Leading from the Front

I’m one of those weird people who like “talk television.” I like to at least hear interviews, press conferences, etc. from time to time. I may not watch all that closely, but I do enjoy what I hear.

I recently ran across something I wrote about one of those experiences several years ago. I think what I wrote then still has some application today.

After all this time, I do not remember his name, but I do remember that he had served as a Major General in what we now know as Operation Desert Storm. As I remember it, he was describing with a sense of pride how those under his command had performed. 

When the conversation turned to his role, he was asked an interesting question. The interviewer wanted to know why this Major General flew dangerous missions himself, instead of merely giving the orders and sending others into harm’s way.

I thought his answer was classic. He just simply said,

“You lead from the front.”

He went on to say that those under his command needed to see that he was willing to do what he was ordering them to do. He thought they needed to see that he was willing to risk his own life if he was going to order them to risk theirs. 

I believe that leaders in every walk of life could learn a lesson from this man. Even (maybe especially) in the church people need to see that effective leadership is not a matter of assigning tasks and receiving reports. Effective leadership is a matter of encouraging others to follow the one(s) who are getting the work done. Hopefully, those leading the way are, in fact, those who actually have the God-given responsibility to lead.

An effective leader will not say, “You go get the work done.” Instead, he will say, “Follow me and we will get the work done.”

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