Every CEO will tell you that they have a number of ‘high-performers’ in their organisations. The idea generators, the doers, the people that drive the business forward. As a leader, your role is to nurture as many of these people as possible – inspiring and motivating your team towards a common goal. Here are four simple, yet effective tactics which all leaders should start with when inspiring and motivating their team:
As a leader you will have a clear, in-depth understanding of what you want your business to achieve. This knowledge forms the core of your vision, thus inspiring and motivating you to work towards it. It sounds very simple, but the first step towards inspiring and motivating others is to ensure that they know what the vision is too! It is important that your people understand your image of the future and where they sit within it. They need to connect their daily, weekly and monthly tasks and actions to the bigger picture, so that they see the role they have to play in achieving it.
The best way to formalise and communicate your vision is to write a vision statement which captures the essence of your long-term business goals. This should be visible at all times, to inspire and motivate your employees and remind them of their purpose. Remember to communicate, communicate, communicate.
If members of your team are given the opportunity to learn new skills, they will be able to add more value and be a greater asset to your organisation. Not only will they develop within their role, they will also feel a greater sense of value and appreciation, which in turn helps in inspiring and motivating them to succeed. Leaders should create a culture of continuous learning in their organisation, so that processes improve, new ideas are shared and every person who joins the business leaves their role in a better position than they found it.
Your attitude will determine your direction. The most successful leaders are brilliant communicators, and it is their passion and enthusiasm for the vision that plays a crucial role in inspiring and motivating their teams. High-performance teams are predominantly more ‘pull’ than ‘push’ – and enthusiasm spreads through an organisation like wildfire. The first step towards creating energy in your team is to show energy yourself.
Every individual is different. The secret to motivating employees is to know and understand the people you are inspiring. People want to know that their leaders understand their personal aspirations and drivers. You need to spend quality time with your employees. Employees want a leader that pays attention and genuinely cares about them as people. They are most inspired when they see their leader taking the time to get to know them as a team. This is where the leader personally, ensures that they have their best interests at heart.
By Darryl Cooke
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