Would You Follow You?
If you really want to know how you’re doing at expecting more from yourself, ask this revealing question…Would You Follow Yourself?
This question forces us to look within and be honest with ourselves truthfully. You have to be what you want to see in others. The actions of a team will always mirror the behaviors of the leader. The truth is simple…people do what people see.
I once heard a great parental statement: “Children seldom listen to their parents, but they never fail to imitate them.” This statement makes complete sense, especially if you have kids and have experienced it…I know I have.
Years ago, while my family and I were running errands, we got a call informing us that we would have some unexpected company within the hour. We all know “the call,” don’t we? Panic immediately sets in as thoughts of the morning’s breakfast dishes piled in the sink, toys all over the living room floor, and toothpaste tubes left on bathroom counters enter our minds. We knew we needed to get home quickly and pick up the house. As we zoomed down the road, we gave our two daughters a motivating pep talk and specific tasks to get things cleaned quickly. I specifically told them to make sure they had a great attitude when they started to clean since we had a lot to do in a few minutes. I really stressed the “good attitude” part in my instructions! We got home and began to clean at warp speed. Our daughters did a great job. All was going well…and then my wife asked me to vacuum the living room…uh oh…vacuum? I thought that was a bit overboard, so I huffed and puffed and argued with her about why I had to be the one to vacuum. My daughters immediately caught on to my unwillingness to take on the task before me and simultaneously said, “Remember, Daddy, have a good attitude!” I was clearly not setting the right example for my girls, and they noticed…I was caught.
To be a great leader, you must learn to lead yourself first. I have found that the hardest person I have ever had to lead is none other than me. President Theodore Roosevelt once stated, “If I could kick the person responsible for all my troubles I wouldn’t be able to sit down for a week.” We cannot lead others well if we do not lead ourselves well. If we have trouble motivating ourselves, we will have a hard time motivating others. Great leaders push themselves further than anyone else ever will. Walt Disney was a dreamer and pushed himself even when others rejected his ideas. He was known for this motto: “Whatever you do, do it well. Do it so well that when people see you do it they will want to come back and see you do it again and they will want to bring others and show them how well you do what you do.”
Lead from the front by modeling the behavior you desire to see. Ask yourself these questions,
- “Would you follow yourself?”
- “Would you be motivated by yourself?”
- “Would you be filled with vision if you were following yourself?”
If the answer is yes, congratulations, you lead by example. If you answered no, you need to start challenging yourself to get out there and become the leader you need to be.
* Taken from my new book Leadership Starts With You: 20 Ways To Lead Yourself
