Leading by example
What is it and how is it done?
Should a leader show they are prepared to get their hands dirty and do the real work? Yes, they should.
How often? Not too often otherwise they are not doing that which they need to be doing.
I recall as a young general manager in a factory making kitchen cabinets. The offices were not open, but had glass so anyone walking by could see what was happening in the office. I was puzzling with plant layout, since we seemed to have a bit of a bottleneck at the router. My whiteboard on the wall full of factory flow systems, arrows and symbols for stacks of materials...
A mature, and very effective floor supervisor walked by, stopped, knocked and stuck his head in the door...I looked up to be met with shrewd eyes, and quiet voice...”good to see a manager doing the things managers need to do. Hope for this place yet.” He nodded and went about his work.
The lesson stuck with me...managers doing things managers need do. I fully admit, the comment by this mature supervisor whom I respected reassured me, since I had wondered about sitting with my feet up, thinking and scribbling on the white board. Some of my guilt was I actually enjoyed it and felt I was good at it.
So, conclusively, yes it helps if people understand the manager will get stuck in if really needed. But the manager also needs to be doing that which the manger needs do.
Finding and guiding the team to better results
There is bottom up innovation and creativity. But I have not ever discovered it applied without the active support of the team leader. The bulk of innovation is top down. It originates in the senior team, and is guided and developed by their leadership.
If the senior team do not exhibit innovation and striving for better results, what can we expect of the staff? The answer is obvious, they will settle into their routines and stay there... and will in due course actively resist any change that could move them out of their daily comfort zone.
I am sure you can see and sense exactly that to which I refer and will not go further with the analysis. It leads to the summary of leading by example.
Leading by example is doing that which the leader needs to do in the manner they expect everyone to do their job
With OPD theory there is a new and innovative way of leading and guiding teams to much improved performance while the team are satisfied, engaged, and fulfilled. Where should this begin? Current HR processes have been in place for a long time, perhaps several decades. Likely the team leaders and executive team are settled into the patterns of acting and thinking about leadership and performance.
OPD system offers gains in both results and staff engagement and satisfaction. So where should it start? Who should lead in guiding the business to better results and more satisfied staff? I leave you to guess...?
Conclusion
It is beholden on the senior team to grasp the nettle, push itself to seek and apply ideas that deliver improved results, ideas in IT, operations, marketing and sales, HR and leadership, or administration, especially when those ideas also develop staff engagement and satisfaction.
At the centre of the senior team is the CEO. Do they have an image in their mind of perfect game plans perfectly delivered? Do they seek ideas and try them...? Do they press for new thinking at every senior team meeting, or is it just repeating what was done last month and last year...?
I recall again the kitchen cabinet factory, owned by a very wealthy entrepreneur, LJ Fisher, at every senior team meeting he asked ‘what new ideas do we have?’ When I enquired, he said...”they bring out small ideas initially, but get around to the big ones eventually.’ Leadership!
Do what you have always done and you will get what you always got. Habit, comfort, mediocrity all tend to settle us into what we did yesterday. People going to work and checking their minds on the coat hook. It is for the CEO to break that mould, beginning at the senior team, and then the senior team guide the culture of innovative search for better performance throughout the organization.