SAFe Leadership3 - Lead by examp

Leading by Example 

Setting an example is not the main means of influencing others, it is the only means. —Albert Einstein Through their words and actions, leaders provide the organization with patterns of expected behaviors. The aggregation of those patterns determines the organization’s culture, whether good or bad. The most important and effective technique for driving the cultural change needed to transform into a Lean enterprise is for leaders to internalize and model the behaviors and mindsets of business agility so that others can learn and grow by their example. Author Simon Sinek underscores the importance of leading by example in his book Leaders Eat Last [1] with the following: The leaders of companies set the tone and direction for the people. Hypocrites, liars, and self-interested leaders create cultures filled with hypocrites, liars, and self-interested employees. The leaders of companies who tell the truth, in contrast, will create a culture of people who tell the truth. It is not rocket science. We follow the leader. By modeling the right behaviors, leaders can transform organizational cultures from the pathological (negative, power-oriented) and bureaucratic (negative, rule-oriented) patterns of the past to the generative (positive, performance-oriented) culture that is required for the Lean-Agile mindset to flourish (Figure 2 provides a comparison of the attributes of Westrum’s organizational culture model [2]). These same behaviors also build earned authority—power gained through trust, respect, expertise, or action—which engenders greater engagement and commitment to organizational aims than positional authority. Such leaders inspire others to follow their direction and to incorporate the leader’s example into their own personal development journey. Figure 2. Westrum’s organizational cultures model (adapted) As we learn more about the challenges of the digital age and the critical competencies leaders need to guide the organization to greater business agility and better business results, it’s important to understand that the best outcomes will be achieved if leaders model behaviors that foster a generative culture. What, then, are the behaviors that leaders should embrace to set the right example and build a generative culture? While the potential list of attributes could be quite long, the leader behaviors below form a solid foundation for this dimension of leadership. Authenticity requires leaders to model desired professional and ethical behaviors. Acting with honesty, integrity, and transparency, they are true to themselves and their beliefs.