Ever have that moment where you realize that your behavior matters? Mine came when I was a newer father and my daughter was old enough to talk. I was building some shelves in the garage and I dropped a tool on my flip-flopped foot. “Shit!” I didn’t even think twice about it. A couple of weeks later my daughter dropped a toy and I think you can guess what happened next.
Having kids forces you to check your words and your behavior. Leadership will do that to you too. I had a recent client interaction where the leader mentioned that they are late for work sometimes. If you are late for work, then chances are your team will show up that way as well. Being late is just one example of setting standards.
Leaders don’t get to set a low standard, they are the standard. How you show up is how your team will show up. Ask yourself some questions as you think about how you are showing up.
- Are you the first one to the office every day?
- Do you always follow through on your verbal and written commitments?
- Do you hold yourself accountable or have someone to help you with that?
- Do you uphold and live by your core values?
- Do you set goals and complete these goals on time?
- Are you coaching your team?
- How do you talk to your team?
These are just a few questions to get you thinking about the example that you set in the office. As leaders we are called to inspire and build a positive culture for our teams to thrive in. I mentioned a few months ago that a paycheck falls short as a motivator. While paychecks fall short short, effective leadership never does. Be the leader your team needs you to be today.