— To follow is a bullet of wisdom on leadership. It comes from Tom’s rifle, named Shot, who has seen it all. You’ll get the drift by clicking Blog in the menu above. —
I LOOKED UP TO A 30.06. That’s a thirty aught six, a powerful rifle designed for the infantry for World War I and proven to be a capable firearm for hunting. We were closet buddies when neither of us was being put to use—stored in the same closet. When I saw him perform, it stuck with me. I came to act like that big boy. It made me a better rifle.
Okay, today’s topic is role models. Leaders, you can take this down: People do what people see. The behaviors of those above or before them govern their own actions. You want to raise the leadership quality of an entire organization? Improve the leadership at the top. Then the good practices and redeeming qualities will flow down. People tend to look up to see what to do and how to do it. They may not do this consciously. They somehow adopt the practices and style. Be a role model, hire role models, develop role models, and promote role models. Got it?