“Good leaders make people feel that they’re at the very heart of things, not at the periphery. Everyone feels that he or she makes a difference to the success of the organization. When that happens people feel centered and that gives their work meaning.” –Warren G. Bennis
As a leader, your ability to inspire the people you lead is a function of your willingness to allow them to shine.
Inspiration is not about proving yourself or point of view right, or suppressing the opinions of others, or proving them wrong. Inspiration isn’t about impressing people with your own intelligence or ability, or showing others that they are not as smart as you.
Inspiration is about bringing out the very best in others. Inspiration is about letting others know that you appreciate them and their contributions.
In order to inspire the people you lead, you need to recognize their unique gifts and abilities, and reward them for expressing their own creativity and dedication. Inspiring people means letting them be great, and letting them know… that you know they are great.
You have a lot of opportunities to inspire people but I have found these five to work time after time:
- Ask
- Acknowledge
- Interact
- Acquiesce
- Opportunity
Start inspiring the people you lead…
- Begin a practice of taking individuals aside from time to time and ask them for their insight or opinion about something important. Let them think about the challenges and problems that you think about, that you are facing, and allow yourself to be open and accepting to the solutions or insights they contribute. As I stated in Assessing Your Employees, http://www.createawinningteam.com/assessing-your-employees, spending direct 1:1 time with your associates is invaluable for both you and them. You might just be surprised where the best ideas come from.
- Make a point to acknowledge people for the work they do, but especially for the work they don’t think you know they do! People want to be recognized and appreciated for what they do. A simple ‘Thanks for a job well done’, or ‘Thanks for all of the effort you put into that project’ is all that is needed. Just letting people know that you not only acknowledge their efforts but appreciate them goes a very long way.
- Make it your mission to personally interact with people at every level of your organization. Saying hello to the people you pass in the halls can go a long way. I am not talking about interacting once a year or so. I know there are companies that hold a summer cook out or BBQ once a year. The top Execs are behind the grill serving up hotdogs, being friendly and acting like they are just one of the common folk. The reality is your people are not stupid. They know you ignored them yesterday and that you will ignore them again tomorrow. How about trying to just be real? Have you asked the switchboard operator to your office for coffee? If it weren’t for them you wouldn’t get any calls. Do you even know the name of the person who cleans your office? Your people want to be with you and get to know you, and they want you to know who they are. Interacting with people at every level of your organization’s hierarchy helps dissolve any resentment between the ranks and create a culture where everyone feels like they matter. Too many organizations operate on the We / Them attitude when it they should be operating on the US approach.
- Acquiesce to others. OK, we all know you’re the boss which means you get to be right even when you’re wrong! How about giving the people you work with the experience of being heard once in a while? Allow them to make a significant contribution by giving them the benefit of the doubt even when you disagree with them. Yielding to other people’s opinions, when appropriate, helps foster respect and mutual admiration. Is it really that important for you to be right? Or is the most important thing the ability to accept the right decision, regardless of whose idea it is?
- Give other people the opportunity to lead. Allow and encourage people to express and develop their own leadership by catering to their strengths. Far too often we pigeon hole people into whatever job they are currently doing without considering what they are capable of doing. Just because someone typically unloads a truck doesn’t mean they can’t merchandise the floor. You need to look at people’s potential and not just what they are doing at the moment. Do you think you have the wrong employee? Maybe you have the right employee in the wrong job. Give people the opportunity to demonstrate their leadership.
Being able to inspire the people you lead is critically important if you desire to create a vibrant and productive company culture. It’s not just about making people feel good, you can do that by giving them sugar. It’s about what people are capable of producing when they believe in themselves, and when they find meaning and purpose in their work. If you are going to inspire the people you lead, you must treat them as equals, show them respect and give them the opportunity to let them show you their greatness!
