Inspired to Lead-Part 2

Leading Edge from Aegis Learning

Becoming an Inspirational Leader

Inspired to Lead

  1. Find a Message that Resonates with your Team.
  2. Engage in Empowered Delegation.
  3. Connect to Meaning and Value.

Finding Your Message

Your words that inspire or message can be a slogan, a rally cry, a single word, a quote or a common shared experience.  After listening to your team you will know what it is that connects them to your customer and your mission.  In some organizations I worked with it was as simple as “Starfish” a reminder that they could make a difference one person, one case at a time.  There is the “Sneakers and Cheerios” slogan that connected team members to the children they served in their organization.  You have heard of “Delivering Happiness” at Zappos and GE’s “Imagination at Work”.  You and your team will know when you have found the words of common experience that connect at an emotional level.

Leadership as Service to Your Team 

Leaders are servants and their primary customer is their team and their respective needs.  A leader must provide service to their team members.  To improve your service to your team members, recognize them as your customer, prioritize their needs, give of yourself and be open to their suggestions and feedback.  With providing excellent customer service to your team members as your motivator you will ensure an inspired team and long term success.

Inspiring Through Empowered Delegation

As you listen to your team remember that in addition to what you say and do you can inspire your team by creating opportunities for greater participation and input.

In one organization we worked with, providing greater team member participation and input paid tremendous dividends to organizational outcomes as well as breathing fresh air and new life into an environment that was previously anything but inspired.  It was leadership support for team member innovation teams challenged with proposing ideas for organizational improvement that reenergized team member connection to the company mission and vision.  The energy was palpable.  Connecting the team to rediscovering their organizational purpose and impact on customers and community was inspiring.  You can inspire by asking team members for input, listening and acting on their ideas.

Connecting to Meaning and Value

Another way to be an inspirational leader is by giving meaning to the work being done or to more effectively communicate the meaning and value of their jobs.  The point of meaningfulness is the self creation of ego fulfillment when a team member has a belief that their work and efforts have real value and contribute to a bigger product.  When the call center representative understands the impact of their work and contribution to the overall performance, pride and ego fulfillment follow.  No one wants to be a cog in the wheel with no understanding of how their work contributes to a more holistic view of success.

You need to make an important assumption here. Everyone’s work has meaning and value.  Otherwise they would not be getting paid to do it.  Paid employment has value inherently just by the very nature of being paid and having market driven terms.

So where is the issue?  Although a team member’s work has value, many do not know or understand that value.  It is incumbent upon you to communicate this value and share it often with team members.  Whether their contribution was huge or modest, it was a contribution to the whole and needs to be articulated.  The hotel guest loved their stay.  Do we communicate that to the housekeeper, grounds keeper, front desk person and security officer or do we just keep them in the dark about their contribution to this successful customer interaction?

As a very satisfied customer, I recently wrote a letter of praise to management about several team members at my fitness club.  Not sure whether the letter would be shared with the team members I made sure to give each of them a copy.  People need to know.  Praise, appreciation, and gratitude for their efforts by customers contributes to an inspired working environment.  Remember, create a culture where praise, positive feedback and customer appreciation is shared and celebrated.

You as the leader have the primary influence that can ignite inspiration in your organization.  Tap into the emotional drivers of your team members. Listen to them and connect what inspires them with the organizational mission.  Create a culture of positive feedback and praise. Mastering these simple (though not easy) skill sets will breath new life into any organization!

Teresa Lowry is a passionate advocate for learning, growth and generating real organizational change.

Fueling that passion are exceptional communication abilities, a great training room presence and the ability to connect with people successfully in mentoring and coaching. Teresa brings successful results and implementing change from the Clark County District Attorney’s Office. She has a Juris Doctorate and bachelor’s degree in psychology.

Personally, Teresa enjoys serving on several community boards, volunteering with non-profit community groups and she is committed to achieving a healthy lifestyle through fitness. Along with her husband, you will find her in the gym every morning working out and training for distance and obstacle races.

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