12 Ways to Connect and Mobilize People
Young leaders often explain their aspirations in self-centered language. They focus on themselves and neglect others. Individual contributors are great, but leaders always connect and mobilize people. Leadership is about others.
12 ways to connect and mobilize:
- Highlight need – explain why things can’t go on as they are.
- Make them know they matter – show how they can help.
- Include everyone in crafting vision – engage people if you expect them to be engaged.
- Create channels for service – build organizational structure.
- Call people to rise up – great work isn’t convenient. Disrupt established patterns.
- Establish enabling relationships – build confidence by connecting the inexperience with the experience.
- Honor effort – express gratitude along the way.
- Rotate tasks and offer training.
- Track results – tell everyone what’s getting done.
- Point out more need – more to-do makes people matter more.
- Celebrate success – dance because you’re making a difference.
- Identify and leverage forward looking leaders.
Six roadblocks to success:
- People tensions. Inexperienced leaders wrongly believe good causes and great needs solve interpersonal tensions. Connecting people, not completing projects, is the great challenge of leadership. Good people collide.
- Power struggles.
- Confusion. Begin with simple behaviors that express big vision.
- Underutilized talent. People walk away when you waste their time and talent.
- Diverse values and motivations. Accept that what’s important to one isn’t important to another.
- Losing purpose. People lose motivation when they feel their efforts don’t make a difference.
How can leaders mobilize people?
What hinders effective mobilization?
Great stuff Dan and thanks.
One thing, you wrote “young” leaders often…..
For me it is inexperienced fits better.
If I had a nickel for everytime I shared with people that just because something
is old doesnt mean it is worth anything. It might just mean it is old, period.
There is one thing in my experience that hinders all learning and learning is a part of mobilization, a closed mind. Just writing those words make me shutter.
“There is a principle that is proof against all arguments that is bound to keep a man in everlasting ignorance, that principle is contempt prior to investigation” Herbert Spencer
That is why When I run across stuff I know nothing about I investigate what it is all about.
Yep with a closed mind all bets are off and what a poor choice to use what we have all been given, a mind, among everything else we have been given.
Have a great weekend Dan. Thanks again great info today.
Scott
Good call on young vs. inexperienced. “Short-sighted or incompetent might also work. I love exploring language. Cheers
Me too! Even something nagging me since I wrote that!!
I like “effective” or “ineffective” better.
Just because a person is old and experienced does not mean much. What matters is if they have gained effectiveness in their travels.
Guess one could say following old and stupid is as silly as following young and dumb!!!! Hehe
Have a great weekend my friend.
SP
This is a great post about empowerment. Your roadblocks are spot on! Love it, Dan. You’re absolutely right– connecting people is the crucial and powerful.
Great article
#4 of your six roadblocks is so true.. Unfortunately you lose the good people first when they sense they are underutilized..
Very helpful post. I completely agree with your statement that leadership is about others. Through my experiences as a captain on different basketball teams I found myself, on one of my basketball teams, unable to understand that being selfless and sacrificing for others is key towards success.
Although my high school coach held the responsibility to engage others on the team, looking back, I believe I could have done more as a captain to connect everybody on my team. Like you said, the challenge of leadership is connecting people. It’s about understanding that things cannot get done alone.
This year, I was selected as a captain for my college basketball team. I plan to approach the season a different way with this understanding of leadership.
Thank you for this post. I will keep these lessons in mind. Appreciate it.
Hi, Dan. I know this isn’t the kind of thing that you do because you are in an entirely differently realm, but I nominated you for the Inspiring Blogger Award, simply because I do find your writing very inspiring. I hope you have a good day!
http://passiveaggressiveabuse.wordpress.com/2013/05/26/inspiring-blogger-award/
Great post!!! i believe in every single point of them!! I wanna be a leader one day, and this things help me a lot! Young leaders need to be more confident and think of every decision they choose.
Thanks you!