This study examined the relationship between exemplification and supervisor-rated performance in the context of ethical leadership. Using a sample of employees from automotive dealers in central China, this study showed that the use of exemplification positively affected extra-role rather than in-role performance ratings. Ethical leadership, on the other hand, moderated the relationship between exemplification and in-role performance rating, but not the relationship between exemplification and extra-role performance rating. Implications of our findings have been discussed.