This is from my China training- building on a concept learnt there with inputs from the internet

                                              “Shadow of the Leader”

When you think of the title, it could bring up different thoughts in your mind. In an office it could be something like “ The train is as fast as the engine”; “A fish rots from the head first”; “A chip off the old block”. On a more personal family front, it could be “You’re just like your father”; ..

Hmm…this blog is about OUR conscious and sub-conscious behaviors / habits that others watch and pick up; Could be in office or at home ; could be your peer or your team member or your own child.

Let me start with a couple of real stories –
On a smaller e.g., looks like the New Vice President - Finance of a company had a habit of tapping his pen on to his other hand while sitting in presentations. Guess what – in a couple of weeks, the habit had caught on with many other Management staff and they were also sub-consciously tapping a pen, while in meetings – no harm, except that it could be very distracting indeed!!

On the web, I noticed a very good e.g.
                                          “One of my favorite personal examples of this is being on time to meetings. I’m known for always running late between meetings. In my earlier days, my managers would often sit me down and calmly tell me that they didn’t appreciate my tardiness and I needed to shape up. I tried and it would get a little better, but I would slowly fall back to my natural tendencies. Once I became the “Manager” I was so relieved because there were less people giving me a hard time about being late.

                                            My direct reports didn’t complain, they understood and assumed I was busy with very important matters and that’s just how things work. What I didn’t realize, though, was that my “shadow” told them it was OK for them to be late to meetings too. On one rare occasion, I arrived to my staff meeting a couple minutes early and it wasn’t until about 10 minutes after the start time that everyone else showed up. My initial reaction was to make a comment about being on time for our meetings – fortunately, before I said anything out loud I started laughing to (or rather “at”) myself. My pattern of being late told them that it was OK and that our staff meetings always started ten minutes late.”

What a colonial waste of time – especially for people who have arrived on time. Also looks so unprofessional!!

On meetings, I was told that a person named Alan Mulally (some of you might have heard of him) actually comes for meetings one minute before the start time and similarly prompts his team periodically to ensure timely completion of meetings. If the item needs a longer discussion, it is subject of a separate meeting or discussion. Wow – Now that sound very professional.

Notes: Alan Mulally is President and CEO of Ford Motor Company who turned the company back to Profits; seems to have also won some awards along the way – “CEO of the year-2011”; “Person of the year -2011” etc.

Going into a much broader definition:
                                  "Shadow of the leader" is a phrase used to describe a common phenomenon in business organizations where those in positions of leadership and power, through their behavior and actions, tend to influence the behavior and actions of those below them, thus “casting a shadow” across the organization. “Shadow of the leader” refers to Leaders, through their likes, dislikes, treatment of subordinates, language and idioms, personal preferences, beliefs and values tends to shape the characteristics, culture and ways of doing business in the organization.

                                     The Shadow a leader casts with his/her team can drive the success or failure of the team. Think about it. As a leader, every move you make is being watched by the people who work for you. They take their cues on what is important by the things you pay attention to. They will reference a comment I made or email I sent about a particular topic and apply more meaning to it then what was intended.

                                     It is not so much that leaders force their style and values on others, but that employees tend to look upwards for clues as to what is important, how to get ahead in the organization, and how to fit in. It is a natural tendency for people with limited power within organizations to have an “affiliation need” and want to fit in. Those that don't match the culture or don’t get along with the boss's standards and expectations tend to get rejected or leave the firm, often saying; “I just didn’t fit in with their way of doing business!”

Another true story from the web to emphasize the Leadership Shadow impact:
                  At a busy / crowded store/ workplace -- The place was jammed with customers, and everyone was hoppin’. That included the store manager, who was a complete stress case. He was tight-faced, tight-lipped, and curt with customers and his team. He wasn’t rude . . . he was just going through the motions.
                And, as I noticed, so was everyone on his team. No one smiled. No one said “please” or “thank-you.” Everyone was just moving people through the line with as little personality as possible. You’ve heard it before: “I can help the next person.” Sub-text: “I can help the next person, but I don’t really want to.”

                    The idea is that leaders shape their cultures through a powerful combination of message aligned with action. Through actions, attitudes and messages, they cast a shadow that influences everyone around them. The shadow a leader casts may be strong and inspiring, or it may be weak and dispiriting, but it always exists. It is a reflection of everything a leader says and does.
                             
                    So, as I watched the team, I noticed they were following their leader, doing as he did, matching his actions and attitude. Without knowing it, he was setting a powerful example and casting a dispiriting shadow. It’s that easy to do! Leaders lead without knowing it. All they have to do is be themselves, and walk their own talk. That’s the beauty of leadership, and it’s the burden of leadership. Your actions speak loudly, and someone is always watching.

Here is a positive impact true story from the web
                      A new VP of Sales held a regional sales review meeting where each manager was expected to present their sales forecast, where they stood against plan, and the supporting rationale. After hearing one presentation and the beginning of a second where the managers complained about their products and lamented their lack of technology and the robust product capabilities of their competitors, he stopped the meeting. He got up and moved deliberately to the front of the room in what seemed like a scene from the movie Patton.

                         He then said, "I didn't come here to listen to excuses about why you can't sell because you believe the competition has better products, technology or whatever. What I do expect to hear is how your commitment and strategy to sell our company's products is producing results. After that, I'm open to discussing what we can all do to improve. For those of you who may not have heard or understood what I just said, let me reiterate. We all get paid to sell the products and services of this company and it requires everyone's commitment to be successful. You have a choice to make, which I expect to see at the reschedule date of this meeting."
                          That situation helped change the dynamic of the sales team and it became part of the folklore that helped shape the future culture of that company.

Managing your shadow as a leader is a simple matter of awareness and intent. Here’s a three-step process for better understanding your shadow:

1. Identify your shadow. How do your actions, attitudes and messages influence the culture?

2. Develop a shadow improvement plan. Once you’ve identified your current shadow, focus on your strengths and figure out how you can use them to improve your shadow.

3. Share your shadow. Talk about this concept with your team, and ask them to help keep you on track and casting the shadow that positively influences the work culture.

A critical element of the leadership shadow is the "Say-Do" factor. It has to do with having the courage of your convictions. Essentially, if you say you are going to do something but act differently when it's not politically correct or represents a risk to you or your position, you put your credibility at risk as a leader and create doubts about what the company stands for.

A regular question to ask ourselves: "What kind of shadow am I casting as a leader?"

In closing, as Warren Bennis said, “A leader doesn’t just get the message across, a leader is the message.”

                                                          Cheers and Happy Shadowing!! :)