Worth Imitating

How many leaders do you know who encourage or even admonish you to imitate them and live according to their example? Are these leaders worthy of being imitated? What would your direct reports and colleagues say if I posed this question to them? Do the people who know me best see me as an imitable leader?

Children can often be found mimicking the behavior of a parent, sibling, or friend. Many of us can recall times in our childhood where we dressed and acted like a movie, sports, or television hero or heroine. This playful and often innocent conduct was generally inspired by the qualities we admired in the other person. Their self-confidence, courage, skill, and accomplishments were viewed as something we could aspire to achieve. These qualities and behaviors may even have served to influence our choice of vocation or fueled our passions to make a difference.

Many of today’s celebrities share a distain for serving as role models. They prefer to live without the scrutiny that accompanies their public persona. Knowing that others may be imitating their “bad” choices is a burden they prefer not to bear. After all, are they really responsible to anyone other than their own conscience?

Perhaps every leader silently yearns to be out of the spotlight, shielded from the responsibility of leading by example. The Apostle Paul, on more than one occasion, challenges the early Christian church to “join in imitating me”. While this might seem to be an ego driven and selfishly inspired assertion it is unlikely that Paul was seeking a power trip from a legion of raving fans. As a leader, he was uniquely positioned to influence the behavior and attitudes of those who respected and loved him. His admonition recognized the power of example in the life of any leader.

Regardless of your organizational role, or the position and authority that accompany it, you are a leader. It may be of a team or a multi-million dollar company. Your actions, attitudes, ideas, and passions are instruments for either good or evil. Those who report to you, follow you, and look up to you are shaped by the quality of your work and the core of your character. By consistently living your values and serving others you create the opportunity for them to imitate this same behavior.

A newborn baby innocently mimics our actions without pretense or guile. There is a level of trust in the one who is giving them the attention at that moment. Suppose leaders created that same awareness in our daily encounters with employees, customers, and vendors. Imagine if we used those sacred occasions to be so inspiring that the other person left us and imitated that same level of care to the persons they meet. I think that is what Paul had in mind. Using the power of our example to change the world where we live and work. Are you worth imitating?