Leadership

5 Strategies for Becoming an Inspiring Leader

For years, leaders have asked me how to motivate people. Regardless of whether you’re talking about large teams or small teams, sales teams or project teams, the answer is the same. You can’t motivate people.

Motivation comes from within and people are either self-motivated or they’re not. It’s one of the main reasons that only a handful of people respond to sales promotions or contests. Only the people who are driven by money will respond, while the rest won’t.

The most effective means of spurring people on to better performance and greater results is by inspiring them. In contrast to motivation, which comes from within, inspiration comes from others. The dictionary defines inspire as “To exert a stimulating or beneficial effect upon, or to arouse with a particular emotion.”

We – as leaders – inspire people by who we are, by what we do, or by what we did.

Why strive to be more inspiring? Here are some notable benefits of being an inspirational leader:

It elicits an emotional response
It creates the desire to accomplish or achieve something
It sparks the imagination as to what is possible
It creates belief
It creates enthusiasm
It creates hope
It creates admiration
It creates respect
It causes people to want to emulate us

When people are inspired, they aspire to reach new heights/goals and resolve to overcome obstacles, challenges and fears. They begin to dream bigger and regain hope that they can achieve those dreams. And when people are inspired by you, they make an effort to emulate you, they strive to be respected by you, and they become willing to align themselves with your passion, vision, or cause.

As you can see, the impact of being inspiring is significant. Of course, the big question is how to become inspiring. What transforms a leader into an inspirational leader? Here are five strategies for becoming a more inspiring leader:

Never miss the opportunity to share what you’re passionate about. People are attracted to and respond to leaders who are passionate about something. When a leader is passionate, people will follow then and be inspired by them.
Use stories to make your point and paint a picture. People relate to stories and analogies, and when told effectively, will evoke an emotional response. Stories can be very inspiring.
Share past challenges that you’ve overcome. It doesn’t have to be a major life altering challenge; it can be any kind of physical, mental or emotional challenge you overcame which made a difference in your life. People are inspired by those who overcame adversity.
Set an example of high integrity. Do what you say you’re going to do. Show up on time. Return phone calls and emails. Finish projects on time or ahead of time. And don’t be afraid to let people know when you’ve gone out of your way to do what you said you would do. People are inspired by leaders who earn their trust and respect through their actions.
Let others know what matters to you. Become clear on the values that matter most to you. Reflect throughout the day as to whether your actions are in alignment with those values you say matter. Leaders who live their values inspire people. (Conversely, saying one thing but doing another is not very inspiring.)

If you want to move your team into high gear, forget about trying to motivate them and instead, focus on becoming an inspiring leader.

3 Mistakes to Resist in Strategy Development

I’ve seen this scenario over and over again. Companies looking to increase profits develop a strategy to bring them closer to where they want to be. Except that the so-called strategy they develop isn’t really a strategy at all. It’s just a goal. Or sometimes it’s simply a platitude – a nice-sounding, but meaningless statement.

Regardless of whether they develop a goal or a platitude, the results are always the same. The so-called “strategy” is never realized. No amount of encouragement, accountability or table pounding will lead to achieving the desired results. Only a true strategy stands a chance of achieving significant results.

If you really want to develop a strategy that achieves great results, it is essential to avoid these three mistakes.

Mistake #1: Developing a Platitude
Let’s dispense with platitudes right up front. Platitudes are nice sounding phrases that accomplish nothing. A typical platitude might read, “We strive to be the recognized leader in our field and meet our customer’s expectations of excellence.” It gives no direction, isn’t actionable, and addresses no particular issue. There’s no way to execute on it and it can’t really be measured. A platitude is not a strategy.

Mistake #2: Developing a Goal
A goal is just a metric to measure progress in the execution of a strategy. It has no emotional or inspirational component. It’s simply a means of determining progress. A strategic-sounding goal might be, “Our strategy is to double revenues over the next three years.” No matter how detailed the plan is to achieve that goal and regardless of the fanfare with which it is rolled out, this non-strategy is simply a goal to double sales – nothing more. Not only that, but the desire to double revenues is completely arbitrary; a figure pulled out of the air. The only people who will be enthused about this non-strategy are the ones who set the goal. And while it may result in an initial burst of activity and enthusiasm, they soon fade, resulting in business as usual. A goal is not a strategy.

Mistake #3: Developing a Tactic
Tactics are the means by which a strategic initiative can be achieved. Tactics – like goals – have no emotion or energy behind them. They are simply the mechanics of how things will get done. A typical strategic-sounding tactic might be, “Our strategy is to increase the sales force by 20% over the course of this year.” It’s simply a statement of the mechanics to achieve something. The problem is that that “something” is undefined and therefore this metric is viewed as arbitrary as well. Just as in the case of the pursuit of a goal, executing a tactic in the absence of a strategic objective make sense for a while, until the newness wears off and then enthusiasm wanes. There simply isn’t a compelling reason to achieve it. A tactic is not a strategy.

