“There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.” John Holmes***
One of my vice president had a conversation with me one day during our regular updates. She proceeded to expound on some of her observations about how I responded to attacks that people might bring upon me in meetings. She acknowledged how challenging that can be for anyone. She also spoke about the fact that many might be tempted to lash out and fight back, however, she recognized that my response was to do something different. She was well aware of the fact that I would retreat into my own thoughts in that moment and not lash out. She also pointed out that she recognized that while I would still present information and facts, she knew that my perception of the person and their motives would cause me to avoid working with them in the future because of a lack of trust. My thoughts at the time, were none other than, “Wow! You pay that much attention to me?” The reason for this response was because she was right.
No one would or could easily come to this conclusion casually or by mistake. She sincerely had to have been paying attention and giving thoughtful consideration to what I was thinking and feeling during these tense moments. Standing up for the rights and privileges of the disenfranchised and pushing for inclusive policy and environmental change that threatens the status quo is not all fun and celebration. She knew this. Her statement to me was truly encouraging and motivated me to continue that challenging assignment. As committed as I was to the work, having a leader who cared enough to care was just what I needed to help me stay in a quest that sometimes seemed unobtainable.
Motivational Leadership Motivates
You may or may not have heard of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Abraham Maslow’s psychological theory was first introduced in 1943. It outlines a hierarchy or pyramid of levels depicting the basic things that people need before they can be motivated to operate at a high level of performance. The theory further contends that once the basic level of needs are met a person can reach their highest potential. Those needs include:
1. Physiological Needs – which include things such as food, water, air, shelter, sleep, etc.
2. Safety Needs – physical and emotional security, stability, constancy, law, etc.
3. Belonging/Social Needs – family, healthy relationships, affection, friends, etc.
4. Esteem – recognition, accomplishment, independence, responsibility, character, respect, etc.
5. Self-Actualization – realizing one’s own potential, self-realization, seeking growth, pursuit of happiness etc.
This psychological theory is the basic foundation for motivational leadership. There are a variety of theories and varying types of leadership and many make sense but fundamentally it boils down to how you behave as a leader and how you treat the people under your leadership. Maslow’s theory makes sense and it’s no different than what you hear some politicians and other compassionate leaders who have made history purport. It is hard for people to do a good job when they are worried about whether they will have food to eat or how they are going to take care of an ill parent. The same holds true for church Pastors also, who find it difficult to fulfill their highest calling, their mission and vision for ministry when they are worried about feeding their families and paying their bills because of memberships’ unwillingness to give tithes and offerings. Many end up taking on 2nd jobs and ultimately putting the church in second place, thus moving further away from self-actualization instead of closer to it.
Motivational Leadership Defined
Motivational leadership is distinct in that it utilizes a positive style of leadership laden with vision. Motivational leaders empower their teams and provide them with what they need to be successful. Their positivity and visionary style helps them see the best in their team members and move them toward a common vision.
Act Like You Really Care
Being kind and cordial to people is an integral part of leadership. Leadership is like politics, but unlike politics where you have to meet and greet and kiss the babies, in leadership, you may have to sit down and talk for a few minutes, not answer the phone for an hour, and actually hold the baby and remember the baby’s name. People notice when you are paying attention to what’s happening in their lives and when you are only pretending. People are also motivated to serve better and work harder for someone who cares and whom they care about more so than someone who is “just the boss” or some distant individual who serves in a distant capacity. In leadership, we are in the people business and that means we must be passionate about our business. That means we have a passion for people too!
Be Encouraging
In order to be encouraging we have to take risks and get to know people that we lead. It cannot be superficial or fake. It also does not mean you have to invite people to your house for dinner either but it does mean you might share a meal, a treat or coffee some time. While sharing that time together find out what makes them tick, what they like about their work and what could be better. Then act on some of their input. It shows you heard them and sincerely care what they think. It encourages them to become or remain more involved and motivates them for future endeavors.
