Leaders as Models and Mentors

Leaders everywhere know the merits of communicating the company vision, mission, values, and goals to their teams. They understand the utmost importance of effective and efficient operations. They are often good at relaying these guiding principles and practices to their teams.

And, while teams will listen intently because most really do want to do their jobs well, what they are most making note of is not what they are hearing from the leader, but what they are seeing the leader do.

My mentor, John Maxwell, says it well: “Leadership is more caught than taught.”

If there is a difference between what you say as a leader and what you do, your team will pick up on it immediately. If you say something, but your body language indicates something entirely different, your team will receive the mixed message. This is especially important in today’s business, where video calls allow the viewers to see your expressions as you speak.

And here’s a truth many leaders would not want to hear. If you do not believe what you are saying, your team will notice the incongruency.

Being a leader means you know, believe in, and support certain core values, missions, and goals. And it means you model that belief and support by actually doing them yourself. Your team needs your example, not just your words.

This article is rich with 12 Behaviors Leaders Model to Develop a Leadership Culture and definitely worth the read.