Walk the Talk: Leadership by Example

"I think that the best training a top manager can be engaged in is management by example. I want to make sure there is no discrepancy between what we say and what we do. If you preach accountability and then promote somebody with bad results, it doesn't work. I personally believe the best training is management by example. Don't believe what I say. Believe what I do." - Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault-Nissan

Powerful words.

In the corporate world, we have to learn and accept that not all bosses are in there to help you up the ladder of success. Some are slave drivers, some are slackers, some just happen to be a boss because their parents own the company you work for. A handful are real leaders. They rally their team to success and bask in their accomplishments. That is what subordinates dream of - to work with a leader.

How would you know if you're working FOR a "Boss" or working WITH a "Leader?" Here are some quotes from famous people to help you distinguish one from the other.

Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the ONLY thing. 

-Albert Schweitzer

People ask the difference between a leader and a boss. The leader leads and the boss drives. 

- Theodore Roosevelt

There is a difference between being a leader and being a boss. Both are based on authority. A boss demands blind obedience; a leader earns his authority through understanding and trust. - Klaus Balkenhol

Leaders don't boss. They persuade. 

- Wesley K. Clark

The glue that holds all relationships together, including the relationship of the leader and the led is TRUST. And trust is based on INTEGRITY.

- Brian Tracey

A boss says "Go!" A leader says "Let's Go!" 

- E.M. Kelly

In the past, a leader was the boss. Today's leaders must be partners with their people. They can no longer lead solely based on positional power.

- Ken Blanchard

A boss creates fear, a leader confidence. A boss fixes blame, a leader corrects mistakes. A boss knows all, a leader asks questions. A boss makes work drudgery, a leader makes it interesting.

- Russel H. Ewing

Education can't make us all leaders, but it can teach us which leader to follow.

-Bel Kaufman

There is only one boss - THE CUSTOMER. He can fire anybody from the company, from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.

- Sam Walton

To be a leader, you have to make people want to follow you, and nobody wants to follow someone who does not know where he is going.

- Joe Namath

Strategic communication is the core of effective leadership. Through a leader's use of verbal and written symbols, employees are motivated or deflated, informed or confused, productive or apathetic. The leader's ability to carve off the verbal fat and get to the meat of the issue, idea or plan will find success at every turn.

- Reed Markhan, PhD

The wicked leader is one who the people despise. A good leader is one who the people revere. A great leader is he who the people say, "We did it ourselves."

- Lao Tzu