Don’t just talk the talk, walk the walk!

I had just joined a new start-up division of an international organisation.
I was really excited about what I could learn and achieve in my new role. Week 1 was induction week, fifteen of us had started together. All of us a bit nervous but excited and highly engaged.

At the end of the induction week, two executives flew in from the company’s head office in Italy. They spoke so eloquently about the company’s values and culture. They spoke about the importance of everyone doing their bit to manage costs.

One particular area they highlighted was the travel policy. They were keen to stress that any flight that was under 4 hours, we should always fly economy class. I felt that that was fair. Business-class flights are always extremely expensive.

That evening I was flying to our head office, for a project kick-off meeting. When I boarded the flight, where were the two executives sitting? In business class, for the two and half hour flight. My heart sank! I was so disappointed. These were the people that were supposed to espouse the values and culture of the organisation.

As a leader, I learned a very important lesson, If we want to engage people in your organisation, don’t just talk the talk, we need to walk the walk.