Develop a True Strategy
A good strategy, in contrast to platitudes, goals or tactics, addresses an issue or problem, and provides a direction for the company to move. It also provides the reason for the initiative, creating a desire to achieve it. By way of example, if the core problem is a product line which is not differentiated from the competition, the strategy might be, “Our strategy is to become known as the innovator in our industry by developing customized products and services.” This is an initiative that people can get behind (buy-in) and strive to achieve. The strategy causes the company and its people to become better than they presently are. Additionally, it incorporates a compelling “why” and embodies something people can take pride in achieving. By developing a true strategy, excellent results can be achieved and the desired financial goals realized.

How to Develop Executive Presence

Executive presence is one of those things that’s hard to define, but essential to a leader’s ability to earn respect, influence others, and drive results. A person can have executive presence regardless of title or position. It’s not an elitist attitude or one of superiority, but rather one that projects an aura of credibility, confidence, and authority.

Having Executive Presence is the ability to project mature self-confidence, to project a sense of being able to take control of difficult situations, and to project the ability to make tough decisions. There’s no one thing that creates executive presence, but rather a combination of a number of factors. These factors fall into three categories – Appearance, Communication, and Demeanor.

Appearance
A leader can project competence and confidence with their appearance, which is composed of their dress and their body language.

People form opinions about others based on how they dress. They notice things like sloppy vs. neat, clean vs. dirty, formal vs. casual, poor fitting vs. well-fitting, and sense of style vs. lack of style. If you want to improve your executive presence and instill confidence, choose clothing that fits well, is clean, and displays some sense of style. Choose clothing appropriate to the office environment. A tech executive would generally dress differently than an investment banking executive.

We also communicate a great deal through our body language. Good posture projects strength and confidence. Poor posture projects weakness and a lack of confidence. A crisp pace suggests good energy, while a slow pace can appear as low energy. A firm handshake vs. a weak handshake, an appropriate level of eye contact vs. very little eye contact, leaning in vs. leaning back, sitting straight vs. slouching in a chair. Each of these actions either projects strength and confidence or projects weakness and a lack of confidence. If you want to instill confidence, you must appear confident.

Communication
Communication is effective when your message is clear and the person/people you are communicating with receive and understand that message.

You need to choose your words carefully, provide all the necessary information, and do so in a way that can’t be misinterpreted. Be clear about the points you want to make and then think through and/or write out how you want to make those points. Once you’ve written your message, re-read it a couple of times to see if your choice of words and phrasing can be improved. Additionally, read it from the point of view of the person who’ll be reading or hearing your message to see if it can be misinterpreted. If so, then add clarification to ensure your point is made clearly and effectively.

The manner in which you deliver your message also affects its impact. Use your voice expressively, adjusting pitch, pace and volume to convey the nature of your message. A higher pitch, faster pace and louder volume communicates enthusiasm and excitement. A deeper pitch, slower pace and lower volume communicates importance, seriousness and urgency. Adjust your manner of speaking to fit the message and the audience.

Demeanor
A person’s demeanor conveys their emotional state. It reflects the level of a person’s confidence, passion, decisiveness, and composure. Demeanor is projected by our speech, our facial expressions and by how animated we are.

As discussed above, use your pace and tone of speech to project confidence, passion, decisiveness and/or composure.

People read our facial expressions to determine our emotional state. Especially in times of stress or conflict, our facial expression tells a story. Expression can convey things like frustration, concern, apathy, nervousness, fear, confidence, displeasure, anger and/or happiness. However, sometimes in difficult situations it’s not wise to display our feelings. Sometimes, it’s better to project a “poker face” than to allow our current emotions to come through. In other words, to instill confidence and earn respect, it’s sometimes more effective to keep a strong emotion from showing on your face.

The final means of conveying confidence, passion, decisiveness and composure relates to how animated we are. Animated gesturing with your hands and moving your body communicate excitement, passion and enthusiasm. In contrast, expressing yourself in a reserved manner by keeping hands and body fairly motionless conveys confidence, composure and authority. Make sure your demeanor reflects your message.

In summary, in order to develop greater executive presence, craft your appearance, elevate the effectiveness of your communication, and be mindful of your demeanor. If you’d like help improving your executive presence, please call. It helps to have someone point out our blind spots.

Recognition is useful, but not as much as…

It’s widely accepted that an important part of any employee engagement strategy is having a recognition program. People want to feel valued and acknowledged for their work, so organizations implement recognition programs to accomplish that by offering awards, plaques, mugs, pins, gifts, certificates, and/or bonuses. All of those things are nice and the concept sounds good – except for one thing.

Recognition is only marginally effective at improving employee engagement if not also accompanied by the practice of showing appreciation. Recognition and appreciation are both important, but each has a different dynamic and should be used for different purposes.

Recognition programs are great for publicly acknowledging and drawing attention to accomplishments. Public recognition boosts a person’s stature within the organization and enhances self-esteem, both of which improve engagement.

But the impact of recognition programs is limited. It’s limited for two important reasons. The first reason is that although receiving a reward as recognition for accomplishment is welcomed, studies have shown that once rewards become expected, they no longer motivate and often produce declining results. The second reason for recognition having only minimal impact on engagement, is that it’s generally given to acknowledge an achievement. And the reality is that much of what we achieve on a day-to-day basis is routine and not especially noteworthy.

