5 Ways to Lead by Example in the Workplace

Last Updated September 16, 2019

People follow leaders they trust. When a team leader sets the right example for successfully
accomplishing goals and conducting business, the team follows.

Developing the capabilities to lead employees successfully takes training and motivation.

“You can be aware and able and not committed as a leader,” says Pete DeLisle, PhD, who
teaches in the online Professional Certificate in Management for the Stayer Center for Executive
Education within the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business. “I call that feet
of clay. People know what to do, they know how to do it, they are capable of doing it, but come
up short.”

A big part of what makes a good leader is personal motivation. The other part is proper training.
Good leadership education will teach you how to nurture employees and train them properly.
Collaborate and build trust with them to establish impeccable standards of excellence they can
follow.

As a manager, the team looks to you to lead by example, show guidance and strength and inspire
those around you. If you expect your team to push forward to greatness, you must do the same.

5 Ways to Lead by Example

1. Get down and dirty – As a manager, you can’t lead from the sidelines. You need to be
involved in the work and know the ins and outs of the business. Working alongside your
team helps build trust while expanding your own skills and knowledge.
2. Listen to your team – With proper training, your team should be able to offer plenty of
advice. Listen to them and get regular feedback. When applicable, use that feedback to
improve processes or methods.
3. Watch your words – Always be mindful of what you say and who is listening. Support
all team members and give individual guidance in a private setting.
4. Don’t micromanage your team – Once you’ve communicated the vision, value and
goals, step back. You don’t need to control every aspect.
5. Take responsibility for mistakes – Good leaders take responsibility for the team, even if
it was their team member who made the mistake.

Proven leaders attract good job candidates and drive their team in performance, engagement and
retention.

Employees typically receive most of their training from a manager, rather than formal training
programs, so they seek out people they can respect and from whom they can learn.
People want to learn from leaders who take an interest in their development, who help them
deepen their existing skills and learn new ones.

Successful leaders find effective ways to build trust with their team and provide opportunities for
them to excel and develop.

Transformational Leadership Behaviors

Mike Crant, PhD, the Mary Jo and Richard M. Kovacevich Professor of Excellence in
Leadership Instruction for the Mendoza College of Business notes that the transformational
leader can channel a team to meet goals using inspiration and enthusiasm. It is a leadership style
that can be learned.

 Inspiration largely stems from the leader. Energy and enthusiasm are contagious. That
spreads through the organization.
 Most visions are under-communicated. Repetition is key to that communication.
Effective leaders spend time communicating the visions of the organization.
 Transformational leaders are charismatics who communicate a vision to their followers
and get them excited about it. They treat people with respect and compassion, creating
bonds and loyalty, show consideration for the needs of followers, have a strong vision
and lead by example.

There are two highly practical reasons to lead by example, says Victor Lipman, author of “The
Type B Manager: Leading Successfully in a Type A World.”

1. It is effective.
2. It makes people want to follow you.

People closely watch how their leader behaves, says Lipman, a Forbes contributor. “It disarms
any resentment that may be felt, rightly or wrongly, toward those in high managerial places.”

It is difficult to resent leaders who roll up their sleeves and wade into the trenches, sharing
sacrifices, Lipman says. Their teams will follow them.

Leading by Example Looks Like This

Don’t ask a subordinate to do something you are not willing to do. If your team can’t take
personal calls during business hours, you don’t take them either. Everyone should be attentive
when others are expressing viewpoints, including you. If the rule is for everyone to leave the
office by 5 p.m., you do the same. Set an example for others as a good manager and leader.

Take Care of Your Own Issues

While you are busy trying to whip your team into shape, evaluate your own performance. How
well do you know your strengths and weaknesses?
You will be more effective at work if you examine your own emotional intelligence, according to
Crant. Insight leads us to behave in ways that allow us to be more effective.

Good leaders are willing to acknowledge their weaknesses, so they don’t become a problem.
They don’t just care about money. The best leaders work the way they do because it is consistent
with their personality. They do a great job because it’s who they are.

To effectively lead your team, follow the rules you set out for your team. Practice
transformational leadership to encourage your employees with inspiration and enthusiasm. Look
inward to determine your own strengths and weaknesses. It can help you to become a stronger
leader and manager.

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