If you gave me only one choice, I’d pick: unblock from behind.
You can lead from the front and set direction, but if your team sits behind blockers, your vision doesn’t matter. Most days, I spend less time “rallying the troops” and more time removing junk—pointless meetings, unclear priorities, legacy process, vague requirements. I dig into Jira, clear up confusion, and kill the things that slow us down. My best days finish with someone saying, “I shipped this because you got that thing out of my way.”
In my experience, nobody needs you to be the hero charging ahead. They need the path cleared. They need you to say no to waste, to protect their focus, to fight for their time. Do that and your team will surprise you. That’s how you get real impact—by making sure nothing slows the team down.
So, I pick: unblock from behind. Every time.