Times are a changin’ and if you are leading, you need to change too.
It used to be that I’d tell you what to do and you’d just do it. Then, I’d advise you and you’d have more freedom to create in your own way.
Now, it is hard to motivate people to get them to do anything! They prefer to be laid back and work at their own pace. That style is compounded with people feeling that nobody cares about them. Combine that with the feeling that their work doesn’t matter. The result is that they feel despondent, depressed, and alone.
Quite a combination and one that may appear to be hopeless from the outside.
What is a leader to do?
The reality is the leader needs to connect with the staff more intimately. The team needs to know that you care about them. Then, they need to know how important what they do is relative to the company’s goals.
Let’s think about an approach to meet the team’s needs on multiple fronts.
I believe that starting from a perspective of your own vulnerability pulls them in. Your expression of vulnerability allows them to see that they are not alone in their world. They see that someone else has issues too. Plus, the leader can then share with them how they are dealing with their own problems. After all, solutions shared have a greater chance of impacting someone and may even provide a path for many others to follow forward out of their own malaise.
Now, comes the final behavior that a leader needs to exhibit.
“LOVE”
Make them feel special. Share stories of what you have done personally for your team and the positive outcomes. Plus, tell stories of what people have done that touched your heart. Then, integrate the impact they have had on the business. Put the parts together for them piece by piece.
Make sure everyone understands your personal leadership formula:
Love + Vulnerability = SUCCESS
