People always say “Lead by example” but what they don’t seem to understand is you are always leading by example. If you set a bad example for your team, they will follow that bad example. What you do will always set an example: good or bad.
It all starts as a follower. We set the stage by becoming the person we need to be as a leader from day one. As a follower, or subordinate, or worker bee, we develop the kind of person we are. Our habits, our modus operandi, our standards of conduct, are first ingrained in us when we enter the workforce. I was fortunate. I had ethics and morals taught to me growing up. My parents set an example of hard work and honesty. I was also endowed with an acute sense of justice and fair play. My dad, a cop, emphasized deference to authority as he coached my little league team (I played a lot of right field). My first real job was a paper route and my parents refused to take any responsibility for it. I had to deliver it on my bike even though the hill in our country neighborhood was big AND steep.
The summer following my junior year of high school, my older sister landed me a job working with her as a KP in an army mess hall on a nearby military reservation. The experience of this job was to be the turning point in my work life. As I struggled through my first days on the job I felt little or no responsibility for the tasks. If I just went through the motions it was good enough, someone else had the job to ensure all the work was done. My sister would have none of that! She cracked the proverbial whip and forced me to figure out that the work was a team effort and I was expected to hold up my end. From that day forward, and at every job since, I was known for my strong work ethic.
Like I said, I was fortunate but not everybody is. However, the demands are the same whether you’ve had a lifetime of training or you’re just getting started. Your example setting as a leader starts while you’re still a follower. One simple example is your punctuality. Do you arrive to work early enough to be set and ready to dive in to the day’s work by the opening bell or do you squeak in just under the wire? Are you packed and exiting the door as the whistle is blowing to mark the end of the day or do you continue to work right up to quitting time? Be honest with yourself, don’t bother with rationalizing because it’s just between you and yourself. Just ask yourself this, would the team I’m on now consider my punctuality (or lack of) a good example or poor one?
The example that runs through my mind dates back to when I was a Technical Sergeant (5 stripes) in the Air Force and was stationed in Idaho. One of my supervisees was a Sergeant (3 stripes). Since he was a non-commission officer (NCO) he was assigned to supervise a newly arrived airman (1 stripe). This sergeant was a conscientious worker who readily accepted added responsibility. He had two flaws in an otherwise awesome example of the professional NCO. His uniform though clean was not pressed and starched AND he rarely made it to work on time. His tardiness was in the form of seconds, maybe on occasion minutes, but late none-the-less. You would never guess the two issues he had with his airman supervisee. Yep, he was constantly after him about his uniform and tardiness. Though the NCO’s offenses (less than stellar uniform and “minor” tardiness) were minor his airman took his to a new level. It took a lot of “counseling” to help the NCO figure out how his example was interpreted by the airman and why his example was so important.
So I hope I’ve made my point. Your example starts now (if not before). With that in mind, let’s walk through a laundry list of the basic areas of our job where we set examples to our troops: exercising integrity, treatment of others, mission orientation, taking responsibility, taking initiative, following orders, ethical behavior, work ethic, following procedure/policy, resource management, and using the chain of command. Remember, and I cannot emphasize this enough, these apply regardless of whether or not you’re in an active leadership role. You need them to be a natural part of your life. Something you do instinctively so that when the pressures of the job build and you get distracted, you can know with certainty you’re going to continue to set the GOOD example.
I will cover the first two in this post. To me they are at the center of the leader’s ability to attract followers. They both deal with respect. The first is how a leader gets respect based on who he is and the other is a reciprocal respect based on his treatment of others.
Respect based on Integrity. We’ve established that you’re setting an example whether you intend to or not. I’ve also said many times that “Integrity commands respect.” A leader needs respect to have a faithful following and commanding that respect is infinitely better than demanding it. So, if you’re following my logic you’ll conclude that you need to exercise integrity to set a good example for your troops and gain their respect. If they follow your example and exercise integrity, they will command respect as well.
-Doing what’s right.
Integrity is a deep and powerful thing, yet, quite simple really. For our purpose we’ll start with the idea that integrity sets mission accomplishment as the number one priority. Anything you do that detracts from mission accomplishment chips away at your integrity. Putting yourself above the mission is a common issue that detracts from the mission whether it’s self-promotion or self-appeasement. Doing anything that doesn’t enhance team effectiveness detracts from the mission. Your team effectiveness depends on you for everything from morale and motivation to tools and opportunity. Not attempting to supply these in the right quantity and at the right time eats away at your integrity.
-Doing it the right way.
The flipside of the integrity coin is only doing what is legally, morally, and ethically right no matter what! So, you combine the two and you have mission accomplishment done the right way. Can there be any better example than that? Since integrity is involved in every facet of life, it’ll be part of future posts on example setting...
Respect based on how you treat others. You may begin to command respect as you exercise integrity but you also need to respect those around you. When you respect others it shows in how you treat them. Here is how I try to demonstrate that respect in a few simple rules:
-You must be fair.
Fair treatment isn’t equal treatment. Some workers work harder than others, are more responsible than others, and deserve to be treated accordingly. Treating everybody the same is downright insulting to the mature, responsible, hardworking members of your crew. Those same responsible types aren’t going to respect you if you’re unfair to the others.
-You must be respectful.
Always keep in mind the feelings and sensibilities of others regardless of their position, social status or how they treat you. I’m not suggesting you be a doormat for anyone but if you need to stand your ground just be respectful while doing it. Besides the typical polite society forms of respectful treatment there are other ways we show respect (or disrespect). Constant schedule changes demonstrate a total disregard for the worker it affects. It shows you have no respect for his life outside of work.
-You must be tolerant.
I’m not advocating that you tolerate bad behavior. In fact, it should never be tolerated. I’m talking about differences that aren’t really important in the grand scheme of things. A few quick, very small examples. I had a boss who won’t allow me to use “thru” in place of “through” or “hilite” in place of “highlight” in emails. I also had a fellow worker who took it as a personal affront if I slurped my coffee. My point is you should focus on what is truly a wrong, not on what is disliked. If it's just annoying and not “wrong” then don’t be a hypersensitive baby and deal.
-You must be discerning without being judgemental.
You have an obligation to rate performance, judge good and bad, and recognize right from wrong. You also need to determine if someone is dependable, trustworthy, honest, etc. so you can do your job properly. Discerning the fact that someone isn’t a good worker is a far cry from judging that same individual is a bad person. Observing that someone is getting drunk is not the same as declaring him an alcoholic.
-You must administer the appropriate amount of discipline.
This is really all part of the fair treatment section. I call it out separately because of the close scrutiny it receives from your other subordinates. Everybody watches this very closely. All eyes are on you when you are disciplining someone. You may practice the rule of “Punish in Private” but believe me it has everyone’s attention. Your entire team may be fed up with that member and want you to beat him senseless and then kick him to the curb. Don’t succumb. As loud and vehement as the team may be about this individual and his need for “punishment,” they will ultimately only respect a fair and appropriate amount of discipline. Ignore outside pressure and your emotions and determine a fair and appropriate action to correct the situation. If he’s working on his third strike...it might be time to dismiss (you certainly don’t want to fall into the emotional trap of “just one more chance”).
Well, there’s the first installment on setting a good example. Since integrity is my biggest personal priority and mission accomplishment my biggest organizational priority, I felt it only fitting to preach what I practice.
...until next week “Keep your stick on the ice” (Red Green).
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