Solution Saturday: How to Inspire
Today is the first Saturday of an experiment I’m calling “Solution Saturday.”
Julie asks, “How do you truly inspire people?”
17 ways to truly inspire.
- Realize true inspiration is internal. People inspire themselves.
- Truly care for people. Let them know you’re on their team and have their best interests at heart. Are you energized by selfish leaders who only think about themselves?
- Stop dis-inspiring people. Punishment, coercion, shame, and guilt don’t inspire.
- Understand their values. People are inspired by things they love, not things you love.
- Watch for bright eyes. Everyone has a fire inside. When you see it, fuel it. Channel it. Don’t quench it. It’s surprising how easily a leader can quench someone’s flame.
- Celebrate and evaluate small steps forward. Progress inspires.
- Explore how people can do their job THEIR way. Control dis-inspires. Give control, don’t take it.
- Create shared accountability. What are we doing for each other? How will we know? What questions will we ask the next time we meet?
- Develop people’s talent. Help people get where they want to go by helping them get better.
- Provide new opportunities.
- Treat people like individuals. Some prefer public acknowledgement, others prefer a personal word.
- Show lots of gratitude. Don’t just praise results, praise the work that produced results.
- Eliminate ambiguity. Create clarity about results, timelines, and responsibilities.
- Stay available but don’t meddle.
- Have high standards. Mediocrity never inspires.
- Focus on purpose more than tasks. What is the noble goal?
- Follow your own passion.
Bonus: Just ask how to inspire. Ask people how you can fuel their fire. Do it. Ask what you do to de-motivate them. Stop it.
How would you answer Julie’s question, “How do you truly inspire people?”
Next Friday I’ll ask you to leave questions on the Leadership Coffee Shop. We’ll discuss them here on Saturdays.
Dan,
This may be my favorite post of all time. #3 is my favorite! Leaders work on their own agenda & priorities too often… I love discovering the fire & stoking it in others! Thanks for the inspiration today!
Thanks Page. I’m with you. Few things are more powerful and rewarding than discovering and stoking someone’s fire. When you do, they pull you forward. You don’t push.
Show them– lead by example. Best way to prove to someone that they can is by doing it along side with them. Inspire by exhibiting the behavior you want others to follow and make it a “We can do this” rather than “you can do this”.
Thanks jlkching. “We” is a powerful. 🙂
I love this idea of a solution Saturday. It’ll definitely bring me back specifically to see what’s up each Saturday. And you know I love seeing the direct questions and interaction with you and your followers/fans/clients/padawans.
I’m lucky to have had a leader recently (Jennifer) that was the best I’ve ever seen or heard of (directly) at finding and flaming the passion and fire inside each person on her team. She was never hesitant to find the right role for each of us so that she could hear that more enflamed voice when they spoke about their work and the challenges ahead.
Thanks James. I always enjoy your feedback on the process.
Jennifer really hits it. Getting people in the “right” role is crucial for inspiring people.
Fire, passion, and inspiration come from a sense of purpose. As leaders one of our goals should be to help our teams by working with the individual on discovering their unique purpose. We can do this be utilizing the excellent examples above and all around us. When that fire is stoked, it is important as a leader, to be able to channel some of that energy toward productive results that serve the team’s mission. It is up to us to define the mission with a core purpose, and then help each team member see how there passion aligns with that goal. By providing a line-of-sight both globally and individually to the core purpose, the energy driving our teams forward progress is exponentially stronger.
Thanks Chad. The term “alignment” is central to fueling inspiration. I find that aligning career goals with institutional mission helps people find their place. Thanks for sharing your insights.
Excellent article and idea!!! Can’t wait for more. Being a positive light for your people has proven to add the most value in my role!!
Thanks Dawn. Negativity is so easy. There are so many problems to solve. Congratulations on staying positive. We can address negative situations/problems with a positive attitude. Negativity drains. REalistic optimism inspires.
Good ‘Solution-Saturday’ Mornin 2yaDan;
Sometimes your just lucky and everyone is inspired by, (You fill in the blank). Rarely is this the case though. Different people are inspired by different thing’s and in different ways. To get consistent results from your efforts to inspire, Leaders must start by building relationships. It’s in getting to know your people that you realize the diversity in your organization. Find what make others tick and plug em’ in. When Leaders know what their peoples interest are, what excites & challenges them, when leaders know their people Talents and Skill set’s, ‘now’ you have all the ingredients to inspire. Just like the Master Baker who uses simple ingredients mixed in perfect measure to produce a ‘Decadent Masterpiece’, Great Leaders inspire their people to greatness through the knowledge they gain building relationships which directly leads to really getting to know your people.
Gota go Dan. Can’t sit for too long yet.
“Good one today”
Cheers Dan
SGT Steve
KaChing!!
Hey Dan;
Surprised to come back n see a ‘KaChing’. I awoke from a nap earlier, started bath water, & thought, “I’ll just zip off a quick response to Dan’s blog.
