Aspire to become a positive Role Model?

Have you ever worked with a boss who kept calm and positive, even when he or she was under enormous pressure? Perhaps you've looked up to a colleague who went above and beyond to help others in work to complete a project in time.

Who do you most admire? A former teacher, a world leader, a neighbour, your boss? As adults, we tend to give little thought to the idea of having a “role model,” as we reckon this to be a quality that children seek from the adults in their lives. However, allow yourself to pause and reflect on who most influences you now, and why. You’ll find that the people you admire now are giving you your most important life lessons.

On another note, ask yourself how others see your behaviour. Do you think you are a good role model for the people around you? Have you realized that your thoughts, expressions, actions, emotions, attitudes, outlook, and ethics are influencing your co-workers, and some good ones are often being followed by them? What you can do to become a Role Model?

What Is a Role Model?

Albert Bandura, a Canadian-born American psychologist and originator of social?cognitive theory who is well known for his modelling study, demonstrated that children can learn behaviours through the observation of adults. According to his theory, people develop by observing others' behaviours and replicating them. Bandura found that behaviours tend to "trickle down." In other words, a group takes its cues from its leaders. Humans are a social species, and we are strongly influenced by the examples other people set for us. Of course, there are different kinds of role models in the world. Some of them are positive. They serve as an example of the things we should be doing. A friend who is a fitness freak and has a healthy diet is a great model for us to follow. The influence of a role model is strongest when that role model fits the goal you are trying to achieve. When you are focused on achieving positive outcomes, positive role models are best, and you are most motivated to focus on actions you can take to achieve that goal.

So, if you demonstrate strong qualities like sincerity, positivity, authenticity or candour, you'll encourage your team members to behave similarly. On the contrary, leaders who practise bad unethical behaviour are likely to develop cultures in which individuals put their vested interests ahead of the team's.

Why a Good Role Model?

Good role models spray a positive effect on the people around them. They're widely respected, and teams work harder and put in passion for people they admire. Organizations want leaders who will encourage and inspire others to be at their best. So, good role models tend to be among the first to be considered for promotion. They also find it easy to build alliances across an organization, as their reputation and personal brand are strong. So, if you take steps to become a good role model, you'll likely create a more effective team and business, and a strong organisational culture. This will enhance your career progression pace.

If you want to get to the top, you’ll have to learn to climb the ethical ladder. When employees have ethical leaders, they will behave in more positive ways within the organization. It’s to everyone’s advantage to have Managers who are positive role models. The learning they receive as children becomes the foundation for being an ethical leader as an adult. We have found that many often those who work side-by-side with us as peers demonstrate that we need to be transparent, honest, and fair in our dealings with others. Mentors are a second source of learning to be ethical leaders. Mentors are harbour in the tempest of corporate struggles as they take us under their wing, foster and guide us in the workplace.

Practise to Qualify for a Good Role Model

Communicate effectively with your team-?Strong communication skills are important for any role model. They'll help you to engage in interactions that make you feel engaged, open, motivated, and revitalized.? Simple exchange in a meeting can be very powerful if it makes both participants feel valued. Whenever your connections are powerful, you can transform a conversation into something that benefits everyone. This helps you develop relationships founded on respect and trust.

Support your organization's values-?Good role models demonstrate their commitment to their employer's desired ways of working and guide the behaviour of their team members accordingly. Company core values are the guiding principles and often drive the Vision, Mission and goals of the Organization. ?They guide crucial actions and behaviours, such as how business decisions are made and successful relationships are formed. Core values are, therefore, visible in any aspect of the company, be it ?HR, Operations, QA, Sales & Marketing or SCM.

According to Gallup,?leaders should consider these when defining their company’s core values :

a)?? They resonate with teams?

b)?? They can be and they are symbolized by leadership

c)?? They are easy to understand and follow.

d)?? They’re relevant.

e)?? They resonate with your customers

f)?? They are easy to identify in employees and leadership

Work collaboratively- Successful team players focus on the priority of their group and dump their egos into the recycle bin. As a role model, this attitude is a ‘must’ to adopt. You can create a?skills matrix and assess your own and your people's strengths, weaknesses and preferred working styles. A skills matrix is a grid that helps you to audit and record the skills of members of a team. Matrices are ideal for keeping track of your team member’s skills, qualifications, certifications, and competencies throughout the whole organization. When used correctly, they work well in practice and improve efficiencies within teams, as well as increase your bottom line. A skill matrix is important because when it is set up well it can help you organize your teams easily, identifying any skill sets that you need based on the project requirements. With a good skill matrix, your project is completed efficiently and by the most qualified and skilled team members and it enables you to plug any holes or close any gap in your system.

