As you build leadership skills, you learn to inspire and motivate your team
Photo by BBH Singapore on Unsplash
After a difficult year, we could all use a boost of energy and inspiration at work. If you currently manage others, your team’s morale should count among your top priorities this year. As you build leadership skills, you learn how to motivate people through even the most challenging times – and companies need strong leaders now more than ever.
Inspiration moves mountains
According to the Social and Emotional Intelligence Profile (SEIP), people with strong leadership exhibit skills for “motivating, guiding and mobilizing individuals and groups; articulating a clear, compelling and motivating vision for the future.”
The word “mobilize” jumps out at me in that description. While inspiration on its own is wonderful, true leaders do more than create a feel-good atmosphere with compelling stories. True leaders guide people to act. As you motivate your people, you also need to know how to empower them to create, innovate and problem-solve.
Recently, HBR prompted managers to find new ways to motivate their teams through the Covid-19 burnout that has become commonplace:
“As we flip our calendars to yet another month of our large-scale Covid-19 remote-work experiment, it’s no wonder that motivation, performance, and well-being are flagging for many. Months in, managers need new tools to reenergize their teams, to accurately identify and diagnose recurring struggles, and to empathetically help employees address their problems.
A large part of a leader’s responsibility is to provide structure, guidance, and regulation; yet many workplace studies point to the fact that the most important gauge for a healthy work environment isn’t a strong external framework, but whether individuals can foster internal motivation.”
These HBR writers suggest that leaders need to focus on three areas in order to pull employees out of the doldrums and encourage them to tackle work projects and problems:
Relatedness. In effective teams, leaders have worked to foster a sense of belonging. Each person feels valued and heard, and leaders validate their emotional needs while inspiring them to contribute to the team.
Competence. Strong leaders include others in difficult decisions and give individuals a chance to contribute. In that context, people feel more confident and competent – and consequently more willing to put in extra effort.
Autonomy. Leadership means recognizing others’ strengths and encouraging them to make decisions and act. While you need to set a direction and goals for your team, you can give them a sense of autonomy that allows them to contribute at the highest level.
Bottom line, your interpersonal skills will allow you to develop and grow your people. It’s not about forcing your ideas or processes onto others, but encouraging a sense of teamwork that allows everyone to shine as you achieve a common vision.
How to grow as a leader
The most effective and inspirational leaders tend to have some natural traits that encourage others to buy in and follow their vision. Those traits include excellent communication skills and a bias toward decisive action. However, you can build your leadership skills regardless of your current title, personality type (yes, introverts can be great leaders!) or past experience.
If you would like to develop your sphere of influence and become a better leader, work on:
Listening and empathy. Tuning into the people around you will allow you to better assess your team’s and company’s needs and uncover issues before they become catastrophes
Developing a vision. People follow leaders who have a clearly communicated vision. A vague direction only results in haphazard results.
Decisiveness. Even if you are the type who would rather weigh pros and cons for a while, which can actually benefit a business, give yourself a deadline for decision-making.
Honesty and integrity. Own up to mistakes and take responsibility in all areas of your life. Lead by example.
Seeking out smart people. Leadership isn’t about sitting in an ivory tower. It’s about connecting the smartest people in the room with the problem of the day. Your leadership skills will grow with every authentic relationship you build.
Challenging the status quo. You have to know when to try a new approach and why. A good manager might simply move the same ball down the field. A good leader changes the ball, the field or both.
Cultivating a growth mindset. Believing in yourself and your people, and acting from a growth mindset, can open up a number of opportunities.
Learning. Your knowledge, skills and growth should continue throughout your career. Even if you have reached the top of the ladder, there’s always something new to learn.
Whatever your starting point, you have an opportunity to become a better leader each day. Working with an executive coach can help you identify your personal leadership vision and values, as well as develop the skills you need to achieve them.
To learn more about my approach to executive coaching and leadership development, reach out to me for a complimentary strategy call.