The power of role modelling

Sue Musson explains how leaders and their teams can learn from each other effectively

Success in today’s demanding workplace relies on many skills. A willingness to learn comes at the top of the list. Any leader or member of a team who thinks they are the finished article is sadly mistaken. Being open to acquiring new knowledge from any source, sharing learning and giving and receiving feedback are key hallmarks of great leadership.

Effective leaders do not sit on their knowledge laurels. They invest time and energy in their own continuous learning and in supporting the growth of their teams. Two significant routes to encouraging reciprocal learning are role modelling and feedback. These strategies contribute to positive personal and organisational outcomes.

A powerful learning tool

Role modelling is a powerful learning tool. All of us practice role modelling or copying on an unconscious level. This explains why prevailing behaviours in any organisation become so easily entrenched and are so difficult to change. As humans, we unconsciously tune into and absorb "the way things are done around here", which is the standard definition of organisational culture. 

We are programmed to copy the patterns of behaviour we perceive in others, particularly behaviour from leaders, because we understand from their example what is expected, appropriate and rewarded. This exceptionally powerful process occurs all the time. Trying to change culture can be immensely frustrating because of how strongly this unconscious learning takes hold.

When there is a difference between what is said and what is done, we are physiologically wired to copy what is done and to disregard what is said. This unconscious copying reinforces the existing culture and status quo. Even if there are strategies, posters, videos, emails, whiteboards and screensavers describing the way things should be, leaders in organisations struggle to make change happen if there is dissonance between the desired state and what is practised.

To break this cycle, leaders should develop a conscious understanding of the power of role modelling. When it comes to your conduct and behaviour, commit consciously to being a role model worthy of emulation. This means being selective about the behaviours you display in the full knowledge that you are in a fishbowl and that others will observe, judge and copy what you do.

Ralph Waldo Emerson is credited with saying, “What you do speaks so loudly, I can’t hear what you say.” This phrase means that actions always speak louder than words. It is worth adding: “Know that as a leader, others will do as you do”. They will copy your actions, not what you say, value, admire or wish to see. 

Mastering role modelling

To master the power of role modelling, first, shift your awareness to identify the good practice you have observed in others and want to replicate and the terrible practices you want to avoid like the plague. This process helps you determine the kind of behaviour that you want to demonstrate as part of your daily conduct in the full knowledge that your team will learn from your practice.

Identifying good practice does not mean always looking upward. Inspiration for your learning can come from any quarter, including from your more junior colleagues. Noticing team members’ great practice and giving them credit for enhancing your own conduct is a great way to build a positive culture of continuous, reciprocal learning.

However, it is important that your learning from others is authentic. This means you must internalise not plagiarise. To do this, observe and identify good practice, and then think about how you can make this your own. Ask yourself, “How can I demonstrate the behaviour I admire in my way, with my own personality and my own voice?” Taking this thoughtful approach will make the behaviours authentic to you. Your example will, therefore, resonate convincingly and genuinely to your team.

When leaders actively role model the behaviours, skills and processes they desire in their team, they have tapped into one of the most effective, subconscious training programmes imaginable.  By role modelling positive behaviours and conduct, leaders are sharing a valuable message of “Do as I do”, knowing that they are demonstrating conduct worth replicating.

A two way process

Effective learning is a two-way process. Leaders do not have exclusive rights to knowledge and can gain great insight and understanding about their impact by seeking feedback from team members. 

Wise leaders do not rely solely on their own lenses to know how they are perceived. Feedback from team members is an invaluable source of knowledge for personal and professional growth, providing insights into strengths, weaknesses and areas for improvement that a leader cannot perceive on their own.

By seeking and receiving feedback, leaders not only signal a willingness to learn from others, but they also indicate their commitment to improve and to meet the needs and expectations of their colleagues.

There are a range of methods to gather feedback on your performance. The more structured methods include:

•         Appraisal

•         360-degree feedback surveys

•         Professional revalidation

•         Staff surveys

•         Customer surveys

•         Pulse check surveys

•         Virtual/online consultations

•         Exit interviews

•         Inspection reports

•         Stakeholder surveys

Sometimes, having a coffee with others in a small group can create a relaxed environment where it is appropriate to discuss the findings from the sources of feedback available to you. Asking colleagues you trust to tell you the truth is a valuable way to check and validate feedback.

Insightful leaders will recognise the opportunity to combine role modelling and seeking feedback. By demonstrating an open-minded willingness to learn, to hear and receive feedback, and to act on the comments, leaders are role-modelling the behaviours that underpin a culture of open communication, trust and continuous learning.

By providing constructive, specific, meaningful comments to others through appraisal, leaders demonstrate the approach team members should feel encouraged to take in reciprocating.

Personal growth and organisational success depend on leaders and team members having a commitment to continuous learning and a willingness to share knowledge. Adopting conscious role modelling and constructive feedback are two powerful routes to embed reciprocal learning for team success.

Sue Musson has led numerous organisations including her own successful businesses under the Firecracker brand. She recently completed her term as Chairman of Liverpool University Hospitals, one of the largest NHS trusts in the country, with 14,000 staff and a turnover of £1.2 billion. Her experience of leadership is recounted with honesty, insight and humour in her new book, Firecracker Leadership. 

Main image courtesy of iStockPhoto.com and airdone