It's Easier to Follow an Example

It is well documented that all great leaders have vision. The stronger and clearer it is, the easier it is for others to follow. It must be said though, that however clear a vision is, people will always find it easier to follow the example that is set for them.

So if we are responsible for leading others we must accept that the example we set is absolutely critical to getting the right response from our people. Continually setting the best example to create the biggest impact must be our focus.

High profile political or religious leaders may well be able to sustain their leadership on a vision - but day-to-day leadership is a different matter. People may buy into our vision for the business, or the team they are a part of - but on a daily basis they are much more likely to follow our example first & our vision second. That puts the onus on us to "practice what we preach".

There are many ways we can do this - but here are just a few of the things we must do to set the right example as a leader and take people with us on our performance journey.

Setting & communicating clear goals. All leaders talk about the importance of goals - but how good is our example? Goals are very important to motivation, and creating a strong group environment. Having the right goals in place will drive customer service, regulatory compliance, financial performance, staff engagement, and loyalty to the team and its business. Are we a goal-oriented leader? Do we outline clear goals for our people that they can easily understand and buy into? Are they goal-oriented as a result?

Spend time establishing and explaining the targets of the group. Whilst the goals may capture the "why" - why the team exists, why the team is important, why we all want to be part of it... The specific targets and milestones we set are more focused on the "what" and the "how". By working through these as a team, the planning process begins immediately and potential solutions to any problems, challenges or issues that are identified can be identified more readily and with the buy in of the whole group. Do we communicate targets with a "don't shoot the messenger" approach? Or do we set the right example by providing a facilitative, collaborative approach?

Develop an effective network. However strong a leader is they will seldom have all the answers themselves. In fact some leaders deliberately surround themselves with people who they view as better than them so that the quality of 'answers' is better than they would have provided personally. It is important to set the right example in developing a network of people we can learn from to give us a performance 'edge'. The more people who follow that example in our team the greater the combined impact on business performance will be. How good an example are we setting? Do we claim to have all the answers? Or do we just claim to know where to look to find all the answers?

Having a great vision is a perfect start point - but we do well to remember that people will always find our example easier to follow.