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Lead by doing, not just telling!

Sayings of the Wise

By Innocent Mwangi

The world’s best leaders lead by doing. They not only ‘tell’ their followers what to do, but they also ‘show’ them how to do whatever needs to be done. That’s why they are called ‘leaders’.

Of course, this does not in any way belittle the fact that every leader must also be an effective communicator. However, leading does not start and stop at effective communication. It goes further into actually showing by way of example how a task is to be done.

The law of duplication is perhaps the single most important attribute of leadership. The aim of a leader should be to duplicate himself/herself by imparting their own skills to others. For a leader to be sure that a certain task will be competently handled, they must ensure that the people involved have the skills and the right attitude for the job at hand.

If you tell me that it’s possible to undertake a certain task, then you must be prepared to demonstrate to me how it can be done. As I watch you lead by example, I will observe the processes you go through and later duplicate the same to achieve similar results.

Unless we are willing to drench ourselves in the murky toil of work, we can never hope to be effective leaders. People will follow you not only because of what you say, but also if you can demonstrate to them that what you are telling them is achievable. The ‘do-what-I-say-and-not-what-I-do’ slogan is a hallmark of a poor leader. As leaders, we must be prepared to back up our word with action. If we can’t, how on earth can we expect others to follow us?

As you lead your organization, always make decisions that can be implemented, and be prepared to demonstrate their efficacy. Ensure that the people responsible for implementing your decisions and strategies are properly trained and equipped for the tasks. If further training is needed, be ready to provide it, either personally or by employing a qualified trainer. As you do this, you will realize your goals faster, quicker!

To become a leader, you must first become a doer. It is your actions that people emulate, not your words. These actions must yield desirable results for one to want to duplicate them. Role models are so called because of the ‘roles’ they play, and which influence others to the extent of wanting to emulate them. It does not matter whatever it is that you do. If you look behind you and see no one following, then you are not a leader! A leader must have followers; and followers emulate their leader. You must be doing something for others to emulate you. That’s the bottom line!