MODEL THE WAY
The first step a leader must take along the path to becom-ing an exemplary leader is inward. It’s a step toward discovering personal values and beliefs. Leaders must find their
voice. They must discover a set of principles that guide deci-
sions and actions. They must find a way to express a leadership
philosophy in their own words and not in someone else’s.
Yet leaders don’t just speak for themselves. They also
speak for their team and organization. Leadership is a dia-
logue, not a monologue. Therefore, leaders must reach out to
others. They must understand and appreciate the values of
their constituents and find a way to affirm shared values.
Leaders forge unity. They don’t force it. They give people
reasons to care, not simply orders to follow.
Leaders stand up for their beliefs. They practice what they
preach. They show others by their actions that they live by the
values they profess. They also ensure that others adhere to the
values that have been agreed on. It is consistency between
words and actions that builds credibility.
In the next two chapters, we will take a look at how you
must
• Clarify Values by finding your voice and
affirming shared values.
• Set the Example by aligning actions with
shared values.
P R A C T I C E 1 MODEL THE WAY
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WHO ARE YOU? This is the first question your constituents want you to answer. Finding that answer is where every leadership journey begins.
When Alex Anwar was hired as director of a new business unit at Labo America, he faced resentment from many within the company because they felt that he was too young and inexperienced to manage such a diverse group and product portfolio.1 Because many of the units were siloed and polarized, a widespread question was whether he would be the kind of leader who would bring people together toward a common goal. Alex’s first step was to communicate his values to the team. He circulated an email introducing himself, not as a manager, but as a fellow employee of the company charged with a difficult task. Instead of telling everyone what he wanted out of them, he stated clearly what values and performance criteria he demanded of himself every day. In teaching his value set, Alex ensured that people would be better prepared to under- stand his actions and the reasoning behind certain decisions. They
Clarify Values
C H A P T E R 2
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G E were able to connect the outcome with a value (for example, hard
work). In an all-hands meeting later that week, Alex provided a few
examples of cases in which he exercised his core values of honesty and sincerity, discussing how he handled a particular problem with a customer. He took his constituents through the issue as though narrating a story. He subsequently used this style of storytelling every time he made a case for how certain company situations were to be handled. By making these lessons easy to relate to, values centered, and personal, he helped people both understand and retain the intended lesson. As one of his direct reports explained, “Alex made his values understood through clearly communicating and providing contexts that would aid in their retention. He put all the values into his own words, and thus gave us a clear idea about the kind of person he was.”
The Personal-Best Leadership Experience cases we’ve collected are, at their core, the stories of individuals who, like Alex, were clear about their personal values and understood how this clarity gave them the courage to navigate difficult situations and make tough choices. People expect their leaders to speak out on matters of values and conscience. But to speak out, you have to know what to speak about. To stand up for your beliefs, you have to know the beliefs you stand for. To walk the talk, you have to have a talk to walk. To do what you say, you have to know what you want to say. To earn and sustain personal credibility, you must first be able to clearly articulate deeply held beliefs.
Model the Way is the first of The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership we discuss in this book, and one of the commit- ments you have to make in order to effectively Model the Way is to Clarify Values. In beginning your leadership journey, it’s essential that you
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• FIND YOUR VOIC
