Is a leader expected to be a role model or should his motto be, ‘do as I say and not as I do’?
Leadership involves motivating and directing a group of people towards achieving a set objective. A leader is a strong figure of influence within an organization who is looked up to for guidance, hence it is important for them to model behavior and actions that can be emulated organization-wide. For this reason, as a leader it is crucial to acknowledge that you are a role model; your words, actions, behavior, and attitudes set the standard for the whole organization. Therefore, to achieve organizational success, you must be a positive role model.
How to Be a Good Role Model
- Have a clear vision
Being a role model as a leader begins with having a crystal clear image of where you want the organization to go and how that will be achieved. This will enable you to create a strategy, provide direction, as well as organizing your team to achieve the set goals.
- Be Inspirational and Charismatic
A role model should be inspirational in order to bring out the best out of their followers, and charismatic in order to attract the attention of the members of the organization such that they willingly desire to follow the set example.
- Be a Person of Integrity
Positive leaders do not do the right thing sometimes, they do it all the time. Good character is key in leadership. As a role model, you must provide an example of the actions, behavior, and attitude you want in your organization. You can do this by modeling good work ethic and not misappropriating the organization’s time and resources.
- Be Humble
To be a positive role model, you have to have a high regard for your mission and vision, and as a result, respect the team which you essentially need to achieve these. A leader also needs to lay his ego down to a great extent so that he can trust that his team is just as competent as he is, and this, in turn, will help him achieve his vision.
- Honesty and Accountability
A role model should be transparent and genuine in the way he deals with both himself and others. He holds himself accountable for his actions and this rubs off on the team he is leading.
Conclusion
The leader sets the tone for the whole organization, and therefore being a positive role model is a highly effective method of leadership because it helps to shape the behavior of your followers without your coercion, hence increasing the success of the organization.