Set the Example

One of the toughest aspects of being a leader is that you’re

always onstage. People are always watching you, always talking

about you, always testing your credibility. That’s why setting the

right example is so important, and why it’s essential to make use of all the tools you have available to set the example.

Leaders send signals in a variety of ways and in all kinds of

settings, and constituents pay attention to those signals so that

they can figure out what’s okay and what’s not okay to do. How

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you spend your time is the single best indicator of what’s im-

portant to you. Time is a precious asset, because once passed,

it can never be recovered. But if invested wisely, it can earn

returns for years. The language you use and the questions you

ask are other powerful ways that shape perceptions of what you

value. You also need feedback in order to know if you’re doing

what you say.

But it’s not just what you do that matters. You are also

measured by how consistent your constituents’ actions are

with the shared values, so you must teach others how to

set an example. Critical incidents—those chance occurrences

in the lives of all organizations—offer significant teachable mo-

ments. They offer you the opportunity to pass along lessons in

real time, not just in theory or in the classroom. Critical incidents

often become the sources of stories, and stories are among the

most influential teaching tools you have. And remember that

what gets reinforced gets done. You have to bring the right

people on board, orient them, develop them, and make sure

that all systems strengthen the appropriate behavior that you

expect to be repeated.

To Model the Way, you need to set the example by aligning actions with shared values. This means you have to

• Make sure your calendar, your meetings, your interviews,

your emails, and all the other ways you spend your time

reflect what you say is important.

• Keep your commitments; follow through on your promises.

• Repeat, repeat, and repeat phrases that evoke the feelings

that you want to create in your workplace.

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• Ask purposeful questions that keep people constantly

focused on the values and priorities that are the most

important.

• Publicly ask for feedback from others about how your

actions affect them.

• Make changes and adjustments based on the feedback you

receive; otherwise people will stop bothering to provide it.

• When a situation—especially an unplanned one—arises

that dramatically illustrates a shared value, make sure to

call attention to it.

• Broadcast examples of exemplary behavior through vivid

and memorable stories that illustrate how people are and

should be behaving.

• In every way you can, reinforce the behavior you want

repeated.

Use The Leadership Challenge Mobile Tool app to immediately integrate these activities into your life and make

this practice an ongoing part of your behavioral repertoire.

INSPIRE A SHARED VISION

The future holds little certainty. There are no guarantees or easy paths to any destination, and circumstances can change in a moment. Pioneering leaders rely on their own

internal compass and a dream.

Leaders look forward to the future. They hold in their

minds ideas and visions of what can be. They have a sense of

what is uniquely possible if everyone works together for a

common purpose. Leaders are positive about the future, and

they passionately believe that people can make a difference.

But visions seen only by the leaders are insufficient for

generating organized movement. Leaders must get others to

see the exciting future possibilities. They breathe life into

visions. They communicate hopes and dreams so that others

clearly understand and share them as their own. They show

others how their values and interests will be served by the

long-term vision of the future.

Leaders are expressive, and they attract followers through

their energy, optimism, and hope. With strong appeals and

quiet persuasion, they develop enthusiastic supporters.

In the next two chapters, we will explore how you must

• Envision the Future by imagining exciting and

ennobling possibilities.

• Enlist Others by appealing to shared

aspirations.