Inspirational Leadership - Leading By Example
Leadership is not all about carrying titles or names, but it is about impact, influence, actions, your character and of course, your interpersonal relationships. It is not enough to fill up a position, but how have you used the position to create impact? A true leadership is not what you are gifted or born with, but the choice you have made. You may be conferred a leadership position or you may even earn it, but how have you influenced your followers to do well? Among the ways to lead exceptionally well, leading by example is a very significant one. It is very natural for your followers to emulate you when you have already taken the lead to do something.
If you force people to do your biddings or if you just dish out commands for them to undertake a task without even you getting involved, then you might just call yourself a ruler and not a leader. But when you inspire others through your actions and motivate them to do the right thing by doing it first, then you will not have to apply force to them to do it because they will just do it willingly. The truth is that if you have to force your followers or subordinates to undertake a task or if you have to constantly remind them that you are their leader, then you are beginning to lose your place as a leader.
I once told a friend that it is far better to motivate someone to do a task by, maybe through an incentive of doing it, than threatening them with punishment for not doing it. In both cases, the task will be done, but in the first scenario, it is done willingly as a result of motivation and influence, while the second one is done under coercion and duress. Leading by example also covers your integrity in the discharge of your duties. If, for example, you are a leader with a questionable character, your followers will emulate you and replicate what they have seen you do. But if you have integrity in what you do, they will also follow after your steps.
As a leader, you get more attention when you take the lead in undertaking the task at hand, so as to motivate others to do the same thing. In the place where I worked briefly during my internship period, I was posted to a department where the Head of Department just stands and gives orders on how things will be done. Everytime, it was "do this, do that," yet you will not still impress her. It was not long and everyone got tired of her incessant authoritative commands. At that point, people would only work in her presence but as soon as she turned her back, work would stop. And she cannot be available everytime.
What she wanted to achieve by constantly shouting and giving orders, she lost because she never led by example. After a while, another Head of Department was deployed to the unit while she was transferred to another unit. The new Head was a true leader who led by example. Before he asks you to do something, he had already taken the lead in doing it. This made the staff, even before he asked, they already joined him. Adorably, even in his absence, work was still going on because they knew that he would have done the work if he was around.
In order to lead by example, there are things you need to know and do. Firstly, you need to have a clear goal and vision. People will only follow you if you have where you are going to. Trust me, no one will want to follow a vision-less leader or someone who does not have direction. In addition to this, you also need to have empathy for others. When you understand others and their emotions, it will be easier to earn their followership.
You also need to work on your communication skills and how to relate with others. Try to bring encouragement with your words and let them motivate people to get things done rightly. You do not have to talk in manners that are condescending to people because you feel you are the leader. Remember that your words can either encouragement them or demotivate them. So choose your words wisely.
Thanks for reading
