Leadership is a skill that everyone should develop and cultivate. Being a leader does not necessarily have to mean being a manager or a politician – it could also mean being a thought leader, or even just being a great parent. The ability to inspire, direct, and guide others is something that is incredibly valuable. Something that can help you to accomplish more and even raises your confidence and self-worth.

In this series of 7 posts, we’re going to examine what it takes to be a leader by looking at some of the most important traits that history’s greatest exhibit. Every leader is different and part of your journey to becoming one is going to be discovering your own ‘leadership style’. With that said though, there are still definitely some common traits that you can develop and some lessons we can learn from influential figures from history. And what you’ll find is that in some ways, the most important aspects of being a great leader are not what you would expect.

I hope this series will change the way you approach leadership and help you to drastically improve your own results.

Part 5. Great Leaders Lead By Example

No doubt at some point in your life you have encountered a leader who lives by the adage; ‘do as I say, not as I do.’ Perhaps you heard your parents say this too. The problem with this approach is that authentic leadership is built on trust. To be a truly influential leader you must ensure that your words and your actions are aligned. Your team are watching, and how you manage this tension will have a direct impact on your ability of influence.

1. Follow Your Own Rules:

Firstly, as a leader, the value you place on the expectations you have for your team will determine how well they are adhered to. You can put rules and procedures in place to ensure the smooth running of operations, but if you can’t adhere to those procedures then don’t expect your team to. If tardiness is something that you frown on, but you are always late to meetings, then the incongruence between your expectation and behavior will undermine your ability to influence and lead your team.

Now there will be times when it is not practical for you to function in exactly the same manner that you have asked your team to do so, but take the time to explain the apparent discrepancies, don’t assume they will understand.

Perception is reality for the onlooker. You need to manage the perception of your actions to ensure that your team is not creating a different narrative about you based on misinformation or misunderstanding.

2. Understand Your Craft:

As a leader, you won’t always be the expert in everything your team does, and you don’t need to be, but you do need to take the time to understand exactly what they do. Your commitment to developing your own knowledge and skill level within your team’s context will speak volumes of it’s important for the team.

When you can speak with credibility about the aspects of your team’s role, you demonstrate a level of interest and care in the work your team is doing, but you also set the expectation for them to continue maintaining and grow their own knowledge and skill set. When leaders are out of touch with the current state of what their team does and lack the ability to speak with any authority on the tasks that they are asking their team to do, they lose trust and respect with their team.

3. Show, don’t tell

When you want your team to take on a task or responsibility that is new, take the time to demonstrate how it should be done. If you lack the expertise in the said task, organize someone who can. Just telling or ordering without participating in some way can be demoralizing for teams and will lead to Mission and Values drift.

An easy way to model is the I Do, We Do, You Do process.

1. I Do – take the time to demonstrate the task or activity required.

2. We Do – ask your team to try the task with you supervising or assisting

3. You Do – give them an opportunity to try it on their own.

When you learn to lead by example not by edicts, teams feel valued, experience less frustration in the learning curve, and are able to develop confidence in themselves while maintaining consistency or values and standards. Try it and let me know what you think.

Want to read ahead? Download the eBook with all 7 traits here: