There are many paths to becoming an effective and successful leader. All of them begin with leading by example and modeling the behavior you want to see in your team members. By creating an inclusive, collaborative work environment, leaders build a culture of accountability that inspires the people around them. As long as you are guiding workers through your behavior instead of your words, you are leading by example. Good leaders are role models who “walk the talk” and exemplify the values and behaviors they plan to nurture in others.

To lead by example, you must have the intention to inspire others to copy your behavior. To actually motivate, grow, and build empathetic, effective teams, it’s critical that leaders show up as authentic and sincere. They must be dedicated to routinely and actively demonstrate the excellence they wish to see in the workplace.

Benefits of Leading by Example

Due to the innumerable benefits of leading by example, the commitment to doing so should be viewed by leaders as compulsory. A few of the notable benefits of leading by example include:

• Promotes greater company loyalty. Loyal workers tend to stay at organizations longer, and employee retention has been proven to save the company time and money. High turnover rates affect a business’s bottom line because recruiting and training new employees is one of the most expensive aspects of running a business if it’s not accomplished effectively.

• Builds connection and camaraderie. Leading by example shows team members that management has a commitment to workplace values, which encourages employees to mirror their leaders’ behavior. Trusted leaders can also inspire respect and trust between teammates. In turn, this organizational cohesiveness can then increase customer loyalty.

• Boosts employee morale. When workers are motivated, it increases productivity. Team members need to feel valued in a positive work culture for them to stay, persevere, stay focused, and dedicate themselves to their employer. Satisfied workers have positive attitudes and can be a reflection of how healthy the company culture is.

How to Sharpen your Leadership Skills

In order to sharpen your leadership skills and be the best possible leader – all while helping others tap into their individual potential – your actions must be consistent. Maintaining consistency builds trust, confidence, and respect between business owners and leaders, leaders and their team members, and those team members and consumers, clients, and stakeholders. This leadership style may not come easily to all leaders, though.

You can start by being constructive when handling conflict, communicating with empathy, and fostering a creative and innovative workplace. Remember that actions speak louder than words, so, even though your words – indeed even the way you communicate – is important, it’s what you actually do that will be noticed more. These actions prove to employers and employees alike that you mean what you say and are leading by example.

Be a Role Model

Learning to lead by example takes time and practice. Putting in the effort produces a range of perks on myriad levels, however. Building the skills it takes to be a leader worth following can help you gain higher levels of engagement and trust from your team. Schedule a Breakout Session today to take the next – or first – step towards being the kind of leader your workers are inspired to follow.