A four year study of over 20,000 leaders documented in the book The Inspiring Leader - shows (unsurprisingly), that the
ability to “inspire and motivate other people to high performance” is the most
important indicator of leadership effectiveness - as rated by their direct
reports, peers, and managers.
Being able to inspire people to high performance - also correlates positively
with employee engagement and satisfaction.
Here are our recommendations for steps you can take to increase your ability to
inspire others:
Get down to the
coalface.
Practice
management by walking around. Take an interest in your people –
particularly in what they enjoy doing outside of work. Pay attention to
what they are doing on the job and how they do it. Ask for their
suggestions for improvements and listen.
Involve others in
decision making.
Seeking the opinion of others communicates that you value their opinion. You
may not necessarily act on their recommendations, but you need to show that you
care enough to take their point of view into account.
Be open to new ideas.
If you have a “no” approach to new ideas, you will unwittingly close down
creativity and innovation. You can’t say “yes” to everything (in fact the
essence of strategy is deciding what “not” to do) but let the seeds of new
ideas germinate just in case there is mighty oak tree lurking in there
somewhere.
Clarify the key
strategic moves the company needs to make in the next 3-5 years.
It is the leader’s job to make everyone feel more secure about the
future. Show them you have given careful thought to the steps the company
must take to be able to successfully compete in your industry in the future.
Over communicate your
strategic plan.
Tell them, tell them and tell them again. Especially when it comes to
things like: Core Values, Core Purpose, your long-term goals, and strategic
action priorities. Everyone should know how they need to behave, why the
work they are doing matters, where the company is going, and how you plan to
get there.
Set challenging but
realistic targets.
Think of goal setting as being like a rubber band. If you stretch it you
can create a powerful action response. Stretch it too far however - the
rubber band snaps, and you get nowhere.
Delegate tasks to grow
people.
Delegation shows your trust in that person. Delegation is not the same as
abdication however. Learn how to delegate and coach people well - and
your team members will develop and become more confident and capable.
Schedule regular
coaching sessions.
The most important use of a manager’s time is the real-time coaching of their
people in the field. Get out of your office and tag along as they do
their job - offering your constructive feedback.
Model the Core Values.
Company Core Values will only exist to the extent you live them yourself, the
extent to which you make heroes of those who demonstrate them, and the extent
to which you confront people who don’t.
Show some emotion.
It’s ok to show your frustration when things don’t get done - but don’t always
be cracking the whip. Express heartfelt appreciation for good performance
from your team members. Be excited about the company’s strategic
priorities, and celebrate enthusiastically when progress is being made toward
them.
Stephen Lynch
Chief Operating Officer - Global Operations
RESULTS.com
