There are countless books, articles, and essays on leadership, and there are as many on why leading by example is more important, and more effective, than all the engagement policies and disciplinary rules. Be it in an athletic team, an army corps, a modern day corporation, or a nation, a leader must always lead by example. Yet, few people seem to be able to put it into practice.
Leadership is not a set of rules or policies, it is a process by which an individual influences the thoughts, attitudes, and thus, behaviors of others. A leader sets direction, and other people follow. But why would people follow you, instead of another person? Obviously, besides your abilities, you need to have certain characters to inspire those around you, and the most important of all, is to walk your talk.
Here are my five ways:
- Practice what you preach. This is probably the most important rule for any wannabe leader. You are in no position to ask your team to do anything if you don’t practice what you preach. And it goes from the simplest to the most important thing in life, and people normally neglect the simple things, assuming that they are not important. A very simple example is the daily attendance. If you ask your team to attend the daily stand-up meeting in the morning, but you seldom show up, you are not very convincing.
- Set a higher standard for yourself. If you are a slacker, or cut corners, don’t expect quality work from your team. If you are asking a high standard from your team, you must be willing to set a higher standard for yourself. You are supposed to be a leader, so people look up to you.
- Honor your commitment/promises. When you promise something, or commit to something, you’d better be able to deliver it. Don’t say something until you have taken time to think it over, and make sure that you can deliver it. Once you made the promise, it’s important to deliver it. That’s how you gain the trust of your team. Sure, life does not always go as planned. Shits happen. Situations change. And sometimes, it becomes hard, or impossible, to honor your initial promise. In that case, you have to be honest, and let your team know and give a thorough explanation, and try your best to make it up. But do not smother up. Acknowledging failure has nothing to be ashamed of, and sincerity is a cohesive force for a team.
- Trust your team. If you’ve spent time to hire a team, then trust them. Give them room and resources to do their work. People make mistake, but then, if you don’t allow them to make mistake, then you will never have a team that can deliver. No one likes to make mistake. If you can’t tolerate mistakes, nothing will be done. Remember that trust is reciprocal. If you can’t trust your team, they can’t trust you either.
- No double standards. Treat everyone with the same standard. People are smart, they realize very quickly whom you like, and whom you don’t. If you give preference status to some people who prefer, say, the same brand of beer as you do, or play the same computer game as you do, or can crack up jokes with you, then you quickly create factions within the organization. People came in different colors, from all walks of life. That’s the beauty of it. They might not drink the same brand of beer as you do, but that should not make them a less preferred team mate. Be fair.
There are probably many other ways, but these are the five most important that I always try to live up to. I don’t consider myself a good leader, but I’m trying.