As Above, So Below

  Leadership   ProjectsAtWork  

Almost every leader has been there. One minute you’re living the company values, and the next you’re making an exception — for yourself. Perhaps you have an official policy of being super-responsive, but when an especially problematic client calls, you avoid him for a day or two. Or despite a stated commitment to respectful communication, you lose it and shout at Margaret in sales when she falls short of her quarterly goal once again. Or you have a no-excuses policy on deadlines, but when you personally miss one, you just finesse the client into giving an extension.

Sure, we all make mistakes. But if you’re not holding yourself accountable to the values you say are important, don’t be surprised when your bad behavior starts to trickle down — and ultimately impacts the company’s bottom line. 

Team members pay attention to what you do, not what you say. Your behavior makes clear what the real corporate values are. So when you or other higher-level leaders ignore the company’s values, department managers think they can behave that way too. Meanwhile, team members will think they can ignore important change initiatives because management gets to ignore them.

Soon you’ve got a company of team members who act however they want. High performers won’t want to work in an environment like that. …

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