Lead from the front

 ‘Even from the sidelines, Mandela was leading from the front’. It’s a very nice sentence, which implies the consideration as a hero by the person who wrote it. This was one of my favorite chapters, maybe because I am in the same line.

In that case, Stengel shows several ways to lead from the front. The most interesting could be ‘being accountable’. You should have the courage of having responsibilities about the things you do. Under no circumstances is it arguable.

Other interesting impression by the author is the fact to ‘seize the initiative.’ If you joined this idea with ‘never let your colleagues get too far behind’, you would have a leader here. Both of them connect the situation of being a really boss for other people without losing their trust.

However, I’d rather this one: ‘you ought to do things that did not necessary attract attention’, which is means ‘not accepting any special preferences and doing the same tasks as others’. Even in education this is the best rule. With education I mean at school and home. You always have to teach with your example. If you do the same things as others, they will consider you one more guy in their group. You must lead among them.

Last but not least, I consider the point to 'change your mind when the circumstances change'. This is a good reference to be able to move on. Rarely does a sensible person admit to coming back in his or her precepts. People tend to remain firm in their decisions, but sometimes you should be honest with yourself and change them. Lead from the front means to be aware of all the possibilities; indeed, it also means to be able to use other movements.