“The proof is in the pudding!” What does that saying mean to you? To me it means that your actions speak LOUDER than your words. As leaders, there are so many things you do on a daily basis with people watching you. You must always be aware of that fact. You set the example that everyone else will follow.
Proof From Example
Since you set the example, you must do all you can to set the right example. Several years ago I had a leader that was a nice person, but he set a very poor example. I had a weekly meeting with him and my coworkers. At each meeting he told everyone how important it was to provide good customer service.
Poor Example
He would also stress the importance of following all the other company rules. Once the meeting was over he would be the first to break those rules. He would show up late, fail to greet the customers quickly when they came in, or make some other mistake. It didn’t take long for everyone to lose trust in him as the leader.