When people think about leadership, they will undoubtedly turn to their senior management to provide it. This also means that these leaders have an obligation to set a compelling example by incorporating a set of values, attitudes and practices not only at work, but in their personal lives as well. This will mould you into the kind of person your employees or peers would like to emulate or follow – encapsulating the very definition of “leading by example”.
Practice what you preach
It may be a very simple rule, but surprisingly not an easy one to follow. More often than they realise, there are discrepancies between what the management preaches and what they actually do. Such discrepancies might even seem insignificant, but could potentially cripple the credibility of your leaders and management.
For example, if you preach work life balance in your company and then set targets that require your staff to work long hours, it comes across as insincere. Or if you stress a “promote-from-within” culture but keep recruiting from outside to fill the senior level positions, your employees will eventually lose faith in your leadership.
Walk the tightrope
Lyndon B Johnson, America’s 36th US President, could not have articulated this rule any better: “It's the price of leadership to do the thing you believe has to be done at the time it must be done.” A good leader walks a tightrope at all times, balancing between the consent he must win and the control he must exert in order to move the organisation and his people to the next level.
People look up to their leaders for directions so that they know where to go and how to get there. The difference between a leader and a boss is that a leader leads, clearing all obstacles along the way, while the boss simply drives where he is told to go.
Be a good follower
The best way to learn is to be a good follower, and constantly benchmark yourself against those whom you aspire to be. As you emulate the best leaders and learn from their success, you also learn to adjust your responses accordingly to your seniors and the situation at hand, and gain insights on how to communicate with your staff. As a follower, you learn to support and advocate good leadership, and at the same time, understand what constitutes bad leadership and what people are looking for in a leader. A good follower can effectively shape and have a positive impact on the leadership of the company by keeping them on track.
It takes a lot of courage and integrity to be a good follower, and people who live by these rules will not only be effective staffers but will also be well on their way to becoming leaders of character. That is probably why good followers usually make the best leaders.
Treat your people as assets
It is important for leaders to acknowledge that they are not perfect, and very few have all the gifts and talents themselves. But one common trait among great leaders is that they have a strong self-awareness of their strengths and capabilities, as well as the confidence to surround themselves with great people who can complement them, and compensate them in areas where they are lacking.
A good leader should also intentionally intervene, coach, mentor and influence people to perform at their best. Exercising leadership also means being able to powerfully articulate your vision and inspire your people to rally around it. It is easy to force or demand someone to do what you want them to do, but it takes a visionary person to be able to spot the potential in his/her employees, raise their aspirations for what they can become and make them want to achieve these visions for you.
Assess yourself regularly
Regular self-assessment will not only keep you on track, it also provides great guiding principles in your leadership duties.Leadership is a constant, on-going process of learning and refining your management styles, influencing skills, approaches and understanding of the people working with you and for you. To lead effectively, you need to stay ahead of the game all the time, and be highly adaptable to changes and shifts in trends and attitudes.
Ultimately, there is no cookie-cutter template for leaders and the best ones usually developed their own style of carrying the torch over the years. The challenge of powerful leadership is to find the style that fits you best – and allows you to adapt to any situation, whatever that may be.
