All leaders want to inspire their teams to perform at their best. But that’s easier said than done, as it requires strong intuition and real interest in the employees, not just in oneself. And finally, it is necessary to understand that treating everyone the same way does not work and will not result in your team’s loyalty or higher performance.
An interesting article on how to be an inspiring leader was recently published by management consultant Glenn Llopis on Forbes.com. In the article he summarizes the idea that there is no one right recipe for increasing employee performance. Instead, leaders need to look for ways how to “make the most of the available ingredients to create thousands of recipes that will be ready-made, authentic and have a long-term impact.” He suggests starting with the following ingredients.
1. Explain why it is necessary to improve performance
Don’t tell your people that they need to perform better. Explain to them why their performance will help the company.
2. Offer a broader meaning
Inspire employees by ensuring they know from you what specifically their work brings (besides profit).
3. Inspire individually
Try to understand the attitudes, tendencies and behavior of the individual members of your team. Only then can you know what motivates them.
4. Do not give lectures
Most people want to keep learning and developing. But this does not mean that leaders should carry on lectures about what they are supposed to do. It is better to use coaching and work with feedback.
5. Enable participation in innovations
Your people should have the opportunity to come up with new ideas. But even more important is allowing them to participate directly in the implementation of new ideas into practice.
6. Seek natural talents
Helping employees succeed is important. But finding and supporting their natural talents so that they feel greater responsibility when applying their talents at work is vital.
7. Trust more
Promote responsibility by trusting your people and allowing them to work independently.
8. Show respect
It’s not enough to just recognize your people. Employees need to see that you respect them. Make it clear how they can earn your respect.
9. Help employees with their personal growth
One proven way of inspiring higher performance is offering more responsibility. But try also offering personal growth opportunities along with that.
10. Show that you trust your people
If employees are to perform well, they must trust you. They must see that you trust their abilities and want to support their success.
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