Appreciation on the other hand, is generally shown in response to the effort someone makes, rather than an accomplishment. Sincere appreciation is generally spontaneous and heartfelt – given from one person to another. When we let people know we appreciate their efforts, it communicates that we’re grateful for their efforts, and that we respect and value them. The impact of showing appreciation is immediate and long-lasting. When a person’s efforts and sacrifices are appreciated, self-esteem rises and consequently engagement and loyalty rise as well.

Recognition and appreciation each have a place in making a difference with people, but appreciation’s impact is stronger than recognition’s and has a more positive impact as well. Additionally, the opportunities for showing appreciation are more numerous and more frequent than those which deserve recognition.

In order to bring out the best in people, get into the practice of showing sincere appreciation.

Effective Delegation

Effective delegation can be a springboard that launches your success to new heights. Successful people master delegation, while mediocre performers desperately hang on to tasks which are important but better left to others. Over the years, I’ve found that often people don’t or won’t delegate tasks because they’re not quite sure what to do with the free time they’d create for themselves.

Becoming clear as to how you’d be more productive if you had the time is key to getting motivated about delegating. Spend a few minutes reflecting on why you were chosen for the position you’re in. Is it because of your great administrative skills? Is it because you’re really good at organizing papers, filing applications or filling in reports? Hardly. You are where you are because of your people skills, your communication skills, your leadership abilities, and/or your selling abilities.

Why Delegate?
There are three very important reasons not only to delegate, but to become excellent at it. First of all, delegating appropriate tasks simply allows you to accomplish more. You leverage your time. It frees you to work on tasks that produce income.

Secondly, delegating allows you to also work on the bigger picture, rather than getting bogged down in the routine tasks. It creates the opportunity for you to work on your business rather than always working in it.

And finally, effective delegation allows you, as a leader, to develop people by expanding their expertise, their independence and their areas of responsibility.

The key, of course, to achieving these goals is to delegate effectively. There’s nothing worse than delegating a task and having it done wrong, done poorly or even worse, not done at all.

Causes of Poor Delegation:

“I can do it better” syndrome – You know this kind of thinking. “If I ask someone else to do this, I’ll just have to redo it anyway…” This is either due to poor communications on your end or having the wrong people on your team.
“Too hard to pass off/teach” – You’ve seen this one, too. “It will take me longer to teach him/her how to do this than it will for me to do it myself.” That may be so, but when you add up a year of doing it compared to teaching it one time, it’s no contest.
Too few people – Everyone’s overloaded already, so I just can’t delegate anything else. You need to reduce their load by streamlining and creating systems or you need to hire more folks.
Wrong people working for you – Sometimes you come to a realization that the person working for you is really not the right one for the job.
Poor communications – (see #3 below)
Inadequate timeframe – Don’t wait until the last minute to delegate. Work to create a habit of taking action sooner than later.

How to Effectively Delegate:

1. Choose the right tasks to delegate
Clearly not all tasks are good candidates for delegation. A rule of thumb that I’ve used for years is that a task which does not involve judgment is usually a good candidate for delegation. It’s not that the other person can’t make a decision, but you are in the position you’re in because someone trusts your judgment. Ultimately the responsibility falls on your shoulders. Also, don’t delegate production-oriented activities; those stay on your plate, too.

2. Select the right individual(s) for the task
Make sure you choose a delegate whose talents match the skill set needed for the task. If necessary, rearrange delegated tasks to give the right person the time for the new task.

3. Be clear in your communications
Ever give someone a task or report to do and have them do something completely different than what you wanted? Be clear on what you’re requesting and have them repeat their understanding of your request. Also, get in the habit of checking in on the progress of important tasks. (See #6 below.)

4. Make certain each person has the right tools and sufficient knowledge
Sometimes the right person doesn’t have the tools or knowledge required for the task. (and they may be reluctant to admit it!) If you suspect that may be the case, make sure they know who to go to or where to go to find the information and/or tools.

5. Create accountability
There are few things worse than delegating a task and finding out it’s not finished when you need it. Most of us have experienced this challenge. It’s important to be clear on the importance of the deadline associated with the task. Regardless of whether the delegate “should” be on track or not, a missed deadline falls on your shoulders. You’re the one who will ultimately feel the stress caused by a missed timeline. Make sure you stay on top of important delegated tasks. In addition, if you state that a task is important but then neglect to give it the attention it deserves, it reflects on your integrity. It demonstrates that you will say one thing but will do another. Do what you say you will do and say what you mean to say.

6. Provide ongoing communication and feedback
In order to ensure that your deadline is met and the work is being done properly, it’s important to check in on the progress of the assignment. Course corrections are critical to the successful and timely completion of important tasks.

Effective delegation will leverage your time and your efforts. It will work to develop your team and make them more valuable, more productive and more loyal. If you want to boost your production, spend more of your time on efforts that produce and less time on tasks that are administrative.