The Greatest Leaders Perfect the Art of Motivation
Good leaders find ways to inspire. Great leaders find ways to motivate.
Why is it so hard to motivate others? No matter how enthusiastic or inspiring a leader you might be, the harsh reality is that your words alone will never be enough.
To truly cultivate an inner spark amongst your fanbase, you have to go beyond the inspiration phase. You have to tap into what makes your followers tick, not what makes you tick. The difference is subtle, but the effects are profound.
When I was at university, now nearing 8 years ago, a group of us decided to form a new society. We called ourselves ‘Young Leaders.’ And I was lucky enough to be elected as President.
Our mission was simple. We strived to inspire students to become great leaders, and not just great employees. What we accomplished within the space of a few months — from hiring professional actors who taught us about the power of good body language, to organising a talent show that reminded students of their uniqueness — was truly incredible. It still goes down as being one of my greatest achievements as a leader.
Now rightly or wrongly, I treated this society as my baby, my start-up, my business. But my 19-year old self was also aware that if we were to succeed, Young Leaders had to become our baby, our start-up, our business.
And so, as President, I worked hard at encouraging my committee to get behind our society’s vision — I figured a few inspirational speeches would do the trick. What I should have done was bring them alongside our vision.
Yet again, the difference is subtle. The consequences are profound.
No example best describes the point I am trying to make than the time I decided to appoint a ‘Charity Officer’. I was always eager for Young Leaders to contribute to something meaningful. Even if that meant donating just a handful of what we earned in event sales to our charity-of-choice.
But here’s where I went wrong. I knew what charity I wanted to support. But this wasn’t the same choice as that of my selected Charity Officer. And guess who ended up winning that decision? Me. And guess who lost touch with his ability to motivate this individual. Also me.
I had failed to realise that the benefits would have been far greater had I allowed my teammate to pursue a cause that she was most connected towards.
I had failed to realise that a good leader knows not just how to inspire others, but also how to motivate them too.
Inspiration will always be an important first step.
Looking back, I realise that my mistake as a leader rested on my second step.
The first step I made, as President, was that I wanted to be an inspiring leader. I had brought my team on board with our ultimate goal of trying to promote the skill of leadership on campus. And I had succeeded in getting them behind our vision.
“As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.”
– Bill Gates
And as long as you need the support of others, in whatever you do, you have to set the tone and the purpose behind why you have a goal in the first place. You have to inspire your team to work towards the picture you paint as a leader.
But the picture itself needs to be large enough such that it can accommodate the changes that are needed to motivate others.
Finding ways to motivate your followers, and not just inspire them, is the second step that every leader needs to make. This is where I tripped up 8 years ago.
Ask yourself this: what does the other person want out of the goal you are setting?
“Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.”
– President Dwight Eisenhower
However you choose to delegate, whatever strategy you employ, you have to frequently put yourself in the other person’s shoes. You need to regularly ask yourself, “What do they want out of the task I’m setting?”
“How will they feel like they’ve accomplished something? How can I give them a meaningful sense of responsibility?”
Most people want to achieve something out of every assignment they are handed; be it an opportunity to learn something new, a sense of fulfillment, or even just the knowledge that they are working towards something that they, as a person, truly believe in.
Had I allowed my Charity officer to pursue the cause that she was most passionate about, I would have got this part right as a leader. And the results would have been far superior.
Find what makes others feel connected to their work. Incorporate this into the task, even if it means ‘flexing’ the big picture.
Ultimately, it comes down to striking the right balance.
In short, to get a little, you have to give a little.
If you want someone to walk alongside your vision, as opposed to behind you, you need to give them a slice of your vision. And not just any old slice. But a slice that well and truly matters to them.
Schedule time beforehand to openly discuss what you want your teammate/employee/colleague to achieve out of a project. Be upfront and honest about your vision, but importantly, spend time listening to their goals. Find out what they want. And find ways to merge this with what you want.
At the end of the day, every successful relationship you have as a leader comes down to whether you are able to make small compromises with your followers. It’s the only way you can both inspire and motivate your team.
A final thought…
Always remember how those behind your vision have free-reign to drop out as they please. But those who work alongside you are better placed to stick with you to the end.
Find ways to motivate others. Inspiring them alone is never good enough.
Thank you for reading.