As you build rapport and trust you can begin to encourage them in the work they do with you as well as in other areas of their lives. Maybe they’ve shared their fear of going back to school so you can now encourage them towards a better life by supporting their decision to actually go back. Maybe they are doing their first presentation to management and have been working on it for two weeks, the date is fast approaching, so you check in on how they are doing, offer good advice on what you’ve learned in presenting to that group as well as key points for them to include. Save the criticism, just steer them towards the right content and guide them in holding off on points that are pointless. Some leaders love to be critical of people’s work thinking they are being helpful when all they are doing is deflating people in need of encouragement.
Acknowledge Wins and Accomplishments -privately and publicly
Everyone wants their leader to know when they have done something right and it is even more rewarding when that leader recognizes their accomplishments before that person even says anything. What makes it even more rewarding is when that leader knows details and shares it appropriately in front of others. That is truly motivating. Please, do not do so in a shallow or mechanical way as if you are following a leadership playbook when you do it. Be genuine about it and make sure you have the details and facts straight. Don’t give accolades to Sue for all her hard work on a project when in fact it was Sue, Janine and Adam who worked on the project together and you said nothing to or about Janine and Adam. When we do this, it is careless and can have long term ramifications for you and others.
Put People on the Right Track
When we hire people or choose people for our teams it is best to make sure, as best we can, that they are a good fit for the team and rightly suited for the work. Despite this diligence, however, we still have one or two or ten whose goals are to do something else or be somewhere else as soon as they can get there. I’m not sure if I leaned this way in management because I had previously worked in Human Resources or if it was just the way my mind worked, but I have always felt strongly about putting people where they best fit. Even when I was interviewing people for jobs, whether through HR or for my own department, I would ask people, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” or “If you could do anything in the world and get paid for it, what would you do?” This yielded a very different response than asking the typical, “What do you see yourself doing in 5 years?” Most people would tell me the job or career they longed to do and why they had yet to obtain it. It also let me know whether or not that job was within reach and enabled me to offer career guidance or simple encouragement to push them to pursue it. Not only that but it let me know how well the role they were pursuing with me would fit with their future plans or how far off this might be for them.
I often tried to help my own team members pursue their dreams even if it meant I would have to see them leave. This let them know that I cared enough to put their happiness above my own needs. No one quit the next day, the next week or even the next year but some did pursue their passion and eventually resigned but their commitment to the work they were doing for me was solid and sincere. They were usually some of my best employees.
Help People Problem Solve
If they have too much work to do, adjust their workload either temporarily or long term. If they are having problems at home offer a suggestion to alleviate the stress like a few days off, a visit to EAP or their doctor, or a more reliable daycare center. Whatever the problem, let them know that you want them to be focused when they are at work and if they have situations outside of work that are wearing on them, that matters to you too. You want them to be well adjusted. They will appreciate the support. Note this may open the door to them sharing more in the future so if you are squeamish about knowing too much about people’s personal lives, you might need to prepare yourself for this move before making it; but understand the value in doing it. You also want to make sure you are not faking it because if they come back with a follow up or another issue later and your reaction is less than sincere they will see that your initial concern was nothing more than a self-serving ploy.
Closing Thoughts
Being encouraging of others leads to improved relationships overall. The risk in doing this is, however, is that there are people who are a little warped and who don’t respond well to sincerity because they don’t believe it exists. It happens. Such individuals will do what they do regardless. The manipulative employee who says they are struggling with their significant other at home in order to get you to give them extra time off (even though there is no significant other), is going to do this sort of thing no matter where they go. So it’s nothing personal. Be vigilant with such individuals and their corresponding behaviors. Truth is, if they are manipulative in some areas they will be manipulative in others, so if you already know this about them don’t expect anything different just because you are being nice. This you can get from the leadership playbook, “Past behavior is a predictor of future performance.” Proceed with caution but don’t discriminate in your practices. If they do well, give them accolades, offer your encouragement. Just be careful in the process and don’t go overboard.
Whenever I have had leaders who took a special, vested interest in me and my success, I always did my best to perform well in serving them as an employee, church member or volunteer. It was worth it. If they had the time to be concerned about my success, I could find the time to help them be successful. Try it. It works! If by chance it doesn’t, you will at least have made a positive impression in someone else’s life, and you will feel good about it in the process!