As leaders we have a powerful presence. We have a major effect on our team which could go in a positive or negative direction, depending on how we approach the influence we have. If you want to leave your team feeling motivated and confident, here are a few tips for using your influence to make a positive impact and energize your team.
Express Trust – One of the biggest mistakes a leader can make is to express mistrust. If you want your team to feel empowered you must trust that they are diligently working to produce good results. If you find out that they aren’t, then you should address it. Otherwise, give them the benefit of the doubt and express your trust in them. If your team feels that you don’t trust them, they will undoubtedly feel deflated and unmotivated.
Express Gratitude – Another deflating element is a lack of gratitude from the leader. Even if they don’t outright say it, everyone wants their hard work to be noticed. If you see something positive happening, praise it, right then and there, in front of everyone. This will serve to motivate the individual and others on the team. If they know they will be rewarded, they will likely work to achieve praise worthy results.
Additionally, it’s important to acknowledge when people have made sacrifices and gone the extra mile. Your team will certainly make sacrifices for you and that is something that should be complimented. Overlooking it will cause them to question if they want to keep doing it. Sometimes acknowledging it is enough to keep them going.
Express the Why – People want to know why they are doing what they are doing. Keeping the why in front of the team will continually remind them of the big picture and prevent vision drift. This will keep priorities in the right place and motivate the team to produce the results that really make a different to the end goal.
Listen Well – Everyone on your team wants to be heard. They need to feel that you are listening to them and that you really hear them. You can help them to feel heard by asking questions and allowing them to expand on their thoughts. This adds value to them and ultimately adds value to the team as a whole.