Leadership
Skills
The MacArthur
Maxim
Your example
is the most powerful tool you have to influence the behavior of the folks
who work for you.
Despite the
moniker "Dugout Doug," Douglas MacArthur was an exceedingly
brave man who was often heedless of danger. In his book, "American
Caesar," William Manchester tells about the time MacArthur was asked
about why he remained in dangerous circumstances instead of seeking cover.
The General
replied: "If I do it, the colonels will do it. If the colonels do
it, the captains will do it, and so on." That's the MacArthur Maxim,
what you do sets the example for the people who work for you.
The people
who work for you will watch you carefully. They will pay attention to
the things you pay attention to. They will be as ethical or not as you
are. What you notice and reward, they will value.
That also
means you have to make sure that your actions and your words deliver the
same message. Which brings us to the Lazarus Corollary to the MacArthur
Maxim.
Shelly Lazarus
is Ogilvy and Mather Worldwide Chairman and CEO. She's also considered
a role model by many people, especially women. She's not entirely comfortable
with that, but she takes her role as a role model seriously indeed and
she works consciously to make sure her actions and her words match up.
"I know
that work-family balance is important . . . I choose always to go to the
school play, and field day and all that [because] it gives other women
in the company, or clients, the confidence to be able to say, 'I'm going,
too.'"
Your example
is the most powerful tool you have to influence the behavior of the folks
who work for you. Make sure you set the example you want and that the
example you set and the one you talk about match up.
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