Moshe’s Blog

Your Most Powerful Leadership Tool is The Personal Example You Set: 7 Steps to Get It Right & Maximize Your Organization’s Success

Leading by Example

“The most powerful leadership tool you have is your own personal example.” This was the simple philosophy of John Wooden, the UCLA basketball coach whose Bruins won a record 10 national championships–and who never talked about winning.

Your personal example serves as the cornerstone of effective leadership, influencing your team’s culture, morale, and performance more profoundly than any policy or strategy ever could.

As an executive coach of highly accomplished leaders, I believe that leadership is less about the tasks you accomplish and more about the presence you bring to those tasks. The example you set is a dance between what you are doing and who you are being.

Think about the personal example you set as a leader. Consider everything from how much you work after hours, how you treat your colleagues, what vision you set, how you inspire, and what results you most care about and reward. Consider the “match” between your values, your words, and your actions, too.

In what ways have you positively influenced your team’s culture through your example?

What behaviors of yours are most frequently emulated by your team?

What legacy are you building through your personal example?

7 Amare Steps to Be a Personal Example of Great Leadership

1. Know the example you want to set. Concisely describe your work ethic, attitudes, and values that you want to serve as your leadership template. Add examples for each.

2. Assess the example you have set. Honestly ask yourself how well your performance matches who and how you want to be. Then do a 360° review so you have external feedback to reference as well.

3. Model the behavior you expect. Consistently demonstrate the work ethic, attitude, and values you wish to see in your team, setting a clear benchmark for performance and conduct.

4. Cultivate presence. Practice mindfulness techniques to enhance your ability to be fully present—both in leadership tasks and in interactions with your team. Start with one minute of quiet every day, eyes closed, noticing your breath going in and out.

5. Practice self-reflection. Dedicate time each week to reflect on your actions, decisions, and their alignment with your true self. Use this introspection to understand how your unique qualities influence your leadership.

6. Maintain integrity in decision-making. Ensure that your decisions reflect ethical considerations and the best interests of your team and organization, reinforcing the value of integrity.

7. Reassess regularly. Make leadership assessment a regular part of your development cycle to ensure ongoing growth and adaptation. Get coaching or employ other resources to support yourself.

As a leader, you are the architect of your teams’ realities, shaping the environment through your behaviors, decisions, and the standards you set. Embrace the profound responsibility of leading by example, grounded in self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and authenticity.

This journey of being and doing invites you to lead not just with your mind, but with your heart and soul, fueled by the uplifting and connecting energy of love. It’s about inspiring not just through what you do, but through who you are.

You can forge a legacy of leadership that resonates far beyond your tenure. Each day presents a new opportunity to influence, inspire, and instill values that endure.

Lead with the Most Effective Version of You & Your Team

I coach and advise executives and leadership teams on identifying and being the best version of themselves, through the Amare Way of love-powered leadership. For more information, contact me here.