Teachable moments #50 - The Crushing Weight of Inconsistency: When "Do as I Say, Not as I Do" Backfires

I recently attended a certification program, eager to soak up new knowledge and refine my professional skills. The facilitator started strong, emphasizing the paramount importance of professionalism. They preached about attention to detail, clear communication, and leading by example – all principles I wholeheartedly subscribe to.

And then, the slides came up.

My heart sank a little with each pixelated image that flashed across the screen. These weren't just slightly blurry; they were genuinely fuzzy, the kind that scream "I quickly pulled this off Google Images without checking the resolution." It was a jarring disconnect. How could someone so passionately advocate for professionalism while presenting visuals that were, frankly, unprofessional?

The irony didn't stop there. We were explicitly told to avoid "too much lecturing" in our own future training sessions. A valid point, and one I appreciated. Yet, as the program progressed, the facilitator leaned heavily into exactly that. The final 30 minutes of the session were a blur of rapid-fire slides, with the facilitator lecturing at a frantic pace, trying to cram in information. There was no real engagement, no room for questions, and – perhaps most frustratingly – the instructions for our post-learning assignment were rushed, unclear, and incomplete.

It hit me then, with the force of a concrete block: when we don't practice what we preach, trust and respect are not just diminished, they are utterly decimated.

This experience was a powerful, albeit painful, reminder. It’s not enough to talk about professionalism, quality, or effective communication. We have to embody it, every single time. Because when our actions contradict our words, everything we stand for crumbles. The message gets lost, the credibility vanishes, and the opportunity to truly impact or inspire is completely squandered.

This wasn't just a lesson for the facilitator; it was a profound one for me. It reinforced the absolute necessity of aligning my actions with my values, always. Because at the end of the day, people remember less of what you say and far more of what you do.