Model the Culture

Dear Leader,

I trust this meets you in pursuit of leadership.

If you lead any form of team, you will agree with me that leadership isn’t easy. Everyday as a leader, you must wake up and lead yourself first before trying to lead anyone else.

Because other people are depending on you, you must therefore keep your fire burning within you first. You must know where you are going, you must know why you are going there and help others get there.

In actual sense, I want you to avoid the mistakes some of our parents make. Some parents expect their children to do as they say and not as they do. But that is where the problem lies:

People do what people see!

People do what they see people do. Your people do what they see their leaders do, not what their leaders say.

If you want dedicated, motivated, productive people in your team, you don’t talk about it, you model it.

Stop talking about it, start modeling it.

If you are leading any kind of team, it is time to model the characteristics you want to see in your people. People will do what they see you do.

First, take the time to list all the qualities you desire in your team members, then compare your own qualities to those on the list. Wherever you don’t measure up, write an action statement in front of the qualities describing what you must do to possess the trait you would like to see.

For example, If you want your team members to come early to work, write in front of that quality – “ I will arrive at work by 7am” to set an example for the team.

If there’s anything you remember from this letter this week, it is that people do what they see their leaders do. Because culture is what leaders allow.

Culture, systems, models are created by leaders – good or bad.

You have to live it before you expect it from anyone else.

So, what are you modeling this week?

I’m rooting for you,
The Great Owete