Great leaders do just that. Motivating someone is more than just pushing them – here are 10 tips on how to do just that.
1. LOVE What You Love
When I was crashing a wedding a few years ago, one of the bridesmaids’ sisters complimented my energy for dancing. “I’ve never seen someone so enthusiastic at these things,” she said. The obsessive love you feel for what you’re doing, when it transcends the mundane reason of being only for the paycheck… Is more apparent than you realise. We pick up on energies and vibes, steering towards people who seem to be operating on a different level. Be that person people gravitate towards to: they’ll resonate with you, and follow your lead. Lead by example.
2. Take Some Time Off
Break and break often. Human beings are not wired to shoot through the atmosphere at 500 mph, for hours on end. We just can’t work efficiently like that. I’ll admit, there have been days where I just did not want to take a break – I was in that sweet, blissful zone. Total self-harmony. The only other time I was that excited was my younger years’ experiments with pharmaceutical drugs. But this was work, work I loved, and looked forward to doing the entire day. You know what happened at the end of the work day? You know what happened, don’t you. Yeah you do. I went home, undressed, and face-planted the living room sofa. And stayed there for a grizzly 14 hours. If I’m lyin’, I’m dyin’.
3. Keep Home at Home
You’re running a business. You have deadlines to meet. If you see someone who’s carrying three emotional briefcases, politely kick them out of your workplace. This isn’t a time for soap, drama, or soap dramas. Everybody today is here to make money (and have a smooth-as-sails fun time doing it). It’s called “work” for a reason – try to keep that in people’s minds as they go about their day. Work isn’t a platform for airing personal problems. Be sure to round up the troops and tell them that.
4. Motivate Growth
Take a mental note of quirks and interests your workers have. As a leader, these people go to you for guidance. How many times has a mentor, friend, or leader of yours been influential in your life’s decisions? Be that influence by helping your workers’ special “areas.” Did you learn that Sally is a writer in her off-time? Buy her “The Elements Of Style” by William Strunk, Jr. Did the grapevine tell you that Joe has an obsession with dolphins? Take Joe out for lunch to an aquarium – dolphins galore! (Just be sure to do the equivalent for every worker.) Figure out that special quality that makes people who they are… And then help them develop that quality, in the workplace. My art teacher in elementary did that – and she was by far the greatest teacher there. Many of my classmates I kept in touch with feel the same way I do, as well. Why? Because she helped us form that special part of ourselves the other teachers sort of had to ignore, for the sake of getting through the curriculum.
5. Believe In Yourself
You’re successful in all that you do – and success comes easily to you. You have complete composure every single time of the day – you accept challenges and arguments in good spirits and calmly. How you think about yourself makes up a large part of how you’ll treat workers. Whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right. Do you remember the blockbuster hit Wolf On Wall Street? There was NOBODY like seeing confident-as-all-get-out Jordan Belfort walking into the wolf’s den, preparing to land another knock-out speech. He was able to do that because he believed in himself – his self-belief made him millions of dollars, after all.
6. Actually Talk With People
When things go right and you spot someone doing a bang-on performance, acknowledge that! Don’t you appreciate being thanked for doing something right? Your workers need your encouragement and energy. And when things go wrong? Talk about them, as well. There is nothing more counter-productive and time wasting than bickering, complaining, and starting arguments about a bad worker. The longer air remains foggy and “damp”, the more stress builds steam. When stress builds steam, tension gets high and strong. People start suffering. Work
7. Inspire Happiness
Outside of the Grinch and that one old bag who always has something up his/her craw… Most people can’t resist a smile or friendly gesture. Inspiring happiness boosts morale and gives people an incentive to get in their seats and work. When I worked the gruesome 9-5, in a dinky cubicle, the boss man wouldn’t allow us to personalise our cubicles. He said he couldn’t afford us being distracted. Please, for the sake of your workers’ humanity, let them express who they are with the little space they can afford to. Slowing down has also shown to maximise productivity. Instead of making everybody a scatter-brained, nerves-on-edge breakdown waiting to happen… Encourage everyone to tackle one project at a time. One practical thing you can do right now is to hire a happiness trainer. Yes, that’s a thing. Really.
8. Build Camaraderie
Years ago when I worked briefly as a first assistant editor on a student film, we quickly realised this: unless we meshed on a deeper level, the film wouldn’t make the cut for a festival. Working together, even offering advice about certain shots and music choices and giving our two cents about each other’s specialty… Helped us join together and bond more. In life, love and business, having a group of people by your side while you wade through the swamps and sail aboard rollercoasters makes those journeys worthwhile.
9. Be Gracious
Here’s the real truth: No matter how much your company hates and berates each other (often behind each others’ backs… It’s your job to simmer the heat and turn flames into sizzle. The workplace is a warzone – like high school on a much larger scale. Your team works with each other and, there’s a giant chance a few people feel underappreciated, underfed and underpaid. One way of showing how much you ADMIRE having them in your employ… Is by throwing a potluck party for lunch. (This is a very popular decision, with good reason.)
10. Stay In Shape
A lot of self-made millionaires exercise. So, all those annoying health-freaks pestering you to move more, eat healthier, and talk so much you want to do violent things to them? They’re on to something the rich have known.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, being a monumental leader isn’t about controlling people. It isn’t about how much profit you make the company. Being a memorable, valuable leader requires human involvement. Bring the humanity of your workers to life, and you’ll see a giant increase in success – both in life, love and business. Featured photo credit: pixabay.com via pixabay.com
