Lead The Way - Role models at work

“Children are great imitators, so give them something great to imitate.” Anonymous

 At one of the seminars, people asked me, who is your role model Pak? Easily I answer My Dad. He’s the biggest role model in my life. Today is his birthday, he passed away 16 years ago. Today’s article is to celebrate and remember his impact on my life.

 When we are young and growing up, there was always someone we look up to and learn from them. Not only in our personal life but also in our professional life. We call them our role models, someone who influences our actions and motivate us to maximize our true potential and overcome our weakness. On the other hand, probably some of us also have experience finding someone who becomes a negative role model. Someone who reminds us to not copy their actions and attitude.

 Having role models in our life is important and having a good and positive role model is more important. There are some role models’ characteristics:

1.    Having a growth mindset

2.    Having a clear set of values

3.    Having an ability to inspire others

4.    Having an ability to overcome obstacles

 In our professional life, we define a role model as someone we look up to because they are inspired, efficient, or skilled. Role models usually try to learn as much as they can to better themselves, but they remain humble.

 There are many benefits to having a role model in your workplace. Role models may be important to you or your employees for several reasons, including: 

• Set the right standard and example in the organization
• Increase employee morale
• Inspire healthy competition
• Create a positive atmosphere
• Affect the way people view themselves and the world around them
• Motivate others
• Communicate openly
• Influence the attitudes and behaviors

 Then what happens if you can’t find good role models in your organization? The answer is, “be a good one”. Start with yourself. Being a positive role model requires effort, forethought, and self-control for most leaders. Because people are watching you all the time, your actions, beliefs, and attitudes. Therefore, it is very important that you be very intentional about what behaviors you model for people around you.

 Some tips to be a positive role model:

1.    Honesty or walk the talk, model through your words and actions

2.    Having right integrity

3.    Trusted. Trust is earned not given.

4.    Show kindness and respect for others

5.    Having empathy and compassion

6.    Be accountable

7.    Be a good listener

8.    Show hard work/smart work and deliver result

 I believe so many tips on role model traits, but if you want to start, start with the most important: honesty, trustworthiness, and integrity.

 Being a role model is takes time to develop and may not be part of the work culture in some organizations. Good intentions aren’t enough: It is actions that everybody sees. If your behavior or attitudes are against the ethical things, then you’re done. You will be negative role models for others.

Being a role model is probably beyond your job description, but I believe that being a role model is also a powerful and inexpensive way to reduce our headaches and make our organization run more effectively.

If this works for my dad and some of my inspiring leaders, I believe it will work for you.

Who is your role model? You can put on comment and say thank you to them.

In memoriam: Andi Sopandi, my dad and my hero. I love you…