How Can Leaders Be More Useful When “Leading From The Front?”

davidsiu — Wed, 11 Aug 2021 04:22:22 +0000

We often hear “great leaders roll up their sleeves.”

They are “in the front, with the team,” and truly understand the business.

But what is the main purpose of spending time in the front? Is it about learning how to do the jobs of the frontline folks? Is it about knowing the intricacies of the operations?

Yes, and.

As a leader, when we spend time in the front, we have the opportunity to hone a few unique leadership skills:

UNDERSTANDING and ASSESSING the performance of the processes and people through observation, inquisition, and participation (in addition to reports and updates)
VALIDATING their understanding of key messages
REINFORCING the consistency of their understanding of key messages
CONVINCING the team that you are here to help them enjoy their job more and you CAN help them enjoy their job more.

So next time when you get onto the sales floor, or show up at the setup of a roadshow, challenge yourself to …

Become more effective and accurate in understanding what they are doing and assessing how they are doing (performance)
Be able to hear clearly what they are hearing
Bring consistency to what they are hearing
Have the answer to the question “What is the 1 thing I can do, ONLY I can do, for them?”

Leading from the front – Enliven Works Leadership Coaching

How Can Leaders Be More Useful When “Leading From The Front?”