Encourage idea box, brainstorming & innovation- Take the lead when it comes to acquiring new skills and embracing new technologies that will help your business. As a role model, you must stay "ahead of the curve." Encourage people who show initiative and creativity, give team members time for cross-learning and use tools such as?Jacqueline Stavros, David & Kelley’s SOAR Analysis (Strengths, opportunities, Aspirations & Results) to channel aspirations into practical action. Matrices are ideal for keeping track of your staff’s skills, qualifications, certifications, and competencies throughout the whole organization. When used correctly, they work well in practice and improve efficiencies within teams, as well as increase your bottom line. A skill matrix is important because when it is set up well it can help you organize your teams easily, identifying any skill sets that you need based on the project requirements. With a good skill matrix, your project is completed efficiently and by the most qualified and skilled team members.

To be a good role model for your peers at work, you may focus on developing certain personality traits namely, Self-awareness, positivity, Humility, Empathy, professionalism and Integrity. It is also important to remember that there is no such thing as a perfect person – if you think of all the famous leaders of the world, you will soon find at least one area in their life that is not so bright. For example, a good Role Model could be a habitual latecomer for meetings.

Role Models are Influential in Building Personalities- Does your child have a role model?

Some parents explained further why and how they think their children came to have these role models. For example, the parent whose child looks up to Dr APJ Abdul Kalam explains- “My son loves our people’s Former-president Dr APJ Abdul Kalam because he was a notable figure of this era, was an excellent role model for all Indian youngsters. Dr Abdul Kalam was a brilliant Indian aerospace scientist and he had a humble beginning. Through dedication and perseverance, he achieved remarkable heights in the Indian civilian space program, making it one of the most significant in the country. Later, from 2002 to 2007, he served as India’s 11th president. Because of his talents and behaviour, he was able to reach the Topmost level of the nation. Another Child stated Sachin Tendulkar as the role model citing that sports teach us critical life skills about leadership and adaptation. Sachin Tendulkar is legendary because he demonstrated how success stories can be made with good character traits. His perseverance highlights the importance of hard work. His humility, despite his considerable accomplishments, can inspire one to stay humble and grounded.? Tendulkar’s sportsmanship and integrity make him a true role model, inspiring children to uphold values of fairness, honesty, and integrity.

Regardless of how awesome Dr APJ Abdul Kalam was or Sachin Tendulkar is, the parent is a child’s first teacher and role model. Parents’ struggles and achievements have most probably been witnessed by you, and if not seen first-hand, you would have heard about them. It is always good to have a role model at home.

Qualities such as patience, understanding, dedication, commitment, respect, fairness, effective communication skills, honesty, integrity, and the ability to express love and affection serve as sources of inspiration for children, encouraging them to admire and look up to their parents. Parents are the ultimate role models for children and every word, movement, and action has an effect.

Why and How Should Managers Become Positive Role Models at Work?

Managers are majorly considered role models, whether they like it or not.? Employees observe how managers treat others, make decisions, and react under pressure. They then try to mirror that behaviour, under the Domino effect. All this happens unconsciously.

A manager’s job is to lead and motivate their team. If team members see their manager working hard and caring for their work, they will likely want to do the same. Becoming a good role model is critical for a manager to build high-performing teams.?

By being a role model as a manager, you can create a positive team that deals with every challenge and obstacle proactively and responsibly. The team gets the work done to its fullest potential and ensures that a positive, collaborative culture is present in their bloodstream.?Trust and Loyalty are extremely vital in team development. Team members will be more likely to trust their manager and follow their lead when they affirm that their manager is someone they can admire. This becomes a test of a proactive manager’s skills and ability. In times of critical failures, a good manager takes accountability to explain the learning from the failure so that the feedback from failure can help meet the milestone for the next assignment. There is no blame game in case of failure and the entire process is positively led by the manager. Such managers are capable of assuming a positive role model at work.

Some of the skills listed below can help you lead, inspire and gather respect, and continue to grow and improve as a role model manager.?

