Recently, the whole nation celebrated the stunning performances of our athletes in the Tokyo Olympics 2020. Then we celebrated our 75th Independence Day. But unlike every year, this year we celebrated the victories of our Human Resources leaders and Olympians along with our freedom fighters and war heroes. For this, the HR leaders decided to share the pearls of wisdom for leadership and importance of Leading from the Front.

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As a leader, we are meant to practice what we preach. On the same lines, ‘Lead from the front’ is not only about guiding, supporting or being a shield for the team but having the confidence that ‘I am open to doing the work that I have asked my team to do’. A leader who practices this phrase would generate and multiply the positive energies within the team. #Lead from the Front# Make a Difference

– By Vineeta Koul, Human Resources at Nucleus Software

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Sportsmanship: Put simply, it’s about an employee’s ability to be a good loser. It’s about dealing with situations that don’t go as planned – and not demonstrating adverse behaviour when that happens. These qualities that an employer expects from the employee should be a part of the company’s culture. It’s the responsibility of HR and the leadership team to driving this change for any organization.

– By Ravikanth Betha, Director HR, Clean Harbors India

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“It’s not what how others perceive about you but what you believe determines one’s achievement. Indian women’s Hockey team and women athletes have proven in Olympics by winning the last nine medals for the country. Thus we all need to guard against the unconscious contribution to patriarchy and one-upmanship. Hereafter, let’s pledge to lead from behind by enabling, empowering and enthusing all in our surroundings to achieve more.”

– By Vikas Singh Baghel, Deputy General Manager- Talent Supply Chain, Centre of Excellence at HCL Technologies

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“Path to victory or freedom is always tough; resilience and persistence pave the way towards the destination.” And, our Tokyo Olympics medalists have shown us how to reach there.

– By Majid Khan, Head Strategic Resourcing at Mphasis

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“Don’t take any pressure; try to give your best.”

– By Nishant Kalra, Group HR Head at JTEKT India Ltd

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“You don’t need a title to lead from the front.”

– By Jashan Joshi, Talent Sourcing Leader at ZS

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“I have faith in all our Sports legends who are in Japan that they will do extremely well to the best of their ability. I wish them good luck!”

-By Praveen Kamath K, General Manager, Human Resources, Wipro Limited, Bangalore

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“A Leader should be on the front line to effectively direct the team towards the objectives such as Desire & Inspire employees, empower others with knowledge and Technology, helping employees adapt to change and Setting up and maintaining company values & culture.”

– By Venkatesh Neelam, Deputy Manager – Recruitment at Volvo Group

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“Future of work is unpredictable now more than ever; therefore, the agility of thought is essential. We need to be able to redesign workplace frameworks that are flexible and adaptable as per the needs. Creating ownership and culture of shared purpose, building borderless teams, anticipating changes with agile decision-making at individual levels within the ethics as the cornerstone. All this, enabled by technology, is the way forward in the new world of hybrid working – there is no going back now.”

– By Vasudhara Srivastava, Senior Vice President – Human Resources

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“With changing circumstances and the overall environment, the meaning of leadership continues to evolve. A leader in today’s new world can only lead from the front with a vigilant awareness of changing individual behaviours and needs. It is pertinent to every sphere – be it business or sports.

One must be able to establish heart-to-heart connections with individuals and teams by deep listening and understanding their concerns. A relevant and prominent example of this would be Simone Biles, the celebrated US gymnast, dropping out of the gymnastics finals at the Tokyo Olympics due to her mental health. Leadership connected in full display when sports officials came together in support of her decision. What this teaches us is that acceptance, compassion, and empathy are much valued if one has to be an impactful leader in today’s world.”

– By Mr Kaushik Chakraborty, Director, Human Resources, Savills India

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On this Independence day, let’s take ownership to develop at least one career by influencing, upskilling or re-skilling and create a difference in our ecosystem.

– By Nupur Ray, Head Employee Engagement, Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Co ltd

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One can lead from the front by creating a shared vision, infusing positivity, optimism, and belief, leading with purpose and pursuing excellence. Lead the way by exercising mutual inquiry, vigilance, and grit to confront and transform by adaptation and/or structural intervention.

– By Monika Malhotra, Head – HRSS at Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt Ltd

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“A true leader who leads from the front is the one who is open to showing his vulnerability in front of the team; he is open to saying “I will learn from you”. It separates good leaders from great leaders. Leadership is not a destination; it is a journey where the definition is constantly evolving depending on the context – in some, you are a general or a cheerleader, and in some, you are a coach or a mute spectator. “

-By Shiv Kumar – Associate Director – Human Resources – Lowe’s India

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Leading from the front is usually a term from the armed forces. Still, in business, the leaders who get the most admiration and loyalty lead all problematic situations from the front. Business leaders are expected to make rapid decisions based on their farsightedness and swift changes to meet the stretched business goals. Leading from the front also denotes that leaders take full ownership of their actions and are very clear about each move’s direction to deliver results.

There is a pocket of excellence in every team, but the only way to leverage is to create the culture of leading from the front. Teams align and build the culture of leading from the front on all such assignments where leaders in small groups must make a mark with their performance and potential.

Even an individual is a process owner in the organization. If we repose trust and empower him in the hierarchy, he will have immense opportunity to close each process till it is achieved.

(Author Alok Mishra is Content Lead at shine.com. Views expressed here are personal.)