“Surprised I spelled my name right!”
Happy Solution-Saturday 2YA!!!
SGT Steve
And Happy Solution-Saturday to you, too!
I love this post today. This all requires a generosity of spirit and sincere regard for others, rather than an opportunistic, self-promoting kind of leadership. This is is where you really get to leave a legacy for others to build on, rather than just focusing on building up yourself, and the rewards are endless.
Thanks Cheryl. So much is captured in the term “generosity.” Brilliant add. I see leaders who think they’re generous but they’re actually self-serving. Here’s a simple evaluation. What did you do FOR your team today, specifically?
Dan, Give your’ heart and soul, develop new relationships, nurture the existing relationships, give when you can, listen to your people, try not to judge. Build up your flaws to better yourself, others will see the good that we all have.
Thanks Tim. “build up your flaws” people see it when you’re serious about getting better. It creates a culture where growth is honored. Very inspirational.
Great conversation! Completely in agreement with this post. Pay attention to the things you’d like to see and others will adopt your vision. Help others see the ending point, but let them choose their own way to get there. There are many roads to success.
Our team begins meetings by nominating someone for a “victory lap” to acknowledge good work and progress. When colleagues as well as the team lead acknowledge the effort, we find it more empowering, authentic and meaningful. We also reward our values and those who demonstrate our values (which are about how we show up and treat each other) as equally important as results.
Thanks Angie. Great stuff. The way we treat each other while we fulfill our mission is the most important thing about us.
I love the idea of a victory lap. I have been trying for something like this and I think a catchy name for the recognition will move the idea along with my team. They are newly experiencing being thanked, recognised and encouraged so are testing new concepts very cautiously.
This is very inspiring to because it’s wonderful to hear from of leader who understand servant leadership.This so motiving to hear.Because this how you contributor become in kingdom of god!
Thanks for the good word, Bobby. Best wishes.
12 “Show lots of gratitude. Don’t just praise results, praise the work that produced results.”
Dan, so much business/management teaching is all about effort being irrelevant and only results matter – I agree with you, but how do deal with this? You’re seen as being “wrong” by the red braces brigade if you think like this. I do it anyway, just don’t let people above me know!
Thanks Mitch. Sounds like you got it nailed. Just do it. 🙂
Thanks Everyone for your contributions, the solution Saturday initial post served two purposes for me..
1. Confirmed I am doing lots of things with the right intent and to keep going with it
2. Give me a couple of new things to try
I love the way everyone has a different take on inspiring others, gives me some great things to think about how I can light each of my team’s fire!
Thanks Julie. I appreciate that you are giving feedback. Have a great week.
If you want to inspire your people tell them, “I’ve got your back.” Make sure you stick to your words when the time comes and your folks will deliver more than you can imagine.
Thanks Jim. Good call! For any readers who want a resource on this idea, read, “Leaders Eat Last” by Simon Sinek.
Inspiring others for me means that I am inspired enough to radiate energy, positivism, love and care to others. I inspire myself by surrounding myself with people that feed me energy and care for me + observing experiences and feel them. So..inspiring others starts with me but ends with others. Thanks Dan.
Thanks Dennis. I guess you can’t get blood from a turnip. 🙂
Thank you for the post Dan. Great leadership is much more about the team members than the leader. When the leader starts making everything about self, inspiration dies.
Dan love your inspiration!
I get in Resonanz with the sentence:
“Explore how people can do their job THEIR way!”
I think that is very important and the best way for joyful work experience and excellence
and not at least success.
This is what I think is a very good inspiration and what I realised, for my own leadership
and my successful team player-way.
If we give other enough space to play, they can develop and discover their own style
and work something great out!
Everybody has space for new development – in their own way and time (I mean not losing
the focus and the target) – this sets new energy and capacity free,
also for new ideas and innovations.
Not knowing – really nothing (before) – is always a chance for innovation and a task (provocation) and it allows to grow – also growing together, truly that is very important
for the we-feeling.
The own style – to realize – separately – is to get more self respect and I think that is always
the best motivation, I think it works better than all compliments which came from outside. 😉
Trust, believing in and incentives = good stimulation!
A good question is maybe, if we get to much admiration and praise
– does it works against the force of motivation / self motivation?
Being thankful – is always a great way, to feel very good and lucky inside a team
– and of course to feel closer.
To get the right balance of all leading aspects is true art – it is the art of leadership! 🙂
Our awareness must grow (of course through more experience) – it will create more
and more (outside) better and more realistically situations – also greater success!
I hope … I believe it!. 😉
Consciousness – is awakened – and promoted by being conscious!
Best greetings Beate
Wow! Felt really convicted by this one (in a productive way)!
Thanks for the solution, Dan. I’m just wondering how these 17 ways will work for a non-performer and whether it will eventually take too much effort and time to help him / her see the purpose and clarity of what expected of his / her work. Will like to hear from you the duration a leader needs to spend on this colleague as it can be quite energy sapping to go about inspiring a demotivated person.