Be The Example

It is easy for anyone to tell others how to behave or do things, but not everyone can take the same pill they give to others. The best way to help change behaviour is by being the example of that behaviour you want from others. I read a very heartwarming message that I would like to share with you.

A young boy who a single mother is raising went about his business of daily hawking when his story changed. What changed his story was the example seen from his mother at home during his upbringing. On that day, a football match was about to be played by players from the FCMB bank and the group ECO was present at the game. At such events, it is not unusual to see hawkers selling snacks and drinks, and in that joyous atmosphere was the man in our story hawking groundnuts when one of them asked him to sell the whole stock to them.  He handed over everything to them, and they asked how much the bill was, and he replied 2,100 naira. The CEO asked his PA to give the young boy 10,000 naira, to which the young boy declined because he could not explain to his mother how he made the extra cash because his mother will not accept it and has modelled that same lifestyle for her children.  Some people are quick to accept cash donations without first asking questions about the source, especially those in a position of leadership where people can easily bring cash donation every week. 

The CEO, touched by the young boy’s action, asked the PA to collect back the money and asked him to bring his mother.  The mother became afraid and started crying that why should they be calling her to come. The CEO then assured her that nothing was wrong and explained what had happened and how impressed he was by her son’s action. So impressed he was by the boys upbringing that instead of the 10,000 naira, he gave the boy a full-ride scholarship for his integrity and uprightness.  Despite the challenges his family faced and his background, he stayed true to the family values that had been modelled for him by his mother, and it paid off. Children take cues from their parents, and the best way to teach values to your children and even peers or seniors is to be the example you preach. You cannot be deceptive in your ways and expect others to be upright. You can’t demand integrity from your child or colleague when on the phone you lie you are in a meeting or at a location when in truth, you are neither in any meeting nor in the stated location. The most powerful tool to model and shape behaviour is your example so, be the example.