Modeling the Way

We've all been there and done that, when it comes to modeling the way. We have, at times, been the one to follow the example someone set for us—an older sibling, parent, coach, or teacher; or we were the one setting an example for someone—our younger siblings, our kids, coworkers. Having been on both sides of the aisle, we know that modeling the way is all about "walking the talk." In their book, The Leadership Challenge, Kouzes & Posner make this insightful remark, "To walk the talk, you have to have a talk to walk." 

Now this is staring to seem like peeling back the layers of an onion! To be able to do what you say, first know what to say. To be able to know what to say, find out who you are what you believe in. So it all starts with values and beliefs. Especially for a leader, it is critical to know what those values and beliefs are because most times these may become the shared values and beliefs of the group or the organization at large. These shared values and beliefs in turn come to be seen as the culture of the organization. In fact, Edgar Schein, the guru of Organization Culture, says that the characteristic that is uniquely associated with leadership is the creation and management of culture. So in the larger scheme of things, when leaders are modeling the way, they really are setting an example for the entire organization and creating organizational culture. 

The debacle at Well Fargo that has recently come to light and created a (maybe permanent or very long term) dent in the reputation of the bank and it's customers' trust poses some critical questions about leadership, culture and modeling the way (rather how not to). This News_Article about the toxic sales culture at Wells Fargo is disturbing and brings forth so many questions about inspiring a shared vision and modeling the way. Is it possible that the vision that was "inspired" was too short-sighted and not based on the foundation of ethics? Was someone modeling the way, which as it turn out, was not the right way? If 5,400 employees were fired for indulging in unethical practices, is it even possible that leadership was not aware of the existence of these practices? Or did they fail to find their own voice and speak out for what they believe in? Was this incident the Halloween version of inspiring a shared vision and modeling the way?

On an individual level, each of us at times is called upon to model the way in our personal or professional lives. My role as an external-consultant-based-at-the-client-location required me to do this in several different ways. Firstly, I was representing my organization to the client, secondly, I was representing the client organization to its clients. I was a service provider to a service provider. To have to best represent both organizations and their values, to provide excellent customer service and to also balance the needs of my virtual team, required leading by example each day. It involved among many other things, working late nights, going the extra mile each time, and checking and rechecking my work, to make sure that the feedback I give to others is something that I have implemented for myself first. It is not easy to walk the fine line between being part of the client team and providing excellent customer service to my colleagues. But who said modeling the way was easy? 

The leaders who do model the way for their employees, customers, and shareholders walk many fine lines each day, setting examples, shining light on the way forward. And the times when they fail to do that, like in the case of Wells Fargo, the consequences are so severe that they may cause irreparable damage to the organization.

Disclaimer about images: All images have been sourced from Google images and used for educational purposes only.