Course 2, Discussion 2: Lead by example
Great Leadership, unsurprisingly, starts with yourself!
Practice what you preach. Lead by example. I am sure all of you heard these phrases. But why are they so iconic?
Because the journey starts with the first step and you are the person who is taking the initiative to lead -- Start a journey! So, you are the one who needs to take the first step before expecting others to do it.
To start with leading yourself, close your eyes and visualize two people: someone who inspired and encouraged you to be like them, and someone who discouraged you to be not like them.
Then, write down the good qualities of the person who inspired you as well as the qualities of the second person. You do not have to be specific with the details. Just a bulleted list.
Now, compare the list to yourself. Note the good qualities you have, the bad qualities you have, and give yourself a rating on a scale of 1-10. What we just did is identified your strengths and weaknesses and what you need in order to lead yourself. This allows you to create self-awareness.
Self-awareness is key to leading yourself in the right direction. But, leading yourself is not easy. Just being self-aware isn't enough. It's igniting the spark but not enough to catch the fire. To catch the fire, you need to be persistent with your practice, which is regular reflection. Be consistent with monitoring your efforts and holding yourself accountable.
You can't effectively lead others until you know how to lead yourself. That happens through Self-Observant Leadership: when you deeply understand your identity, compare it to your reputation (how others experience you) and then make meaning of the observations, and choose to adapt.
Exercise:
✒️ What did you learn about yourself through the given exercise?
✒️ Respond to one of your peers in this thread
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@Hope
✒️ What did you learn about yourself through the given exercise?
—Through this exercise, I learned that effective leadership is not just about authority but about setting an example through actions. I realized the importance of integrity, supporting a vision, and being reliable for my team. It also made me reflect on areas I need to improve, such as paying more attention to detail and ensuring follow-through on commitments!
Thank you for sharing this amazing video.
I learned that adapting to good examples was easier to see a bad example and learn from it. So one of my takeaways is to exhibit the behavior I want to see in others as opposed to warning people not to adopt my bad habits. I learned that i am very open to change and the biggest leadership quality that ive learned or mirrored is to listen to understand and to respond kindly.
@giggleBubbles6722
Wonderful insights! Exhibiting the behavior we expect from others instead of warning them to avoid our bad habits is a marvelous way to inspire our team. Being open to change and listening to understand are great leadership qualities to have. Good luck with becoming an amazing leader!
@Hope
Through this exercise, I was able to engage in a self awareness practice allowing me to reflect on the type of leader I aspire to become. I learned that being a great leader lies in my ability to self reflect and identify my weaknesses and strengths. Inspiring a team comes from our ability to lead ourselves first. Besides, a good leader is not afraid to self-reflect on their abilities nor to hold themselves accountable, through their consistent self reflection, they lead themselves and inspire and motivate their teams .
@SweetSunset92 I completely agree with what you wrote! I also realized how powerful self-reflection is for building real leadership from the inside out. The more we understand ourselves, the more authentic and inspiring we become for others. Loved your insight!
I learned to be productive and gathering facts and data and to ask what your team needs as in skills or other things that can help and to acknowledge your team and to be early and not just on time.
@Hope I really enjoyed this exercise — it reminded me how important self-awareness is when it comes to leadership. I noticed that many of the good qualities I admire in others (like patience, integrity, and empathy) are things I try to apply in my own life, but there are still a few areas where I know I can improve, like being more consistent and handling stress calmly. I’d probably rate myself a 8/10 for now, but I’m motivated to keep growing!
Everything can be learned; paying attention to what happens within us and around us is a good sign of responsibility. You take inspiration from others and seek to learn and grow from it — keep up the good work!
@SherifRiad
I am glad you realized the importance of self-reflection in the process of leading. You were honest with the rating of yourself and are motivated to change and grow which is what leadership is about. Congratulations!
✒️ What did you learn about yourself through the given exercise?
Through the exercise, I’ve learned that I do have a basic ambition for leadership, but there are still gaps I need to work on. I believe I’m good at recognizing when someone is struggling, and this comes from my sensitivity. I need to work on my passivity and find the right motivation to step out of my comfort zone and take action.
@Floffj
Being able to recognize when others are struggling is a wonderful skill that will definitely help grow trust within your team and maintain productivity.
It can be difficult to step out of our comfort zones but it's unfortunately necessary for growth! I am similar in that I need to work on my passivity and getting out of my comfort zone. One day at a time I'm sure our abilities will grow as we put in the work.
@Hope
I learned that I need to see myse3lf as a team player to know all about me before looking for others abilities
@pamharley003 @pamharley003 The fact that you're self-aware of what you could do to improve yourself is a great first step to putting that progress in motion.
Reflecting on those who've inspired and discouraged me highlights the profound impact of both positive and negative role models. For me, overcoming trauma has been a significant aspect of my journey, and the individuals who truly inspired me were those who demonstrated resilience, empathy, and an unwavering belief in growth, even after experiencing hardship. Their qualities often mirrored the quiet strength and persistent beauty I find in nature – the way a tree can weather a storm and still blossom, or how a seemingly barren landscape can regenerate over time. Nature, in its cyclical patterns of renewal and its inherent capacity for healing, serves as a constant inspiration for my own journey of self-awareness and leadership. By observing its enduring spirit, I'm reminded that even after periods of darkness, growth and strength are always possible.
@Hope
✒️ What did you learn about yourself through the given exercise? Here are the qualities I listed about the people in the exercise:
Like
Spiritual
Friendly
Humble
Caring
Not like
Gruff
Impatient
I learned that I like to be warm, friendly, caring, and patient with people.
✒️ Respond to one of your peers in this thread
I always leader by example but need to be strong leader and stand at plate more.
@Heartsandrosesandpaws
great response :)
