Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It: Why People Demand it

Go First

Leaders take the first step because doing so provides tangible evidence of their commitment. By going first, leaders serve their constituents' desire to know what's acceptable and what's not. Leaders are visible models of what to do and what not to do. And that means they should be models of what they want. One of the most important ways human beings learn is by observing others, and leaders had better be superb examples of the kind of behavior that's expected. Whether your constituents say it out loud or not, they are often saying to themselves things like, “You said we should be innovative. Exactly what does innovative look like around here?” Or “You said we should be collaborative and work together as a team. How do we do that?” Your ...