Leadership Stories- Model

When leaders model the right behavior, people rise to the occasion.

A leadership lesson from an unexpected place: my cell phone carrier's store.

A couple of weeks ago, I stopped in because my phone wasn't working properly. The store manager spent time troubleshooting the issue, reviewed my account without me even asking, found a way to save me about $25 a month, and explained exactly what I needed to do next. I was headed out of town, so I decided to wait.

When I returned after my trip, my phone had gotten even worse. The manager wasn't available at first, and another employee helped me, but only enough to send me to the repair center down the road. As I was writing down directions to get to the repair center (my phone wasn't exactly cooperating so had to write down directions old school), the manager walked out from the back.

He immediately remembered me. He asked how the trip had gone. I showed him how the phone was working now (not so much). He listened. He answered more questions. He showed genuine empathy for the situation.

What happened next caught my attention.

The other employee naturally stepped back into the conversation. Together they helped me think through the claim process, what to expect at the repair center, and how to make sure everything went smoothly.

At first, I wondered if she was simply responding to her manager's presence. Then I watched him interact with her. He coached her. He encouraged her. He shared tips without correcting or criticizing. He modeled patience and service in real time.

That's when I realized I was watching leadership, not management.

The best leaders don't just tell people what great service looks like. They demonstrate it so consistently that others begin to mirror it. Whether that happens in a boardroom, on a project team, or in a cell phone store, the principle is the same.

People pay attention to what leaders do far more than what leaders say. Model the behavior you hope to see.

You may never realize how many people are quietly rising to meet the example you've set.