Model the Way

In my mind Modeling the Way means to instill your values and standards to others through your actions. In order to do this successfully one needs to do many things such as communicating your values to others and understanding what motivates your own self. However the commitment I found to be the most important in modeling the way is commitment 1.3 from our packet. It states that leaders are willing to stand up for his/her beliefs. I find this commitment to be the most important because no matter how well one communicates his vision if he is unable to stand up for what he believes in the persons he leads will not want to follow his vision because it appears to them that he is unable to fight even for his own ideals. Standing up for what you believe in is the most important commitment a leader can make, when others see this sacrifice for a vision they are more readily able to follow the said vision.

In a leadership role standing up for what you believe in is a vital commitment as a leader but also one of the hardest to make because one puts much at risk with this commitment. As seen in the OTL report and in Pay It Forward the leader ends up losing his life for standing up for what he believes in. Now in many cases standing up for what you believe in does not require the risking of one's life, but one has to be willing to make that sacrifice. A prime example of standing up for what you believe in can be seen from leaders on the athletic fields. If a team leader wishes for his fellow teammates to play with honor and dignity he will model that behavior. If a ref makes a bad call the team leader will not lose his composure and demand others to keep there's. In this sense the leader is standing up for what he believes in by keeping his cool and making sure his teammates do not do anything that would show disrespect. Thus, the leader has accomplished his goal of making his team a respectable and dignified unit.