The World Needs You to Lead by Example

You don’t need to have a fancy title on the door of your penthouse office to be a great leader. In fact, you could have the lowliest title in the company, work in the basement of that same office building, and be a better leader than the person sitting on their roost so high above you. Don’t believe me? Then let’s look at a couple of examples.

That person in the penthouse (let’s call him Penthouse Pete) is focused on the company’s goals and public persona, i.e. branding, whether those goals are important to him or not. Pete exerts his control over his legion of managers to make sure the company has good processes and procedures in place to meet its marks and avoid legal or PR trouble. He doesn’t need to focus on gaining the respect of his employees because his title has done that for him. Pete’s not concerned about leading by example, but he is going to guarantee that the status quo is maintained. 

While that person in the basement (let’s call her Basement Betty) is more focused on the people she works with and maintaining their morale as they perform their work of sorting the mail. She can see the important role that the mail sorters play, even though many would look at it as the lowliest role in the company. She knows how to speak to people in their language and inspire them to see and work toward her vision of the most efficient mail room around. Betty has gained control and changed her world, not by seeking it out, but through leading by example.

Sure, Penthouse Pete might be a better manager than Basement Betty, but managing requires a different skill set altogether. Although being a manager and being a leader are not mutually exclusive, they’re also not dependent upon each other. You don’t have to be a good manager to be a good leader and vice versa.