Most leaders are natural optimists and believe that their teams have the ability to accomplish great things. However, it’s impossible to move forward with your team vision if members are suffering from a lack of inspiration. There are, however, a variety of implements in every leader’s toolbox to help motivate others. These five tips will help you become a more inspiring leader:
Who’s #1?
“Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.” – Jack Welch
Truly inspiring your employees is not just about making them see your vision; it’s about helping them see who they are—and can become—in it. One commonality among inspirational leaders is their desire to help their employees to grow, achieve, and excel. Serving your employees by encouraging their success conveys the importance of your corporate mission as well as your commitment to their individual roles. Listening to employee concerns and ideas (and making changes in light of them), encouraging them in their work, and providing them with opportunities to grow are all fundamental motivators.
Promotion and Prevention
“Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground.”—Theodore Roosevelt
Promoting a positive environment in your workplace is vital, but it is possible to smother some of your team with too much of a good thing. Drs. Heidi Grant Halvorsen and E. Tory Higgens, a pair of social psychologists, discovered that there are differing outlooks regarding motivation. There are those who are “promotion-focused”, individuals who are interested in moving in new directions and seizing every opportunity. “Prevention-focused” folks are more defensively wired, and while they are not entirely risk-averse, preserving what they have is more important than grabbing at something untried. Knowing what type applies to which of your employees can go a long way towards providing them with motivation.
Show Me the…
“A wise man should have money in his head, but not in his heart.”—Jonathan Swift
Adequate compensation is particularly key to motivating—and keeping—good people. Money and other types of rewards are always appreciated, but cash can’t always bring out the best in your team. Inspiring others involves some relationship building on your part. Employees want to feel that their work is valued, that their contribution is important, and that they are respected. Engaging a team member in a one-on-one conversation about a job well done or praising a good response to a problem during a company meeting indicates your engagement and respect for the individual.
Values Voters
“The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves.”—Ray Kroc
Inspiring others to support your vision is wrapped up in your standards and approach to life. One way to view others is to see them as “Values Voters”. They are more likely to follow your lead and do their best when they have a firm understanding of your values. Do you show your employees that you value integrity and honesty? Your firm commitment to standards sends a strong, clear message about your priorities. Fluctuating values in management can create an uncertain atmosphere, draining the passion from your team members.
WE Did It
“Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.”—Henry Ford
Team-building is vital to any corporate structure, but it’s probably one of the more challenging aspects of a leader’s job. Making a broad range of individuals with very different talents and backgrounds part of a cohesive unit involves creating time for them to be together: this may look
like a company picnic, a monthly lunch, or even a game room for after-work socializing. People who feel like they are left out of the group are not only less likely to be motivated to perform their jobs, but their negative sentiments might spill over to other team members or into detrimental actions.
Not every approach will inspire every person, but a personal commitment to continually enhancing your company’s culture and employees will eventually yield a stronger team of dedicated individuals. Perseverance is the inspirational leader’s strongest companion.