The Netherlands, where I live, is a monarchy with a king at this moment. The country has a high rate of Corona incidents which has led to our government activating a series of restrictions to help contain Covid-19 and reduce infections. This included an urgent request to the public to avoid unnecessary travelling and stay at home.
Last week our king decided to fly off to his favourite destination in Greece for a vacation, probably not realizing that Covid-19 restrictions were in place.
His behaviour caused an uproar around the world in the international press. In our country, the Dutch people reacted incensed and angry about his decision.
The general opinion is why does the population need to stay home, while the head of state can continue with his “normal” life at the cost of the taxpayer.
So, what happened here? People observe the behaviour of their leaders. If they see that the spoken word corresponds with the way their leaders behave, most will follow through.
If not, they will ignore and even rebel!
They mirror themselves to the way their leaders speak and behave and this reflects in their actions. Most leaders are often to far detached to realise this.
What lessons can we learn?
For (business) leaders and managers:
Be aware that the people you lead, continuously observe your behaviour. This behaviour determines how well they comply with your expectations.
On selling:
Often salespeople assume they understand what (prospective) customers need. Governments assume the public understands why they implement measurements. Often people do not understand. Instead of focussing on the measurements, governments should give a helicopter view of what the impact of Corona could be on the total healthcare of the country. I guess people would better understand the reasons.
And last, but certainly not least:
If you make a mistake, admit it! People will reward you for your honesty in a royal way.
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