motivating others
When I think of leadership, my mind goes straight to the responsibility of motivating others – but motivating them to do what? Motivating them to be the best version of themselves – which by the way is a lifelong process because we can always learn to be better tomorrow than we are today.
motivating yourself first
The first step in motivating others, is to learn to motivate yourself. How do we, as leaders, stay motivated? That requires mindfulness. Mindfulness, a big buzzword these days, is “a mental mode characterized by attention to the present moment without emotional reactivity or conceptual engagement” according to the book, Mindfulness, Attention, and Working Memory. In other words, you can train your brain to pay attention and stay focused longer and longer on whatever subject you are currently concentrating on – like keeping yourself motivated. Taking this example one step further – keeping yourself motivated to continue working toward the self-transformational goal you are currently trying to achieve.
"We are surrounded by infinite amounts of opportunities to inspire other people and bring total joy into our lives at the same time." - Frank Arrigazzi, TIP TOP Spiritual Lesson
motivation is an ongoing process
Have you ever been to a personal development program and came away on top of the world ready to make changes only to find that a month down the road, the books are still on the shelf unopened? Why is that? It is because you did not keep yourself motivated. Zig Ziglar said that “people often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing. That’s why we recommend it daily”. Great leaders have routines, tips, and processes designed to keep them motivated.
start the day with inspiration
Every great leader I know has a morning routine to start their day off right. This morning routine is different for everyone. My routine involves spiritual readings, a chapter of some motivational personal development book, prayer, and 15 minutes of exercise. Usually at some point during the day, I stop and do another 15 minutes of exercise and read some inspirational quotes or prayers. If I am having a harder time getting motivated, I will watch some Youtube videos of my favorite motivational speakers.
leadership is a lifestyle
Once you learn to stay self-motivated, you can turn your attention on motivating others to achieve their goals. Great company leaders know how to motivate their employees to harmonize their personal goals with the common goals of the organization. That sounds like a great effort. Well, it is but it is an effort worth working toward for the leader, the employee, and the company. By the way, great leaders don’t use a time clock to punch in and out. It is a 24 hour a day responsibility. Leadership is a lifestyle of looking after people and developing people.
"The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires." William Arthur Ward
why do we want to motivate people?
So that they can achieve something new or better than they have before. As leaders, you, constantly see potential in everyone and it is in your blood to bring that potential out. Motivating people is an ongoing job. How does motivating people create personal development? When people are motivated, they become inspired to be better because motivation gives hope that leads to vision. Motivation increases self-esteem which increases self-discipline resulting in positive transformation. As a person experiences positive transformation, job satisfaction increases creating a healthy workplace culture; people begin to feel they have a purpose.
a leader or a manager?
Leaders develop people into the best versions of themselves. They do not focus on the end results because they believe the process is always ongoing.
Many years my friend, many years....