What leaders do every day, how we behave, the things we get involved in, how we set priorities — our people watch, observe, and emulate. What we do, always trumps what we say. So the issue isn’t about Leading By Example, but Are We Setting The Right Example?
If we conduct meetings that are a waste of time, what kind of sales calls do you think your sales people will have?
If we spend our time sitting behind our desks, hiding behind paperwork, where do you think your sales people will be?
If we blame our people for poor performance, or others, how do we expect our people to take ownership? Likewise, if we make or accept excuses.
Our actions and behaviors ALWAYS set the example for our people! If our actions aren’t aligned with out words, guess what people will do—they’ll emulate your behavior. So, whether you like it or not, you are already leading by example.
The key question is, as it always is, Are You Setting The Right Example?
- Are you asking more than you are telling?
- Are you disciplined in the way you manage your own personal workload?
- Do you maintain a schedule, do you focus on your priorities, and do you get things done? Are you continually learning, do you look to continually improve?
- Do you care about your people, do you care about your customers, and is it obvious in your behaviors?
- Are you using the processes, systems, and tools you have put in place to improve effectiveness and productivity?
- Do you create value in every interchange with your people? In every interchange with your customers?
- Do you meet your commitments?
- Are you interested and interesting?
- Do you have a disciplined approach to problem solving?
- Do you hold yourself accountable, do you take ownership for your goals, your behaviors, and the results you create?
- Are you collaborative and open?
- Do you respect your people, your customers, your peers, and your own management?
- Do you trust and are you trustworthy?
If we want our people to stop pitching, to engage the customer in conversations, then the most effective way to do that is to stop doing it ourselves—stop telling, start asking.
Start engaging your people in conversations, ask questions, learn, make suggestions, grow. It not only develops your people, but it sets an example they will start emulating in their behaviors.
We are always Leading By Example. There are no time outs in leadership. Everything we do or say has an impact.
The issue is, are we having the impact we want, or are we creating unintended consequences?
