It’s time to ditch the “do as i say, not as i do” mindset. Regardless of the situation, double standards will demotivate anyone that is following advice if you don’t practice what you preach.
– How can a supervisor expect his employees to be proactive during a slow shift, when he’s found watching netflix in the backroom during his work hours?
– Or how can a project manager inspire her team to work hard and long hours when she spends half of her day on her phone?
If people look up to their leaders, they will try to imitate them. Leaders have a responsibility to their team and a part of is is being consistent and sincere! The best way to encourage people to do their best is by doing it yourself – “walking the walk” as some may say.
This leadership style helps others see what lies ahead and act quickly to meet any challenges along the way. When a group is led by a person with poor leadership skills, there will often be conflict in the group as each person wants to do things their own way.
The vision you work so hard to achieve may lose its appeal, all because your team no longer trusts you. Good leaders drive their people forward with enthusiasm, inspiration and confidence.
Don’t get me wrong, leaders are supposed to guide and motivate their people with their words, but they can’t just stop there. Their level of involvement in the actual work is gonna have a reflection on their team and will allow them to propose more effective solutions when problems arise.
Leaders who put this in practice also have a better sense of what appropriate requests sound like, because they’re self aware enough to know what they themselves would be willing to do.
A popular example is Arianna Huffington, founder of the Huffington Post, who says “both my own leadership style, and that of the other leaders at HuffPost, is very much like being in the middle of the circle, rather than at the top of the mountain shouting down”.
Leading by example is your most powerful tool as your actions have a far greater impact than your words, because people may doubt what you say, but they’ll believe what you do.
