Show and Tell: Leading Through Actions
By: Kelly Graves “The Corporate Therapist™”

"Your actions are so loud; I can't hear what you are saying."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

A leader's actions-more than his or her words-will determine the culture, attitudes and behaviors of the workers in the organization. Communication specialists, scholars and psychologists have long agreed that nonverbal or body language communicates the great majority of our meaning whether we know it or not. Successful leaders know this. They face the good times with the same clear vision as they face the hard times. They speak the truth in spite of conditions. They listen and watch for accurate information to inform their choices. Through thoughtful self-reflection, careful attention to a variety of cues and a commitment to congruence in their words and actions, these leaders will inspire great dedication and powerful outcomes.

As a leader, what kind of behaviors are you modeling? What you give is likely what you will get in return. 

• Are you accessible or too busy? 
• Are you accepting or doubting?
• Do you invest in creativity and innovation or are you cynical?
• Do you share the limelight or monopolize it?
  
• Do you see failures as opportunities or shame others for their mistakes?
  
• Do you pursue truth actively or passively accept the status quo?
  
• Do you require accountability or "pass the buck?"
  
• Is follow-through the norm or do projects, ideas and people come and go like "flavors of the month?"
  
• Do you listen or mostly talk?

Leadership Qualities

Leaders should model how to successfully discover and then work through these truths, not hide from them. Given these examples, employees will sense, feel, observe and act on a leader's tone as much-if not more-based on his or her words.  A leader's covert and overt behaviors do make or break each communication event and strongly influence its subsequent outcomes. John Quincy Adams said, "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." If the outcomes leaders are seeing are not inspiring; if they are not up to par, then it is up to the leader to dig deeper and find out why. It is up to the leader to speak and act in ways that produce results.

There's an easy way to find out what you are communicating. Look around. Listen to what is said and not said in your presence. Notice what is avoided or repeated. Walk around and observe the work culture. If you are the true leader of the group, the culture will represent your values. If you are feeling courageous, create an environment where your people can appropriately communicate their needs, ideas and evidence-based opinions without negative consequences. When you've had time to reflect and summarize on the themes of what you've gathered, you'll be ready to respond to and acknowledge these truths. Rely on your feelings and instincts to guide you on what to say and do next. This may be uncomfortable at first, but if you focus on the process or 'how' you are communicating while keeping the content relevant and speaking to the truths for your  organization, you will inspire your people.

Important Leadership Considerations

If you wish to increase the match between what you say and what you do, here are some important considerations:

• Show what you mean. (When you have something to say, as soon as possible after you speak, model your meaning.)
  
• Mean what you say. (If there are any exceptions to any rule, make sure they are rare and few. Then, be careful to explain the rationale for that exception.)
  
• Observe and reflect on your own behavior at work. (Would you be proud to have your words and actions displayed on the 5 o'clock news? Would you want your employees to emulate your actions and your words?)
  
• Ask for evidence-based feedback from your people.
  
• Filter your words and actions through this criterion: If it doesn't impact your internal and external customers in a positive way, it probably doesn't need to be said or done.
  
• Finally, follow through. (Never underestimate the power of the follow-through. It may be one of the single most important things any leader can do to inspire great outcomes.)

  "The leaders who work most effectively, it seems to me, never say "I." And that's not because they have trained themselves not to say 'I'" They don't think 'I.' They think 'we'; they think 'team.' They understand their job to be to make the team function. They accept responsibility and don't sidestep it, but 'we' gets the credit. This is what creates trust, what enables you to get the task done."

  -- Peter Drucker

Final Thoughts

Given these considerations about showing and telling their employees the hard truths, leaders will make significant improvements in every aspect of their organization through better service, respect and communication with their employees. In this way, these leaders will inspire great achievement through good times and bad because they will be trusted to speak the truth and act with integrity every time.

Kelly Graves is the founder of Chico-based Internal Business Solutions Consulting. He specializes in individual and organizational development. He consults with local and national organizations in both the public and private sectors. Additional information about Kelly and his consulting services can be found online at www.ProfitWithIBS.com, e-mail kelly@ProfitWithIBS.com or call (530) 321-5309; toll free: 1-800-704-3785.