Leading from the Front

Leading from the Front

The trenches of WWI are legendary for their horrors: knee-deep mud, rotting flesh, ever-present vermin, and constant threat of death were difficulties facing the front-line soldier beyond the homesickness, fatigue, battle, and regimented chaos common to war.  Many suggest that the senior leadership, particularly the British, lost touch with the reality on the ground as they devised grandiose plans to attack the German lines.  There is a story (probably apocryphal, but certainly representative) of a British general, on his first inspection tour of the front, who was heard to remark, “We’ve actually sent men to fight in THIS?!?!”

In January 1944, Allied forces landed southwest of Rome, established a beachhead, and dug in.  The Germans quickly surrounded and sought to destroy this penetration.  The trapped troops endured constant tension and risk of death from Nazi artillery able to strike the entire position.  At one point, the Germans nearly split the beachhead and annihilated the Anglo-Americans.  The expedition’s commander, Major General John Lucas, and his staff occupied a subterranean command post in the middle of the sector.  Several accounts record that, subject to the stresses of these regular attacks, Lucas literally adopted a bunker mentality hindering his ability to think clearly during the crisis.

We hear much about “leading from the front.”  These two historical examples show extremes of leaders too far from and too close to the action.  How do we strike the right balance between being too removed from the realities facing our team and being so closely involved that we lose sight of the larger purpose?

It really is about perspective and ruthless self-honesty.  Ask yourself: where (in time and space) can we best positively influence the success of my organization today and into the future?  The answer changes based on the circumstances, the level of your responsibility, and the structure of your team. The Virtues of Ethical Leadership by Ethical Leaders in Action can help us navigate our choices.  We will examine each of the five virtues: Service, Clarity, Competence, Courage, Creativity.

When considering how to effectively influence our team, think about where we can be of best Service.  Our decision should be selfless, oriented toward the overall goal and not personal glory, putting us in a position to understand what our people are experiencing while demonstrating our respect for them.

As in so many decisions, Clarity is key:  where and how can we best describe, model, and pursue the vision we seek.  Where and how can we best understand the overall situation and the people in it?  Where and how can we best demonstrate the values of our organization?

Competence should inform our choice: do we have the breadth and depth of experience to comprehend, or do we need to see firsthand?  Is our location and approach giving us the real meaning of all the data that is filtering up? Will our physical, mental, and emotional position help us make the best decisions we can?

Leading from the front, side, or rear requires Courage.  We must align our role with our values; don’t talk about being connected but constantly be found one step removed from the crisis, process, or moment of truth.  Being in the right place at the right time may require us to act despite our fears – whether those fears be of the battlefield, the boardroom, or rubbing elbows with the rough bunch that actually does the dirty work.  This discomfort can be stressful and requires tenacity over time particularly if we have to discipline ourselves to stay one step back so we do not interfere with the process.

Because we can’t be everywhere or do everything at once, leading from the front depends on Creativity.  Too little drive can cause us to complacently sit in our office, too much drive can turn us into that someone who looks over everyone’s shoulder.   We want to understand the problems “up close and personal,” but we cannot let that closeness distract us from developing solutions. We may need to step back from the action for a moment to effectively think of new things.

At lower, more personal levels of leadership, simply saying, “Follow me, do what I do!” can be enough.  Individual examples of will and skill should be adequate for people of character to help us do the job and model our conduct. Normally, in these direct settings, especially within a larger organization, this close-in approach works because we only need to be concerned about the here and now.

As the scale and scope of responsibility grows, the challenges become more complex in time and distance.  We cannot expect to see everyone and every action in real time; while today still matters, tomorrow, next week, and next year matter more.  Prepare to make decisions that may appear harsh (or lenient) in the moment, but provide for success in the future.

There are some useful techniques available.  The most familiar may be “leadership by walking around.”  Take some time on a regular basis to see our people and let them see us.  Learn how they contribute to the success of the team.  Understand their challenges so we can incorporate their reality into our larger vision.  Give our leaders a chance to show us how they contribute.  Gently communicate purpose and encouragement as we go.  This does not have to be a fancy inspection tour or an episode of Undercover Boss; good people will appreciate our routine informal presence.

Employ the “Directed Telescope.”  In WWII, General George Patton sent trusted reconnaissance units to the front to give him reports on the battlefield situation.  They never snooped or spied on lower level leaders, but gave Patton and his staff timely understanding to help them anticipate what subordinate commanders would require.

Make sure our leaders understand the organization’s goals and support our efforts to achieve them.  I encourage you to give them the opportunity to express their concerns or challenges.  This is not about currying favor, but about gaining shared perspective that helps everyone.  The better they comprehend, the better they operate independently, allowing us to concentrate on the long-term, big picture.

When I had the privilege to command 120 soldiers, I was normally able to go where my soldiers were training or maintaining.  I knew them all by name and would informally chat with them to keep my finger on the pulse of the unit.  If I had to make corrections, I used the chain of command.  When I had a chance to praise, I did so publicly.  No one was threatened by this and I did not interfere with their work.  I ran into a dilemma, however, when we began an important training exercise: because my unit spread across a broad area, I could only communicate with them from the stationary command post with its long-range antenna.  When I tried to move closer to the action, my vehicle’s weaker radio prohibited me from hearing what was happening, essentially isolating me from operations.  This was incredibly frustrating; the idea of leading from the rear gnawed at me, but there was no other way to understand the rapidly evolving situation and quickly communicate decisions.  So, I reluctantly stayed at the headquarters during the height of the fight, but moved to see my people as soon as the tempo eased. This allowed me to stay in touch with them without losing sight of the bigger picture.

Leading from the front is art.  There is no one way to do it, nor is it the only way one should lead.    Those who are willing to toggle between the details and the big picture; to see the trees in the forest and the forest for the trees, will be in the best position to retain their perspective, vision, and leadership effectiveness over the long haul.

At Ethical Leaders in Action we believe that most, if not all people, can develop themselves to play leadership roles in many different spheres both large and small. The foundation of this development process is a short but powerful list of virtues which can be developed and improved through conscious effort. For more information feel free to take the Virtues of Ethical Leadership Self Inventory (VELSI) which breaks these virtues down into features that can be individually developed. The results of the VELSI come with a quick reference guide to help you understand how the virtues and their individual features fit together. https://ethinact.com/velsi/

See a list of other posts in this series at Blog Post Series

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