'Leading from the front', an expression that arose from the military, has an equal relevance in any civilian organization. That much is a no-brainer.
So, why do I need to emphasize on such an obvious, mundane, thing?
Because, it is hardly practised in the corporate world. My experience in companies big and small in India tells me that everybody is driven by a sense of growing at the cost of others. I must appear as the most sincere, hard-working and goal-oriented achiever to my boss even if it means downplaying - if not berating - others' achievements.
With whatever management qualities we have, we often end up remaining managers rather than elevate ourselves as leaders. Yes, being a leader does not have immediate benefits. Sometimes, especially in the eyes of short-sighted and extremely result-oriented bosses, a leader is judged as inferior to a manager who delivers even if it leads to flattening the morale of the team or vitiating the work culture.
Yet, one who invests in leadership qualities - a very small step every day - reaps the benefits in many ways. Besides long-term career growth , he/ she has a better emotional health, which leads to his/ her growth beyond office. While a selfish manager invested in the rat-race lives a pathetic family and social life, the real leader lives a much happier life, other things being equal.
That is why the adage 'leading from the front' is so relevant. It has two aspects: to lead in a positive sense, and to NOT lead in a negative sense.
Let us start with what NOT to do.
When I refer to 'leading from the front', I do not mean taking the blame for everybody's actions and protecting one's team, including the habitual shirkers and those with other undesirable traits. I also do not mean taking a peer or subordinate's task upon oneself when he/ she does not perform.
What essentially one has to take care is not to shrug responsibilities, much less put blame on others. One has to be reasonable and honest, and give the other person - especially a team member/ subordinate - a long rope instead of being judgemental. One should not put one's juniors in the firing line before superiors, unless there is a very strong reason to do so (e.g. he has done something wrong deliberately, or who is not heeding to advice/ directions even after repeating them and warning him of the likely consequences of being non-cooperative).
When it comes to leading from the front in the positive sense, a majority of managers do well, because they consider it as their role: setting targets, briefing teams, making presentations before superiors, monitoring performances, taking stock of progress, and so on.
In this respect too, a few initiatives can improve the team's performance and improve work culture further, leading to better and sustained long-term performance. One should be proactive in hand-holding willing persons who are deficient in some knowledge or skill. If the project is big, the leader would involve everybody according to their skill and performance levels and monitor them closely, without being intrusive and micro-managing things that are better left to juniors. The leader works for willing participation - in which [almost] every member gives his/ her best - and not demanding or threatening or using abusive language. In bigger projects and/ or large teams, there are some who cannot perform well in their core function but are useful for the overall performance in some other ways; the leader tries to utilize such 'differently-abled' employees rather than using 'administrative' means to handle them.
Overall, the leader seeks to find opportunities in a task and [more so] in people, rather than manage or administer. Only one who leads from the front can achieve that.
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