Do you ever struggle to keep the keep the leaders on your team motivated? How do you motivate a leader?
Certainly, you want the maximum potential out of the team. You want their best contributions to your team. Learning how to motivate leaders on your team is a critical step in leading well.
It may not be as difficult as you may think. Most leader-types share some common traits. They may lead entirely different – they may have different causes and interests, but most leaders are motivated by similar influences.
7 ways to motivate leaders:
Give them a challenge to meet
If you tell a leader it “can’t be done” expect to see some motivation accelerate. Most leaders love to strive for the impossible. Give them something that seems out of their reach and you are likely to get them on board.
Celebrate results
When leaders celebrate a win, it fuels their desire for another. Leaders thrive on accomplishment. Something in the DNA of a leader loves to win.
Share enthusiasm
Paint an exciting and compelling vision and you’ve likely got a leader’s attention. (This is also why you have to continually repeat the vision.)
Involve some risk
Tell a leader something is “risky” and he or she may be motivated to attempt it. Leaders love a challenge. In fact, one way to tell the difference in a potential good leader and a good manager (we need both) is the amount of risk they are willing to assume.
Embrace change
Leaders, by definition, are creators of movement. When things get stale, throw a little change in the mix and a leader has a new incentive to lead. When a leader gets too comfortable they get bored. They’d often rather live with drama than staleness or routine.
Invite chaos
It sounds strange, but even a little controversy or conflict can fuel a leader. When the situation is overwhelming a leader goes to work. Leaders love to fix things – improve them – make things better. It may even be messy along the way. (Which is also why every good leader needs a good manager.)
Have big dreams
Leaders are visionary. They want to accomplish something bigger than today. The bigger the dream, the bigger the motivation for the leader.
In my opinion, it is useless to have leaders on your team if you don’t lead them lead or use them to their full potential. If you want to get the most out of a leader – you have to learn how to motivate them and keep them motivated.
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