Effort
As a leader, if you want results, you need to put effort into how you connect with your staff. You need a human-centered leadership style. The amount of positive energy you pour into a program or event can speak volumes.
Energy through events is a great way to build the right kind of energy. You could create an employee event with some kind of entertainment. This could be something that can be done remotely too, if physically attending an event is impossible for some members of the team. You need to take the stage and be prepared to answer any question that comes flying at you from the audience. This shows that you have nothing to hide, you are transparent and prepared to include your staff in the heart of the business. Also, due to the fact that you cannot possibly know what is coming next, you are able to build trust and loyalty.
All this positive energy has been created because you have put effort into connecting with your staff on a human level.
Treat People as Individuals
Energy in a company is partially built up through human connection. However, you need to treat your people uniquely, not equally, because everyone is so different. Some people are clearly motivated by a big paycheque, but that is only one form of motivation. Others may be motivated by being part of a thriving team, or by delivering great results or by being part of a company that is big on quality. There are also those who want to be part of a ethically sound business.
In order to motivate people, you need to find out what makes them tick on an individual basis. That way, you can energize people by living up to the values they believe in. Perhaps this means embracing ideas around the environment and sustainability. Your leadership can energize them. Then you need to give them a lot of trust to blossom. You can’t micromanage every aspect and stifle creativity. Ultimately it is up to you to get to know your staff and build this level of human connection. It also means you need managers you can trust to get the most out of people when face-to-face is impossible for you to achieve as the company is too large.
Target Picture
If you want to energize your employees, it will help if you gave them the big target picture. In other words, tell them where the company is headed. By doing this, you will be providing them with a clear direction, and additionally, it may well be something that is very aspirational and taps into their values. This is a productive form of energy where people can collectively see what the future holds, which can be very inspiring. If you play it right, you will create a team that wants to work together for that common goal.
Comfortable Energy is Not Good Enough
Of course you want your employees to feel comfortable at work, but you need to realise that comfortable energy is not the most productive. Comfortable energy leads to a reduction of proactivity, performance, and making the all-important hard decisions to drive the company onward. Without a driven leader, employees can lose productivity, drive, motivation, and energy. In other words, there is potential for the business to stagnate or begin to lose revenue and slip behind its competitors. You want your company and leaders to push boundaries and push their employees to motivate them to be better.
Be Strong
Although you need to mentor and get the best out of people, you cannot be an example of or accept corrosive energy. This can be summed up by in-fighting and internal politics. If you do this, your energy will be spent on negativity rather than positive energy. You need to understand problems between people and get to the root cause in order to solve them. Ultimately, by facing issues head-on and using empathy and understanding powers before making decisions, you can then weed out those who expel corrosive energy over the team.
As a leader, you need to make strong decisions, but they need to be well informed and correct. In other words, you need to develop mindful leadership where you display a very balanced approach. However, if something needs to be said, you must say it without fear, but by being balanced and mindful, people will listen when you say the hard things.
Compassionate Leadership
Leadership in the modern age is all about compassion, being authentic, and even vulnerable. This is a huge trust builder. You need to spend time bonding with your team and understanding your people. If you are this kind of leader, you can build confidence in even the quietest team member. This is how you create a successful team of people.
In order to be an effective leader, you have to know how to connect with your staff on many levels. You have to lead by example, with high energy and strength, showing the team how to act. You can motivate and mentor through compassion and understanding, getting to know your team personally to truly connect. You need to be aware of the different types of energy that affect the workplace and rise above to be that shining beacon.
For more information about Tack TMI’s approach to employee motivation, and the programmes we are delivering with Global clients to grow leaders who energize their teams to achieve success, please get in touch.
