use not related to Obama In May 2010, Linda A. Hill published an article titled Leading from Behind in the Harvard Business Review. The idea was inspired by Nelson Mandela's autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, where Mandela makes the analogy that leaders could be seen as having a role similar to shepherds, who direct their flocks from behind.

Further reading Dunigan, Jack. "Leading from behind, what it is…and what it is not". thepracticalleader.com. "Leading From Behind: How to Lead From Behind". MasterClass. November 9, 2022.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Leading from behind

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Leading from behind claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Leading from behind before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Leading from behind ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Leading from behind

In research: Leading from behind appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Leading from behind in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Leading from behind is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Leadership studies, Obama administration controversies, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Leading from behind outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Leading from behind in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Leading from behind means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Leading from behind out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Leading from behind in simple terms?

Why does Leading from behind matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Leading from behind?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Leading from behind.