Thursday September 11, 2008 #65

 What we think or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only thing of consequence is what we do.  

~John Ruskin

I learned early in my career as a leader that my teams were significantly impacted by my moods, my demeanor, and especially my actions.  I have always been an outwardly positive leader, a “cheerleader” – positive and passionate.  If I happened to come to work in a poor mood or just feeling under the weather, the impact on my team was immediate as they didn’t understand what was “wrong”.  I learned that I needed to be “on” each time I stepped onto the sales floor or went into a meeting.  If I was truly feeling lousy, I needed to be up front with my team so they wouldn’t waste time trying to determine what was wrong.

The message here is to ensure your actions are consistent with your words.  People count on consistency and predictability in their leaders.    

Believe in that which you speak and ensure your actions match your words.