Be a Good Role Model

“If you know something, you ought to be teaching it to others.”

I didn’t always know what to say when someone told me I had influenced their career or changed the way they lead. Over time, I learned the best response is simple. I say “thank you.” Now when I hear those stories it makes my day because I know I was able to help somebody.

That wasn’t always the kind of leader I was. Early in my career, I could be autocratic and intimidating. I was insecure, and that insecurity affected how I treated people. I thought leadership meant making people do things. It took experience, exposure, and education for me to understand that I had it all wrong. Leadership is actually about creating an environment where people want to do their best.

Eventually, helping people became part of who I am. I recently ran into the man who used to handle my dry cleaning. He sold the business years ago, but the new owner needed to return to China because her father was seriously ill. She asked him to come back and run the store for two weeks. He agreed and wouldn’t accept any money. He told me the reasoning was simply, “how could I not help her?”

That’s what being a role model looks like. It doesn’t require a title, an audience, or recognition. It happens in the small decisions we make about how we treat people.Lee Cockerell shares what happens when people look up to you and how that responsibility shapes the way you lead.

Leaders especially need to remember that people are watching. Your employees notice whether you overreact when something goes wrong. They notice whether you’re approachable and whether you treat the waiter, dishwasher, executive, and customer with the same respect. Eventually, those behaviors become your reputation.

You don’t need to worry about appearing to be a good role model. Practice kindness, control your emotions, help people when you can, and share what you know. Do those things consistently enough and they stop being behaviors you have to think about.

They simply become who you are.