Leader by Example

What is the difference between a role model and someone who is leading by example? In education as in modern leadership, there exist a lot of contradictory paradigms. One is teaching (aka learning how to lead others) by following a great role model.

It is true that new learning formats need new people. Teaching is great but it is too closely related to yesterday‘s conviction of how schools are run. We need to inspire creative discourse instead of instructing people.

What the world certainly doesn’t need is more sages on a stages. We’ve also got enough slick and embellished celebrity stories of people who seem „unreachable“. That is why role modeling is also slightly off the track. We don‘t want our members to imitate larger-than-life figures by copying their behavior. We need authentic people who meet others at eye level and help them to find their very own way.

It’s about showing leaders not in their roles, but as whole human beings. Seeing both their accomplishments and their missteps as inspirational examples. That is why we have decided to speak only of “Leaders by Example”. This may sound sophistical, but “the meaning of a word is its use in language,” as Wittgenstein once said.

Open the DAYDACTICS guidebook to discover more principles of learning design and leadership development.