1. Learn About Your Employees, and make time for them

People are the biggest asset in an Organization and your employees are no exception to this. Remember that they have family and social lives as well which are outside of the work. Your employees have hobbies, interests, and even occasional problems that might interfere with their performance. Take time to get to know them better, sip coffee with them and plan company engagement activities to knit your employees together. This will demonstrate that you respect your employees as individuals and boost their employee morale.

2. Develop a Positive Work Culture

A positive work culture is key to having an effective, proactive and successful team. When team members get appreciation, they are more likely to deliver their best potential. As a manager, it’s important to take the time to develop a positive work culture and be an example for your team members. It starts with simple steps like taking breaks when needed and helping others whenever you can. If you as a manager want to become the role model of your team members, you need to raise the bar higher. You need to demonstrate that you care for your work and to you that matters a lot. Be supportive, communicative, and patient. If you can exhibit strength, calm, and perseverance even during stressful times, you will inculcate the same within your employees and will start leading by example. Your positive attitude will make your team stronger. A positive team will be better able to solve problems and beat challenges in their measurable assignments.

3. Build Trust, offer support, encouragement and appreciation

A role model manager must be trustworthy. Your team won’t feel inclined to show you much respect if you aren’t true to your word and honest with your employees. ?You have to earn your employees’ trust through your efforts over time.?Offer support and encouragement by creating a healthy workplace environment and taking the time to understand any problems or difficulties your employees may be having. It also helps to show your appreciation for your team and the great work they are doing. It can be as simple as a “Thank you” card, a team lunch, or even some humour at the workplace. All of the above traits combined are what make a role model manager that employees can look up to.

4. Lead to Inspire ?

Take care to always lead by example responsibly, and your employees will follow suit. A good leader motivates his team rather than criticizes them and strives to inspire team members to reach their full potential. Remember that leadership role models don’t come to lead overnight. Probe your skills and habits as to what you need to develop further. Look for a person skilled in the area that you need to develop and learn from them. When you have the mental model reprogrammed to learn from your colleague, you are an unbiased open-minded Leader. Remember Reverse Mentoring will upgrade you always to a better Leader for your better future as well and this way a Leader can keep upgrading seamlessly.

5. Stay Up-to-date with evolving Changes in The Industry or Your Field of Work

To be a good role model, you need to stay up-to-date with the changes in the industry or their field. This is not an easy task because it takes a lot of time and effort to stay on top of all the changes that are happening in the world. Still, it is necessary to stay updated to become a good role model at work and to make sure that you are meeting the expectations of your organization and your employees or team members. It would be best if you were seen as an expert in the area of your work. To achieve this, you need to stay ahead, foresee issues before others can think of and work in advanced mode.

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6. Exhibit Integrity

A great manager?will make decisions for the betterment of the entity as a whole and not just for him or herself. Employees will respect a manager who genuinely cares about the business and those who work within the organization. Take accountability for your actions and give credit where credit is due. When a team member works very hard to accomplish a ??job, greet, recognize and reward him or her as per your Organization's norms. In the quest for success, companies and individuals alike can often resort to unethical practices or habits that involve the misuse of resources and employees. One of the most common examples of unethical business practices is overworking employees and disregarding their well-being in the name of achieving success. This can lead to burnout, mental health issues, and a high rate of employee attrition. Moreover, companies and individuals can also misappropriate resources to achieve their goals, regardless of the impact it may have on the surroundings or other stakeholders. This can include using up natural resources beyond what is sustainable, creating waste and pollution, or disregarding human rights.

Finally, let me ask you how you look up to yourself. ?I can vouch for myself that by admiring myself, being proud of what I stand for and executing the high standards I set for myself that deserve to be followed and nourished, I get closer to being a role model. ?I also know that I am a Game-Changer for others. I often challenge myself by asking “How Can I be a better Version of Myself”? I take Action with the Answers I come up with and this helps me to explore various facets of my Life. I have been an avid learner all through my life so far and I like to serve people and society. ?I set the bar high! As a Role Model, I fail more times than most people know, but through my failures, I grow. I’ve been to the “Nadir” and the “Zenith” of the ladder of career and life. Role Models are Game-Changers I believe and this takes Discomfort to PUSH the wall beyond, when most just want to stay in their comfort zone. I encourage ALL those reading this to show more of themselves to the World! I think people need to see it’s not all “Roses and Sunshine” as we Coaches try and become better versions of ourselves. The struggle is real and I think showing that to others, who are trying to change, might be one of the most impactful examples to release in the world around us.

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“You can’t be what you can’t see” - Marian Wright Edelman

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