Leading by an example is a popular leadership style. As per this approach, the leaders must model the behavior they want to see in their team. When one leads by example, they simply do not push team members towards excellence. Rather the leaders actively demonstrate that excellence. As Richard Ghilarducci says, leading by example is quite effective in building trust, camaraderie and connection.
Richard Ghilarducci provides tips on how to lead by an example
Leadership involves influencing the behavior and attitudes of others. Demonstrating leadership through personal actions helps others envision future directions and respond promptly to overcome obstacles. On the other hand, if a group is led by someone lacking in effective leadership skills, it can lead to frequent conflicts as individuals may clash due to differing approaches and preferences.
Here are a few ways one can lead by example and inspire a team:
- Listen to the team: At times leaders may get too busy managing a team and providing directives that they forget to listen to their team members and other leaders. All good leaders must understand that they might not know everything, and there can be something to learn even from the most junior employees. As most companies hire their staff on the basis of their qualification, expertise and skills in a specific field, business leader must make it a point to learn to interact and listen to all employees.
- Respect the chain of command: Companies tend to implement an organizational structure so that each person in the enterprise knows who to report to if there are challenges in a particular department. If a leader fails to observe these chains of command, there will be confusion in the organization and the employees can get demoralized. Also, if the leader does not respect the chain of command, the employees shall find it hard to report to their seniors, and this may cause disharmony among the employees.
- Get the hands dirty: While leaders are meant to give directions and manage a team, they should also know the trades and get involved in actual work whenever required. A leader, for instance, may lead by example by accompanying the marketing team on a field visit to promote a new product. They should pitch clients the same way the marketing staff is doing. Doing such a simple task can go a long way in boosting team morale and trust.
- Deliver on promised results: Rather than making promises all the time, good leaders must deliver actual results. This goal can be accomplished by learning the art of delegation. This process involves breaking down large tasks into smaller manageable activities that can be assigned to one or more employees. Leaders can subsequently follow up to check if the work has been done as per the desired standards.
Richard Ghilarducci mentions that while conflicts are not uncommon in an organization, how fast they are resolved determines the competency of a leader. A good leader would try to arbitrate when conflict arises to make sure that disagreements do not hamper the productivity of the company.
