How to Be a Motivational Leader

By: Yvonne Bleakley

Management and leadership is all about motivation. There have been many books written about how good leaders are born and are down to personality traits. In my experience, once you learn the secret to motivating others, then it really doesn't matter what your personality type is. Yes, motivation can be learned.

So what is motivation? Motivation is certainly more than a motivational speaker who holds a seminar, hypes people up and then moves onto the next event while the delegates go back to their lives and roles in the work-place and quickly forget what it was that hyped them up. They are back to square one!

Without motivation, talent is nothing more than wasted potential. To be an effective motivator you need to offer on going support, follow up and accountability but you also need to be able to empower your team and raise their confidence within themselves. This is when you go from just being a mere manager to becoming an effective and inspirational leader.

So, how do we distinguish between a manager and a leader? Let's take a look:-

Managers

Provide clarity in short term objectives

Perpetuate historic control structures

Solve immediate problems personally

Maintain or improve the status quo

Plan, organise and control

Power comes from position

Authority comes from the organisation

Leaders

Establish the long-term vision

Create a climate of trust

Help their team to solve problems

Challenge and change the status quo

Coach and develop people

Power comes from influence

Authority comes from trust and respect

You cannot motivate another person to do anything. You can only provide the means and the atmosphere in which others motivate themselves. You are the leader and you must set the example by demonstrating appropriate behaviours. Take the time to define the appropriate behaviours you want to see in your employees, and then start demonstrating them. This is an important employee retention and employee motivation discipline.

Reprinted from: Communication Skills Articles.

Yvonne Bleakley is the manager's mentor, director of www.coachuk.ltd.uk and creator of The Silent Motivator System, the proven step-by-step programme to maximise staff and gain true respect and commitment. Download your free e-book "How to Maximise your Staff and Gain Respect" at www.silentmotivator.com

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