There's an old saying about the difference between a manager and a leader: "Managers do things right. Leaders do the right things." (It's best to be both a manager and a leader - they're just different processes.)
As a leader, part of your job is to inspire the people around you to push themselves - and, in turn, the company - to greatness. To do this, you must show them the way by doing it yourself.
Stop and think about the inspiring people who have changed the world with their examples. Consider what Mahatma Gandhi accomplished through his actions: He spent most of his adult life living what he preached to others. He was committed to nonviolent resistance to protest injustice, and people followed in his footsteps. He led them, and India, to independence - because his life proved, by example, that it could be done.
Although Gandhi's situation is very different from yours, the principle is the same. When you lead by example, you create a picture of what's possible. People can look at you and say, "Well, if he can do it, I can do it." When you lead by example, you make it easy for others to follow you.
Look at legendary businessman, Jack Welch of General Electric. Welch knew that to push GE to new heights, he had to turn everything upside down. So that's just what he did.
He developed the whole idea of a "boundaryless organization." This means that everyone is free to brainstorm and think of ideas - instead of waiting for someone "higher up" in the bureaucracy to think of them first. He wanted his team "turned loose," and he promised to listen to ideas from anyone in the company. And he did. Everyone from the lowest line workers to senior managers got his attention - if they had something to say or a new idea that might make the company better. It wasn't just "talk," and it didn't take his team long to figure that out.
Welch stayed true to his passions and what he knew was right. As a result, GE became an incredibly successful company under his management. His team was always willing to follow his lead, because the people within it knew that he always kept his word.
What does this mean for you? If you give yourself to your team and show them the way, then, most likely, they'll follow you anywhere.
Good leadership takes strength of character and a firm commitment to do the right thing, at the right time, for the right reason. This means doing what you say, when you say it. If your team can't trust you, you'll probably never lead them to greatness.
Leading - and living - by example isn't as hard as it might sound. It's really the easiest path. If your team knows that you'll also do whatever you expect from them, they'll likely work hard to help you achieve your goal.
Mahatma Gandhi and Alexander the Great helped change the world because they lived by example - and, as a result, they accomplished great things.
