the longer you leave it...

[unpakwon]

I'm having trouble understanding the following sentence in red. What is it saying in the context?

Putting values into action is about what you do and what you say in the moment that matters. The longer you leave it, the weaker the intervention becomes. Any change requires role models to demonstrate different thinking and behaviour. Anyone who has responsibility for people must recognise the consequences of being a poor role model.

Thank you.

[riquecohen]

If you wait too long before you take action, the impact of the intervention will be lessened.

[emsr2d2]

The length of time that you leave something has a corresponding effect on the thing itself.

Imagine the following scenario:

You have a bowl of soup which you have just cooked. Its temperature is currently 70 degrees Centigrade.

You leave the soup on the table for 5 minutes. The temperature is now 60 degrees.
You leave the soup on the table for 10 minutes. The temperature is now 50 degrees.
You leave the soup on the table for 20 minutes. The temperature is now 40 degrees.
You leave the soup on the table for an hour. The temperature is now 10 degrees.

So - the longer you leave it [the soup] on the table, the cooler it [the soup] becomes.

[unpakwon]

I get it.

Thank you all for the explanation.