02/16/26
STORY
On the first day of Ramadan…
Our whole family would wake up before sunrise to eat.
Cereal.
Eggs.
Hummus.
LOTS of water.
A full table in the early hours of the morning.
By day two, one of my sisters would sleep through it.
By day three, my mom would join her.
By day four, it was just my father and me.
For the remaining 26 mornings, we sat together while the house slept.
He prepared the food.
We shared quiet conversations before the sun came up.
At the time, I didn’t realize how much I would one day treasure those mornings.
My father passed away more than 11 years ago.
Those early breakfasts are now some of my most cherished memories.
What I also didn’t realize was that he was teaching me about leadership.
He invited the whole family to wake up early.
But he never forced anyone.
Never judged anyone.
Never used authority.
He simply showed up every day.
He led by example.
This week marks the start of Ramadan.
Many are also celebrating Ash Wednesday, marking the first day of Lent.
And for all of us, here’s a reminder:
Whether you lead a family, a team, or a company…
Example is more powerful than enforcement.
Model the behavior.
Encourage the behavior.
Stay consistent.
With time…
Others begin to follow.
OBSERVATION
Research from Utrecht University found that employees learn workplace behavior through “behavioral modeling,” meaning they observe and mirror how leaders consistently show up. The study showed that when leaders demonstrate engagement and commitment, employee engagement and performance rise as well. In other words, people are far more likely to follow what leaders do than what they say.
(Decuypere & Schaufeli, “Leadership and work engagement: Exploring explanatory mechanisms”, German Journal of Human Resource Management, 2020)
STRATEGY
Take a moment to consider the following:
What is a leadership behavior that you wish to model?
Choose one behavior, such as…
– Showcasing courage
– Having difficult conversations
– Asking better questions
– Respectfully holding others accountable
– Responding calmly rather than reacting emotionally
Commit to modeling that behavior this week.
Lead by example.
Don’t tell anyone what they need to do…
Show them.
Rooting for you,
Jay (inviting you to lead by example)
Global keynote speaker
Host of the “Unstuck” podcast
Son of a father who loved his family with all of his heart