At West Point, “Set the Example” is the most visible leadership principle because it is the most consequential. Leaders are always observed. Over time, what you tolerate, prioritize, and model becomes the organization’s operating system.

At senior levels, leadership is not expressed through instruction alone. It is expressed through behavior that signals what truly matters, and through the standards leaders consistently reinforce.

Leadership as Signal

Executives do not need to be everywhere, but they are always seen. Decisions, tone, and personal standards cascade faster than any policy memo.

Setting the example means understanding that your actions establish the real rules of the organization:

• Standards become real only when leaders live and enforce them. Controls, values, and governance frameworks fail when senior leaders bypass them or allow exceptions to persist without consequence.
• Composure sets the temperature. In moments of pressure, teams look up. Calm, disciplined leadership enables rational execution when stakes are high.
• Presence during difficulty builds credibility. Leaders who are visible and engaged during hard moments earn trust that cannot be delegated.

Behavior, Accountability, and Credibility

At the enterprise level, credibility is built through consistency, not rhetoric. Culture follows behavior, and behavior is shaped by what leaders choose to reinforce.

Effective executive role modeling includes:

• Integrity: Making principled decisions when outcomes are uncertain or personally inconvenient.
• Operational competence: Maintaining enough fluency to challenge assumptions, ask the right questions, and recognize risk early.
• Personal discipline: Demonstrating the rigor, preparation, and follow-through expected across the organization.
• Accountability: Holding individuals and teams to clear expectations, addressing underperformance directly, and applying standards evenly regardless of role or tenure.

Accountability is itself a visible signal. When leaders avoid difficult conversations or tolerate repeated underperformance, they quietly reset the bar. The organization learns what truly matters by watching what is corrected and what is allowed to continue.

Consistency Creates Authority

Inconsistency is the fastest way to erode leadership authority. When leaders apply standards selectively, they introduce ambiguity. Ambiguity invites risk.

Setting the example requires sustained alignment between expectation, behavior, and consequence, especially when no one is watching and when tradeoffs are uncomfortable.

Leaders who consistently model excellence and reinforce it through accountability do not need to enforce culture aggressively. The organization internalizes it.

At scale, setting the example is not about visibility. It is about credibility. And credibility is what ultimately enables execution, trust, and long-term performance.