To have a winning team, effective leadership in the workplace is crucial. As a leader you need to make sure that you come
across as trustworthy, responsible and someone who has the same standards and rules for everyone, including yourself. And all this is possible if you lead by example. Leading by example helps to build a strong foundation of trust between a leader and their team, thereby resulting in effective communication, improved morale and increased productivity. However, failure to do so can wreak havoc in terms of team productivity and performance because
it breeds duplicity in the workplace. Simply stated, the philosophy of ‘Do as I say, not as I do’ is utterly wrong. For example, if you ask everyone to stay late for important work but leave early before everyone else does or criticize team members for wasting time on the internet during work hours while you on the other hand are online shopping frequently at work, your actions just clash with what you expect from your team and ask them to do.
Therefore, for effective leadership, it’s important that you ‘do as you say’ so that others can follow your lead confidently and with trust. Here are some of the many ways to help you lead by example… take a look…
Take Responsibility Do you know that the 33rd president of the US Harry S. Truman had the sign that read ‘The bucks stop here’ on his desk? That showed that he was willing to take full responsibility for his actions, like true leaders, instead of blaming and criticizing others for his mistakes. This is a trait of effective and reliable leaders as they know how to take the blame and pass credit strategically which helps build trust, model graciousness and the team members also start to take accountability for their actions—thereby contributing to real growth. Acknowledge Failure If your model of leadership says ‘failure is not acceptable’ then chances are that it can build a culture of fear and disappointment. Thus your team will never think out of the box, progress or experiment because they fear failure. Therefore, to have an extraordinary team, your leadership model should focus on acknowledging failures and accepting them. When you will accept failure and communicate to your team that it is a crucial process of innovation, risk-taking and invention then you will be able to get the best out of your team—just what you want from them. Be Mindful It’s said that ‘actions speak louder than words’ and we couldn’t agree more. So, you need to be mindful of the fact that your actions don’t conflict with what you say. As a leader you must ‘walk the walk’ because that is what will inspire your team members and make them want to follow you—and in turn take the company to greatness. Listen to Your Team If you want your team to listen to you then you need to listen to them. For effective leadership, a two-way communication is vital. As a leader it is important that you provide guidance and direction to the team but it’s also a key competency of leaders to listen to their team members. This act helps encourage coordination and collaboration and makes your team feel valued. Be Persistent and Proactive Another quality that differs managers from leaders is their ability to strive persistently and act proactively. When the company goes through rough periods, how a leader reacts in such a situation can truly impact team performance. Great leaders don’t panic, they positively take setbacks. So, learn to set an example for your team by taking on challenges proactively and in a constructive way. Show your employees by both your actions and words that persistence is key to success and giving up is not the right response to business challenges
Leading by example helps to build a strong foundation of trust between a leader and their team, thereby resulting in effective communication, improved morale and increased productivity. However, failure to do so can wreak havoc in terms of team productivity and performance because it breeds duplicity in the workplace.
Simply stated, the philosophy of ‘Do as I say, not as I do’ is utterly wrong. For example, if you ask everyone to stay late for important work but leave early before everyone else does or criticize team members for wasting time on the internet during work hours while you on the other hand are online shopping frequently at work, your actions just clash with what you expect from your team and ask them to do. Therefore, for effective leadership, it’s important that you ‘do as you say’ so that others can follow your lead confidently and with trust.
Here are some of the many ways to help you lead by example… take a look…
- Take Responsibility
Do you know that the 33rd president of the US Harry S. Truman had the sign that read ‘The bucks stop here’ on his desk? That showed that he was willing to take full responsibility for his actions, like true leaders, instead of blaming and criticizing others for his mistakes. This is a trait of effective and reliable leaders as they know how to take the blame and pass credit strategically which helps build trust, model graciousness and the team members also start to take accountability for their actions—thereby contributing to real growth.
- Acknowledge Failure
If your model of leadership says ‘failure is not acceptable’ then chances are that it can build a culture of fear and disappointment. Thus your team will never think out of the box, progress or experiment because they fear failure.
Therefore, to have an extraordinary team, your leadership model should focus on acknowledging failures and accepting them. When you will accept failure and communicate to your team that it is a crucial process of innovation, risk-taking and invention then you will be able to get the best out of your team—just what you want from them.
- Be Mindful
It’s said that ‘actions speak louder than words’ and we couldn’t agree more. So, you need to be mindful of the fact that your actions don’t conflict with what you say. As a leader you must ‘walk the walk’ because that is what will inspire your team members and make them want to follow you—and in turn take the company to greatness.
- Listen to Your Team
If you want your team to listen to you then you need to listen to them. For effective leadership, a two-way communication is vital. As a leader it is important that you provide guidance and direction to the team but it’s also a key competency of leaders to listen to their team members. This act helps encourage coordination and collaboration and makes your team feel valued.
- Be Persistent and Proactive
Another quality that differs managers from leaders is their ability to strive persistently and act proactively. When the company goes through rough periods, how a leader reacts in such a situation can truly impact team performance. Great leaders don’t panic, they positively take setbacks. So, learn to set an example for your team by taking on challenges proactively and in a constructive way. Show your employees by both your actions and words that persistence is key to success and giving up is not the right response to business challenges
