In the 1980s, AIDS arrived on the world stage. It was new. It was frightening. There was no cure and no effective treatment. To get this disease was largely seen as a death sentence.

To make matters worse, it was a common belief that you could catch the disease from touching someone who had it, or by sitting on the same toilet seat, or even by simply coming into close proximity. The afflicted were shunned like lepers in the Bible. 50% of people polled in the US wanted those with AIDS quarantined.

Then, in a moment of love being lived out loud, Princess Diana visited a hospital ward dedicated to treating AIDS patients. Without gloves, she shook hands with patients. As a leading world figure, she sent a message. She changed the world’s perceptions of the disease. In a single act, she moved people to get rid of fear and hate and take compassionate action.

There’s a huge lesson here—many actually—but one in particular. When you step into a leadership role, you are watched and set as an example of what’s okay or not. This is why, when you become a parent, you naturally begin behaving in ways that you want your child to behave. For example, you censor yourself, you get more polite, you listen more, etc., etc.

So, if you’re a business leader and want your team to show up on time, you have to show up on time. If you want your team to speak to customers appropriately, you have to show them how it’s done in how you speak. Fundamentally, if you want your team to serve, you have to serve them.

“Do as I say, not as I do,” is the world’s worst leadership strategy. If you want to lead effectively, you must do what you say. If you want to see it in others—whatever it is—you must be it too.

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