Connect and Engage! Your People Are Your Power.
It's been said many times that true leadership is measured by ones ability to motivate and influence others.
Leaders must work hard at motivating people to take action necessary to drive change and to ultimately increase results.
Even though most people would agree with the definition of leadership as the ability to motivate and influence others, most people still have trouble translating the definition of leadership into actionable and measurable steps.
The biggest obstacle faced by many leaders is simply figuring out how to effectively motivate and influence an entire team comprised of unique individuals.
Not everyone is motivated by the same thing, nor is everyone influenced to take action or change behavior based on the same factors.
So, what can leaders do to motivate and influence the ENTIRE team?
The elusive one-word answer is simply to - CONNECT!
Leaders must invest the time in each and every one of their team members to get to know a bit more about them - to build a connection based on trust, honesty and respect. (Keep in mind, this personal connection must always remain professional and appropriate. Enough said on that.)
Taking this one step further, leaders must create opportunities for team members to connect as well.
This personal and professional connection will draw you and your team together, to work more effectively to improve efficiencies and increase production and profitability.
To help you envision the ultimate in a leader that successfully connects with his/her team members, let's look at a fictional example. Any "Trekies" out there? Don't flip the channel, this will be quick.
Even if "Star Trek" is not a TV favorite of yours, odds are you probably know enough about the long running series to appreciate this example.
Regardless of which Star Trek captain you visualize, all are terrific examples of leaders (albeit fictional) who have a unique connection to each and every member of their crew.
It's also obvious to the viewer that each team member has an unwavering allegiance to the team, the mission, and to his or her leader. (Envision the Captain - now picture yourself in the captain's chair!)
Just imagine your own team having such a solid connection, both with you and with each other.
Picture you and your team facing exciting and challenging situations together, "Exploring strange new worlds!" and "Boldly going where no one has gone before!"
Maybe this means taking your team to the #1 position in your company, and/or reaching new levels of efficiency and/or production!
The prospect of leading a team that is so well connected is truly exciting.
We've discussed the importance of connection and building a connected team. Next we see that connection is the key ingredient leaders must leverage in order to raise the level of employee engagement.
An employee that is highly engaged in their work will typically run circles around employees who are working simply by showing up and "going through the motions".
If an employee is engaged, it means that he feels he has a personal stake in the outcome - an honest desire to contribute to something greater than himself, something even more important than monetary gain.
The engaged employee has emotion tied to her work. Perhaps that emotion comes out of a sense of loyalty and connection to her leader or other team members.
Top leaders understand that in order to connect with their workforce, they need to leverage the power of emotion. Only by connecting with the individual, can a leader create a powerful team consisting of employees who are personally committed, and emotionally/physically engaged.
KEY MESSAGE: CONNECT TO ENGAGE.
Now that we understand the concepts of connection and engagement, let's get specific and share some examples of how a leader can achieve the connection that will inspire employee engagement:
Leaders must know up front where they are taking their team. They must "believe in" and "see a clear vision of the future".
In order for you to know when you have achieved your vision, the vision must be measurable.
Here are some examples of a vision with measurable results:
Leaders must communicate their vision in a way that inspires others to "believe". Communicating change can be difficult. Communicating a clear action plan that everyone can understand will lessen anxiety.
Change always creates opportunity. Turning the anxiety of change into excitement for opportunity should be the goal of the leader when communicating the new vision. Here are some examples:
Leaders must support, promote, inspire and motivate team members to realize the vision. Motivate team members by giving everyone an opportunity for personal gain, above and beyond their regular pay. For example:
A team is only as strong as its weakest link. Leaders must hold team members accountable for their duties and responsibilities. This is only fair to those employees doing a great job.
Hold accountable any team member who is not doing his/her fair share. In order to achieve great things, you must expect great things from your people. Consider these examples:
BE CONSISTENT in your counsel. Hold yourself accountable! Did you TEACH? Did you COACH? Only then can you EXPECT!
BE CONSISTENT in your counsel.
1st offense = verbal warning (ensure clarity of roles and responsibilities)
2nd offense = written warning (get signature for documentation)
3rd offense = final notice (employee must understand that you will support their choice to either improve immediately or to move on to a more rewarding opportunity.)
4th offense = termination
and finally, BE CONSISTENT in your counsel.
In wrapping up this conversation may we reiterate one last time - when you have succeeded in creating a team that is connected, you can count on each of them having a higher degree of personal engagement toward meeting the goals before them.
