Leaders take the lead! They lead from the front. They do it first. They don't push others while standing aloof. They get involved. You are not a leader when you are always pushing others to solve problems, while you are tacitly running away from solutions. Either in corporate, government or social settings, leaders are there to solve problems.

Challenges emerge at every turn. On the other hand, team members look for direction from their leaders amidst uncertainties. It is in moments of unpredictability that leaders are to show the way from the front. This is what separates transformative leaders from mere title holders. Leadership isn't about occupying the corner office while dispatching orders from a distance. It's about stepping into the arena alongside your team, demonstrating through action what you expect from others. When leaders stand at the forefront of challenges rather than pushing from behind, they create a magnetic pull that inspires followers naturally.

When Anne Mulcahy took over as CEO of Xerox in 2001, the company faced bankruptcy, crushing debt, and plummeting morale. Instead of delegating the crisis management to her executives while maintaining a comfortable distance, Mulcahy immersed herself in the details.

She personally visited major customers to rebuild relationships, engaged directly with employees across all levels, and mastered financial intricacies she hadn't previously specialized in. By visibly tackling the company's toughest challenges herself, she inspired her team to follow suit, ultimately guiding Xerox back to profitability.

Anne was able to revitalize Xerox during its darkest hour. A leader must be at the forefront of resolving any crisis his team is facing. Anne did not push the issues to the team for resolution. She stepped in personally and showed them the way it is to be done. Do not push issues to your team when they are possibly as confused as you are.

Leaders who shift responsibilities to team members while remaining disengaged signal insecurity, and not leadership. True leadership embraces accountability rather than deflecting it. Leading from the front requires that you know more than the team members. It is not possible to be an expert in all matters, but it is possible to know something about everything. Leaders must read to know more. Investigate issues to understand them and it will be easy to lead from the front. Former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi demonstrated this principle throughout her tenure.

Despite her financial background, she committed to understanding the entire business ecosystem: from supply chain logistics to product development to consumer psychology. She famously visited stores to observe how products were displayed, spent time in consumers' homes to understand their habits, and regularly toured manufacturing facilities. This commitment to broad knowledge allowed her to lead initiatives across multiple fronts rather than abdicating responsibility for unfamiliar territories.

One of the ways to demonstrate leadership from the front is standing firm during crisis. The most revealing moments of leadership often come during crises, when teams face unfamiliar territories and high stakes. During these moments, a leader's position becomes glaringly apparent. When Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Air Lines, faced the unprecedented challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic that devastated the airline industry, he exemplified front-line leadership. While many executives in the industry remained isolated from the turmoil, Bastian took a 50% salary cut before asking employees to make sacrifices, communicated transparent, frequent updates directly to staff, and maintained a visible presence in operations. He didn't just ask his team to weather the storm, he stood in it with them, creating a foundation of trust that helped Delta navigate the crisis more effectively than many competitors.
 
Practical Steps for Leading from the Front

1. Practice visible involvement. When JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon learned of a massive trading loss in 2012, he personally moved into understanding the complex derivatives positions, joined crisis meetings, and publicly took responsibility, demonstrating that leaders don't hide when problems emerge.

2. Share in hardships. When Marriott faced severe revenue drops during the pandemic, CEO Arne Sorenson announced he would take no salary for the remainder of the year and his executive team would take 50% cuts before implementing broader company changes. This demonstrated that leaders don't insulate themselves from organizational pain.

3. Develop T-shaped knowledge. Like Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, who maintains deep expertise in technology while developing broad knowledge across marketing, finance, and organizational psychology, effective leaders develop depth in their core strengths while cultivating working knowledge across all relevant domains.

4. Maintain field connections. Howard Schultz famously visited hundreds of Starbucks locations annually during his tenure as CEO, refusing to become disconnected from front-line operations. This practice ensured he could lead with authenticity rather than abstraction.

In conclusion, leadership isn't about pointing the way from a safe distance, rather it is about blazing the trail yourself, equipped with knowledge, commitment, and the courage to be first. As the ancient wisdom reminds us: "Example isn't another way to teach; it is the only way to teach."

Oluwole Dada is the General Manager at SecureID Limited, Africa’s largest smart card manufacturing plant in Lagos, Nigeria.