Leaders embody the change they wish to see. When a leader legitimately changes or adopts a change, others change their reaction to him or her. They become more likely to change in the same way as well. When others see a leader adopting change they will follow suit. In this manner, a leader models the way.
Leaders often change before they need to change. This is in advance of beneficial changes to the team or organization. This is "leading by example" or "showing others the way." This is an alternative to simply stating orders.
This is an effective practice in managing change. It should supplement a change-based project roll-out. If the change is small enough, leading by example can replace the project.
The other key component is to support employees who are affected by the change. This can include finding successful early adopters, thanking them, and sharing their success with others.
Providing adequate resources is a key ingredient to successful change management. Employees require the tools and training to adopt the change you need them to adopt. With respect to tools and training, the leader should participate as well. This can involve literally showing employees the way to use the tools.
People usually leave jobs due to bad boss relationships. It is never good to be that boss. Employees must know, like, and believe in the boss. A successful change effort will highlight the positive relationships. The success of a change effort can be more about he quality of the relationships and the example the leader sets - not really the change.