Still wondering if this connection thing is really that powerful of a concept? Think about the following examples of leaders who have connected with people on a broad scale and the kinds of results that came from achieving such a powerful connection.
The final point here is that you do NOT need to be a world leader in order to be a great leader.
Through the power of connection you can inspire a higher degree of employee engagement which will enable you and your team to achieve new levels of efficiency and production.
Enjoy the journey!
About The Author
Richard Gorham is the founder and President of Leadership-Tools.com. His web site is dedicated to providing free tools and resources for today's aspiring leaders. Leadership-Tools.com offers tools in the areas of Business Planning, Leadership Development, Customer Service, Sales Management and Team Building.
Looking around in most corporate environments today you'll find mission,... Read More
Here's how to get out of, or avoid, the "I... Read More
Leadership is not about winning a popularity contest, it's about... Read More
7 Awe-Inspiring Leadership Power-Generating Strategies!Here's a really simple way you... Read More
George Bush won the election because he was finally able... Read More
It's been said many times that true leadership is measured... Read More
LISTEN, WRITE, AND ARTICULATE EFFECTIVELY: Leadership positions require effective communication... Read More
One of my favorite memories growing up as a child... Read More
"Heroes are rebels with a cause. Rebels because they challenge... Read More
"You do not merely want to be considered just the... Read More
95% of Workers Fail Because of This...But They Can Fix... Read More
There are literally millions of words written and spoken each... Read More
"The miracle power that elevates the few is to be... Read More
It happens easily. You're conducting a meeting and suddenly a... Read More
The topic of leadership has been and continues to be... Read More
People respond to good leadership! Period! It is in all... Read More
Have you ever wondered what type of person or personality... Read More
Although new ideas lead to creative solutions, they can be... Read More
A tight knit team is a group of competent individuals... Read More
Who is Randy Gage? I first read about him in... Read More
Do you ever strum your fingers on the desk top... Read More
Relationships are constantly facing crisis. Everywhere we look people are... Read More
Mentoring is one of the best ways to learn, to... Read More
What's holding your team back from experiencing "breakout performance"?It may... Read More
Great leadership is timeless, always in vogue. The world has... Read More
Would you like to know what really goes on inside... Read More
Who needs a mentor. . .everyone who is truly serious... Read More
"Dissatisfaction and discouragement are not caused by the absence of... Read More
The vast majority of leadership training available to managers focuses... Read More
"How you think determines how you act. How you... Read More
How do you measure the success of a training or... Read More
Leadership is motivational or it's stumbling in the dark. After... Read More
General George S. Patton was born on November 11, 1885... Read More
It's been said many times that true leadership is measured... Read More
Side conversations ruin meetings by destroying focus and fragmenting participation.Approach... Read More
A number of years ago we created a graphic logo... Read More
Women should not be afraid of or feel guilty about... Read More
In the hit comedic movie Groundhog Day, Bill Murray's character,... Read More
Leadership is not about getting people to do what they... Read More
"We should not only use all the brains we have,... Read More
Have you noticed that across the business world people are... Read More
The single most important thing a leader can do is... Read More
I have been looking for answers to what it takes... Read More
The date was Saturday, April 11, 1970, the time 13:13... Read More
You're a bright, successful business executive making good money and... Read More
Right about now, you've made the discovery that... Read More
You are a leader. Everyone is a leader. It doesn't... Read More
Which one is a goal? I will lose 15... Read More
Don't you love politics?Me, neither. But I do like thinking... Read More
At one point or another, we have all been either... Read More
Master The Five Key Facets of High Performance LeadershipMany people... Read More
In an article discussing the need for innovative products and... Read More
SET CLEAR AND REASONABLE OBJECTIVES FOR THEMSELVES AND OTHERS: Plan?... Read More
Lately the age-old business dilemma of how to stand out... Read More
"Click It" Into Gear!Ever wonder how two people can be... Read More
Did you ever notice that In our American culture, we... Read More
You've heard of the Peter Principle: "People are promoted to... Read More
The United Nations Conference on Law of the Sea was... Read More
The stock market gyrates with unpredictable and heartburning results. Icons... Read More
"Know thyself" is a powerful principle that leaders, managers and... Read More
"Enflamed with the study of learning and the admiration of... Read More
Quality leadership is a positive asset that is needed in... Read More
When we perceive the simple center in the seemingly complex,... Read More
The Army defines seven values that soldiers should strive to... Read More
You are a leader if someone is following you. This... Read More
All of us join professional organizations for a reason--a friend... Read More
Leadership |