This semester I have been teaching a Psychology class at the University of Delaware. Reviewing again the main principles and best practices of teaching and learning, reminded me of a universal truth you can’t escape: Modeling is more effective than anything else. No matter what you say, even if you say it over and over, people will do what you model with your behavior, not what you say.
What does it mean for leaders?
It means you can’t give a long speech about loyalty to the company and the need for them to give a few extra hours to complete a project if you don’t model the behavior by staying with too.
It means you can’t loose your temper and yell at your people when you don’t get what you want. . . and then expect them not to get upset when they don’t get what they want.
It means you can’t speak in a demanding way, such as “CLEAN THIS MESS NOW.” . . . and not expect your people to be demanding and disrespectful among themselves, or with you.
It means if you have attitude. . . they will have attitude.
It means if you are constantly criticizing and pointing out what’s wrong. . . they will notice what YOU do wrong and criticize others and you too (at least behind your back).
The good news is that you have a lot more power than you think. Stop trying to give long speeches to convince others to behave in certain ways, or to stop doing something. Your true power lies in controlling your own behavior and reactions, modeling what you want your people to do.
It all boils down to what you model
If you want your people to be more positive, be more positive yourself.
If you want others to collaborate, be a model of collaboration asking for their input and ideas.
If you want your team to treat their customers better, you treat them better (they ARE your customers, remember?).
If you want people to address problems in a timely and courteous way, you do the same.
As Benjamin Franklin said: “well done is better than well said.”
Remember. . .
Whether it’s speeding up change, sending less emails, using more specific language, collaborating more, or anything else, “actions speak louder than words.”
You must lead by modeling with your example. Others will follow. That’s the bottom line.
I can help you or the leaders that report to you be better at modeling. To find out more, simply click here.
Photo by: DailyPic