1. LEADING BY EXAMPLE- REAL-LIFE LEADERSHIP LESSONS
"The genius of a good leader is to leave behind him a situation which common sense, without the
grace of genius, can deal with successfully" -Walter Lippman
What is leadership? Leadership is the ability to command acceptance by a group of people and thus, get
them to do what the leader wants. The person providing this direction and commanding acceptance is
called the leader. Depending on whom you ask, many people, will have a different definition of
leadership. My definition is that leadership is the ability to provide direction to a group of people and
influence those people to follow the direction and act accordingly. The word 'example' suggests that the
leader motivates people to follow his direction. Example can also be replaced with influence which can
also be defined as the ability of an individual or group of individuals to get others to conform to their
expectations or requirements. Either way, it implies willing acceptance to follow the instructions or
directions of the leader for whatever reason the individuals decide to do so.
There are a number of different approaches, or 'styles' to leadership and management that are based on
different assumptions and theories. The style that individuals use will be based on a combination of their
beliefs, values and preferences, as well as the organizational culture and norms which will encourage
some styles and discourage others.
The transformational leader encourages followers by acting as a role model, motivating through
inspiration, stimulating intellectually, and giving individualized consideration for needs and goals.
Imagine becoming the CEO of a corporation but you never had a college education? Fighting a stock
holder's revolt? Marketing an old but unique product in new form? Not bad for a man who had less than a
year of formal education or who had supervised only a clerk in his law office before becoming president
of the United States. Yes we are portraying 16th President of United States of America, Abraham Lincoln .
Lincoln had a "Share a Vision". - William Herndon, Lincoln's law partner, described the sixteenth
president as "a little engine of ambition." Lincoln had the vision to make something of him. He may have
started out as a farmer but he did not intend to stay one for the rest of his life. Lincoln studied surveying
and the law to get ahead.
Lincoln became a "Great Communicator". - Abraham Lincoln knew how to communicate his core beliefs
to his audience through humor, speeches, and letters to newspaper editors. He was a lifelong learner -
Leaders are readers. Be a self learner. Grow yourself. Abraham Lincoln had less than a year of formal
schooling but he learned how to learn on his own for the rest of his life.
"Demand Excellence" for himself - Lincoln's Gettysburg Address was not a last minute improvised
speech that he hurriedly cobbled together on an envelope in the train. Lincoln gave himself enough time
to do an excellent job despite a hectic schedule at the White House in the midst of the Civil War.
He learned from failure. - Lincoln failed in business at age 22; defeated for Illinois State Assembly at age
23; failed again in business at age 24; suffered a nervous breakdown at age 27; defeated again for Speaker

2. of the Illinois State Assembly at age 29; defeated again for presidential elector at age 31; defeated again
for US Congress at age 34; defeated again for US Congress at age 39; defeated again for US Senate at age
46; defeated again for Vice president of the newly formed Republican party at age 47; defeated again for
the US Senate when he ran against Stephen A. Douglas at age 49; elected President of the United States at
age 51. Lincoln was willing to risk failure, in order to experience success. He was not a case of overnight
success (Philip Ernest Schoenberg, 2000) .
He became a role model. - Lincoln taught by example
Believe in Yourself When No One Else Does by Having the Courage of Your Convictions. - People asked
Lincoln why he was confident about what he did. He answered, "I desire to conduct the affairs of this
administration that if at the end, when I come to lay down the reigns of power, I have lost every other
friend on earth, I shall at least have one friend left, and that friend shall be down inside me."
Why does Lincoln live on in the nation's memory? Lincoln knew how to inspire people to do their best.
Lincoln knew how to learn from his mistakes so that he could go on. Lincoln had an inner vision of
himself that could not be shaken by the nay saying. His leadership and his ideals remain timeless.
Less than forty years ago, our modern, advancing world was more backward than many people would like
to admit. In the face of hatred, violence and racist authorities, Martin Luther King spoke out boldly and
became the most powerful black man in history. Born in Georgia, USA, in 1929, he became pastor of a
church in Alabama by the age of twenty-four. He was soon to come face to face with the segregation laws
of America when Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on the bus for a white
passenger. King led the resulting bus boycott which was hailed as huge success
He appealed to the moral sense of Americans, and after years of leading civil rights activists in nonviolent
protest and direct action, his leadership helped to desegregate the South .
With his house bombed and King arrested, things may have seemed bleak, but he maintained his non-
violent approach to changing American segregation laws. By the late 1950s and early 1960s, he was
instrumental in organizing protest marches, rallies and speeches against the racist laws in his country.
To the surprise of many, his strategy worked. Hatred doesn't have to be met with violence to get a
reaction, as was proven by Gandhi decades before on the other side of the world. Laws were gradually
changed as the non-violent movement gathered support and the silent majority suddenly began to show
their power.
On 4th April 1968, James Earl Ray shot and killed Martin Luther King as he took some air on his hotel
balcony in Tennessee before addressing a rally of striking black employees. Four Years before he was
killed, King became the youngest person ever to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. But despite dying, his
legacy lives on.
Nearly forty years later his work is still taught in schools. He is known by millions around the world for
the example of equality he set by his policy of non-violent protest. In 1986, he became only the third
person to have a US holiday named after him. His last major speech, "I have a dream" is known by

3. millions of people who are able to quote or paraphrase those famous lines of King's black children being
able to play with white children; and it was heard by an audience of around 250,000 people at the time.
When changes in the environment occur slowly, usually managers fail to recognize them as threats to
their organizations. To become aware of environmental changes, transformational leaders have to frame
their vision by providing employees with a new purpose for working. Framing is a process through which
leaders define the group's purpose in highly meaningful terms. In organizations, framing often involves
identifying the core values and purpose that should guide employees.
Transformational leaders are more effective when the company is new or when its survival is threatened.
The poorly structured problems that these organizations face call for leaders with vision, confidence, and
determination. Such leaders must influence others to join enthusiastically in tem efforts and arouse their
feelings about what they are attempting to do.
What makes a good leader? Leadership is rarely just about leading. It's about identifying potential in an
individual, company or group and then helping them to unlock that potential. Leadership isn't telling
people what to do; it's about showing the way and inspiring people to follow. The term being a good
leader means that you inspire others to follow your example. You are leading people to success and you
are responsible for the actions that are taken to do this. So just what does it take to achieve this? It simply
takes quality. So with that being said - They know themselves, they go the extra mile, they know their
limits, they are visionaries, they adapt easily to change. And finally, Good leaders will help employ the
right staff based not just on their skill set but also their attitude. Having the right team behind your
company, with fully motivated staff and great leadership qualities can only enhance your company's
reputation and productivity.
Submitted By:
Ankit Suveer
SIBM Bangalore