What is good leadership?  It starts with leading by example.  Don't expect your staff to do something if you're not doing it yourself.  Absolutely every single thing you ask or require of your staff you must also be willing to do yourself.  This doesn't mean you need to do their jobs, but it does mean you should know how to and you should be willing to pitch in when necessary.  It also means you need to abide by all of the same rules, and you must be consistent.  Many owners try to justify their bad behavior by telling me, "Yeah, but I am the boss."  But all that their employees see is a boss who is lazy and two-faced.  You can't exempt yourself just because you're in charge.

-Tabatha Coffey, Own It!

While this concept is not revolutionary, it continually bears repeating: many executives know they are supposed to lead by example (and may even talk openly about doing so), but then they do not demonstrate it in practice.  Tabatha's note about "abiding by all of the same rules" is particularly relevant, as it's sometimes the simplest rules that executives overlook, not realizing that it can take just one infraction for their employees to start to question their leadership.  

One of the most common basic examples that I see is with regards to email: it is not uncommon to see executives not utilizing the "company-wide" email signature standards that they themselves often put in place.  What does that say to their employees?

If you are in a leadership position, periodically take a step back and conduct a self-audit (or, better yet, have someone else you trust do your evaluation) to make certain you aren't setting the wrong impression for your employees.