By Jaime Lokier
THE MOST DIFFICULT BUT ESSENTIAL TASK
There are times when your team seems to work in harmony and do what is asked of them, but there are other times when they don't seem to listen, even when they are required to attend events or work harder.
At this point, it is important to understand one of the most difficult tasks for a leader, but one that is essential to improve in the world of leadership.
If you want to increase your capacity as a leader…
IMPROVE YOUR INFLUENCE
It is said that leadership is influencing, that is, when you speak, people listen and when you ask for something, people act.
Therefore, if you have no influence, it means something is going wrong with your leadership. Ultimately, what's the point of being a coach that none of your players listen to?
Influencing a team that wants to be influenced is easy, but the real challenge is influencing a team when its members have different opinions than yours. Influencing a team and telling them to go to the right when everyone already thought they were going in that direction is easy, but the real challenge is influencing when you need to bring about change.
That's when things get tricky; like when you want your entire team to be on time, but they're used to being unpunctual.
This is the time when you really need to increase your level of influence.
CHANGE = GROWTH
Change is the most difficult thing, because human beings do not like change.
However, although it is difficult, it is also the most important thing, because it is in change that growth occurs.
If I am growing, it means that I am not the same as I was yesterday.
Therefore, to achieve significant change, three things must happen:
FIRST, MOTIVATION
If team members don't want to change, they won't, even if you give them the tools or arguments to do so.
You don't have to be the one to do absolutely everything, just because the rest of the team doesn't do it. And this happens, obviously, when there is no proper motivation on the part of the team.
The first step in making changes in a team is to determine whether the team has the motivation to do so.
If they are not motivated,
it is necessary to find ways to motivate them.
One way to do this is through recognition. By recognizing their efforts, team members can be motivated to change.
If you say we should all increase our sales by $100 more starting today and recognize those who achieve this, those who have not yet done so will also want to be recognized.
Recognition generates a desire for change.
Like testimonials, which make people believe that change is possible, not believing is one of the reasons people lose motivation to do anything.
You have probably seen people in your company who start out with a lot of energy and enthusiasm, but then lose motivation because they lack faith in themselves and their ability to achieve something great.
When they lose this belief, they also lose their investment in time, passion and resources in the business.
To restore desire, it is necessary to restore belief.
Testimonials and events are good tools for this, as testimonials reinforce belief and events provide an opportunity to connect with others on the same path.
Any action you take to increase desire will help you in this first essential factor.
That's the first ingredient, but desire only becomes action when you have the second ingredient.
SECOND, CLARITY
In Jaime's book, Leadership Networks, the first chapter is entitled Clarity.
When people know where they are going, they are more likely to reach their destination. If they know exactly steps 1, 2 and 3, they will be more effective in bringing about change.
Many companies don't have problems with a lack of training, tools or leaders, but suffer from having too much of it all.
If you have hundreds of successful leaders and each one wants to impose his tools, his systems and his strategies, chances are that the team will not know where to go.
Simplifying and providing clarity
allows them to understand how to achieve their goal.
For example, if they want to increase their sales volume, you should teach them to follow steps 1, 2 and 3. If they want to attract more people to events, then have them follow steps 1, 2 and 3.
By providing clarity, you enable them to accomplish what they want to accomplish.
THIRD, TO EASE THE WAY
The third step to successful change is to help others feel that the road is not so hard.
It is important to provide tools that facilitate what they already know and want to do.
The first ingredient is desire, the second is clarity and the third is to ease the way.
For example, if you want to get your team to be more punctual, you can change the time of the event, choose a more central location or hold the event online.
If you are looking for the team to present their company every day without fail, you can look for tools that facilitate this process.
This is crucial for business growth.
When these three essential ingredients
for success are combined,
change is evident and the team grows.
While this is important, it can be difficult at first, as it requires a lot of energy to get the equipment moving.
However, once this is achieved, the process continues and becomes easier.
Great leaders are those who manage to combine these essential ingredients.
Now, all this is pure theory and theory is useless without a plan, so: What is the most important change you need to generate in your team to keep growing? Tell us in the comments, we'd love to create content to help you achieve it.
