LEADERSHIP STRENGTH - MOTIVATE

This is the first in a series of discussions around the core strengths people need to develop as part of becoming a high functioning leader. These come from a list developed through research conducted by the Gallup organization around what strengths folks need to have to be effective leaders.  In fact Gallup is so compelled by their findings that they have now taken the position that leaders should be hired for these strengths and not necessarily for their technical expertise in that given area.  While it may seem radical it has certainly provided food for thought.

Motivate
The first leadership talent is the ability to motivate others.  The power of motivation is something that is found in novels and movies and stories.  We love a good story where a leader motivates a group to overcome a challenge.  It could be a sports story, a story around a crisis or just a success story like the ones we find with people like Steve Jobs or Bill Gates. Who hasn't been moved by movies like "Blind Side", "Gandhi" or "Apollo 13"?  We are wired to respond to motivation and an effective leader will tap into that natural chemistry on their team.

Create A Compelling Vision or Mission
I can walk into a company or plant and immediately determine those leaders who are not motivating vs those who are.  Our words are powerful indicators of one or the other; "don't ask questions, just do your job" vs "thats a good question let me show you how what you are doing is a key part of what we deliver for our clients."  Get the difference?  I recall one story where a manager in a fast food restaurant told his drive through staff to count the number of times they made their clients smile.  It was a contest and it worked but it also tied into the much needed positive client experience.  

Two Stories
I can think of two very different stories around this.  In the first story a young manager for a crew in an LNG production facility told his team that his goal was to make them the best crew in the plant.  They sat down and agreed on a list together about what made a great crew, broke it into pieces for each of the crew and set them loose to do it.  The work was no less redundant but the crew went at it with renewed vigour.  Even though they were only measuring against their own previous performance soon the word got out and a friendly rivalry began between the crews and everyones game went up a notch or two (or three!).

In the second story an office manager struggled with motivating a group of office staff to come together as a team and ramp up performance.  They all did their work but did not seem to work well together.  It was a source of frustration until one day a client came into the small office to commend the receptionist on having helped out with a billing issue and left a box of chocolates.  Everyone saw it and the manager jumped on the opportunity.  She brought the team into the conference room and sat the box of chocolates down in the middle of the table.  She commended the receptionist but then asked her to think if there was anyone else that had made her help to this client possible?  She didn't even have to think about it because she had needed to pull an archived file and one of the other team got that for her. That team member spoke out about how it was a good thing that the information had been filed properly by another team member who was responsible for that and someone else talked about how the bookkeeper had saved the day as well with timely input on how to deal with the issue.  By the time they were done they all realized that each of them in some way had been a part of that success with the client. That was enough for the manager to start to build a mission for that team on being a team and from that point forward things changed.

Clients, Tasks or Team
Usually building vision or mission that is compelling is going to involve looking at either how what we do impacts clients for the better, how the tasks we do contribute to the overall goals of the company or how we function as part of a high performing team.  Sometimes these things are obvious such as being a doctor or firefighter where the benefit to the client is clear.  Or in a manufacturing scenario where your task is part of a series of tasks that all combine to create a product.  Sometimes it is simply that your task may not change the world or save a life or build a desk but it means a lot to your fellow workers in because it contributes to their success - no one ever really wants to let the team down.  What ever your situation look for where the best connection to vision is.  That is where motivation begins.

Being able to motivate is something that you can learn to do or if you already are doing it, do it better.  It is a key strength to have as a leader so ask yourself how is your "motivate" going? Performance Leadership - Think About It?