Is “Do as I say, not as I do” an effective leadership strategy?

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Do as I say, not as I do - 1There is a very popular saying and I’m sure you have heard it; “Do as I Say, Not as I Do!” In other words, do as you’re told, and just because I do something does not mean you’re allowed to. There is an inherent flaw in this for anybody that studies management or leadership. One of the things they teach you in leadership is to “lead by example”. But if you run your business or group as a hypocrite then it will be hard to find people to follow you. So I heard a different quote, and I want to start using it:

“Say and Do as I Do; Not as I Don’t!”

In other words, watch what I do and how I lead by example, and even if you can’t keep up or do things as well as I can, I still want you to say as I do, until you can. And don’t do things differently than the way I do them.

This resonates with me because it is truly the crux of how I want my team to act. What concerns me the most however is will this lead to their discouragement.

Do as I say, not as I do - 3So I guess this thought should point back to an article called “Lead from the front”. So maybe the real thought here, for our teams and families is simply “Follow Me”. Isn’t that really, what Christ said? I mean if you boil down all of the lessons and wade through all of the great parables, and if the Bible only contained two words, wouldn’t they be…. “Follow Me”.

I have been pretty fortunate in my life to have had, a great father, grandfather, teachers, commanding officers and others that I have used to build my example. Fortunately for me, someone told them long ago, for my sake, that some lessons are better delivered honey and not vinegar, and some will require the application of a hammer. I have also had the opportunity to lead a few real quality men (salesmen) and learned there were two types of salesmen, the type that require constant direction, and the kind that require constant recognition.

I think it is a safe bet, that you cannot always lead the same way, you were led. Plus, I want my followers to know how to do things right, and I want it to be very simple; Follow Me, and Do as I Do, Not as I Don’t.

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I am a Christian, a Husband and a Father, in that order. Leadership is important to me, because I see too many outside influences acting on the lives of my children, and I need support to make sure I am the most dominant influence. I appreciate your feedback and enjoy reading your input. Thanks in advance for being part of this endeavor.

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Categories: Leadership Traits, Teamwork
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