If there is such a thing as good leadership, it is to give a good example. I have to do so for all the Ikea employees.

Kamprad frames leadership less as authority or strategy than as personal conduct that others can imitate. The remark reflects IKEA’s long-cultivated culture of frugality, humility, and “leading by doing,” where executives are expected to embody the same cost-conscious, practical habits demanded across the organization. By saying he “has to” set the example, he also acknowledges the symbolic weight of a founder-figure: employees read the leader’s behavior as permission for what is acceptable. The quote thus treats leadership as moral and cultural stewardship—creating norms through visible, everyday choices rather than through slogans or directives.