CHAPTER
8
LEAD BY EXAMPLE
WHEN YOU DO NOT LEAD BY EXAMPLE AS A YOUTH We have seen just how powerful it can be to lead by example. But what happens when you do not follow this rule? How does your team feel when you tell them to do one thing, and then you do the exact opposite? As indicated earlier, if this has ever happened to you, then it should not be hard for you to remember how angry and disappointed you were. When leaders do not “practice what they preach,” it can be almost impossible for a team to work together successfully. How can anyone trust a leader who talks about one thing, but does another? Consider what might have happened if he had, even one time, been in a physical fight with his opposition. His important message of nonviolent protest would probably have been much harder to believe after that. His followers would have looked at him with suspicion and distrust. The chances of them getting into physical arguments or committing acts of violence probably would have increased dramatically. 79
