A Leader?s Ultimate Goal ? Connect to Engage!
Connect and Engage! Your People Are Your Power.
It's been said many times that true leadership is measured by ones ability to motivate and influence others.
Leaders must work hard at motivating people to take action necessary to drive change and to ultimately increase results.
Even though most people would agree with the definition of leadership as the ability to motivate and influence others, most people still have trouble translating the definition of leadership into actionable and measurable steps.
The biggest obstacle faced by many leaders is simply figuring out how to effectively motivate and influence an entire team comprised of unique individuals.
Not everyone is motivated by the same thing, nor is everyone influenced to take action or change behavior based on the same factors.
So, what can leaders do to motivate and influence the ENTIRE team?
The elusive one-word answer is simply to - CONNECT!
Leaders must invest the time in each and every one of their team members to get to know a bit more about them - to build a connection based on trust, honesty and respect. (Keep in mind, this personal connection must always remain professional and appropriate. Enough said on that.)
Taking this one step further, leaders must create opportunities for team members to connect as well.
This personal and professional connection will draw you and your team together, to work more effectively to improve efficiencies and increase production and profitability.
To help you envision the ultimate in a leader that successfully connects with his/her team members, let's look at a fictional example. Any "Trekies" out there? Don't flip the channel, this will be quick.
Even if "Star Trek" is not a TV favorite of yours, odds are you probably know enough about the long running series to appreciate this example.
Regardless of which Star Trek captain you visualize, all are terrific examples of leaders (albeit fictional) who have a unique connection to each and every member of their crew.
It's also obvious to the viewer that each team member has an unwavering allegiance to the team, the mission, and to his or her leader. (Envision the Captain - now picture yourself in the captain's chair!)
Just imagine your own team having such a solid connection, both with you and with each other.
Picture you and your team facing exciting and challenging situations together, "Exploring strange new worlds!" and "Boldly going where no one has gone before!"
Maybe this means taking your team to the #1 position in your company, and/or reaching new levels of efficiency and/or production!
The prospect of leading a team that is so well connected is truly exciting.
We've discussed the importance of connection and building a connected team. Next we see that connection is the key ingredient leaders must leverage in order to raise the level of employee engagement.
An employee that is highly engaged in their work will typically run circles around employees who are working simply by showing up and "going through the motions".
If an employee is engaged, it means that he feels he has a personal stake in the outcome - an honest desire to contribute to something greater than himself, something even more important than monetary gain.
The engaged employee has emotion tied to her work. Perhaps that emotion comes out of a sense of loyalty and connection to her leader or other team members.
Top leaders understand that in order to connect with their workforce, they need to leverage the power of emotion. Only by connecting with the individual, can a leader create a powerful team consisting of employees who are personally committed, and emotionally/physically engaged.
KEY MESSAGE: CONNECT TO ENGAGE.
Now that we understand the concepts of connection and engagement, let's get specific and share some examples of how a leader can achieve the connection that will inspire employee engagement:
Leaders must know up front where they are taking their team. They must "believe in" and "see a clear vision of the future".
In order for you to know when you have achieved your vision, the vision must be measurable.
Here are some examples of a vision with measurable results:
- Showing most improvement quarter over quarter.
- Achieving balanced performance - your team is listed in the Top 3 ranking in every key category.
- Reaching the net income annual goal, or gaining market share over a key competitor!
Leaders must communicate their vision in a way that inspires others to "believe". Communicating change can be difficult. Communicating a clear action plan that everyone can understand will lessen anxiety.
Change always creates opportunity. Turning the anxiety of change into excitement for opportunity should be the goal of the leader when communicating the new vision. Here are some examples:
- Breakdown vision into individual goals so team members understand their roles and responsibilities.
- Hold an all team kick-off meeting to unveil overall vision and action plan. Add fun and excitement. Anticipate questions and be prepared to overcome any perceived barriers.
- Implement tracking and regular progress reporting to keep team focused on achieving each step leading up to the ultimate goal.
Leaders must support, promote, inspire and motivate team members to realize the vision. Motivate team members by giving everyone an opportunity for personal gain, above and beyond their regular pay. For example:
- Introduce a special incentive program. (This doesn't have to cost a lot of money.) Base awards on a percentage of net gain to the organization - not just one person's ability to achieve an individual goal.
- Offer interim awards to key contributors once the team achieves mid-level goals.
- Make a point of celebrating the small wins, which will ultimately lead to the BIG WIN! Use gift certificates, lottery tickets, recognition awards, etc - praise and recognize individual and team accomplishments along the way.
A team is only as strong as its weakest link. Leaders must hold team members accountable for their duties and responsibilities. This is only fair to those employees doing a great job.
Hold accountable any team member who is not doing his/her fair share. In order to achieve great things, you must expect great things from your people. Consider these examples:
BE CONSISTENT in your counsel. Hold yourself accountable! Did you TEACH? Did you COACH? Only then can you EXPECT!
BE CONSISTENT in your counsel.
1st offense = verbal warning (ensure clarity of roles and responsibilities)
2nd offense = written warning (get signature for documentation)
3rd offense = final notice (employee must understand that you will support their choice to either improve immediately or to move on to a more rewarding opportunity.)
4th offense = termination
and finally, BE CONSISTENT in your counsel.
In wrapping up this conversation may we reiterate one last time - when you have succeeded in creating a team that is connected, you can count on each of them having a higher degree of personal engagement toward meeting the goals before them.
Still wondering if this connection thing is really that powerful of a concept? Think about the following examples of leaders who have connected with people on a broad scale and the kinds of results that came from achieving such a powerful connection.
- President Reagan - connected so effectively with the people of a foreign nation and around the world by effectively communicating the words "Mr. Gorbechev, tear down this wall!"
- Boris Yeltsin - won support from people all across the globe as he stood on a tank and quite literally stared down the face of communism.
The final point here is that you do NOT need to be a world leader in order to be a great leader.
Through the power of connection you can inspire a higher degree of employee engagement which will enable you and your team to achieve new levels of efficiency and production.
Enjoy the journey!
About The Author
Richard Gorham is the founder and President of Leadership-Tools.com. His web site is dedicated to providing free tools and resources for today's aspiring leaders. Leadership-Tools.com offers tools in the areas of Business Planning, Leadership Development, Customer Service, Sales Management and Team Building.
Latest News
 Times Online | Gary Berntsen Thinks CIA Needs 'Leadership Not Management' FOXNews - Also, the author of a new book — boy, is this timely — "Human Intelligence, Counterterrorism, and National Leadership: A Practical Guide," Gary Berntsen ... Video: Analyst Weighs in on Obama's CIA Pick Feinstein/Panetta: Senatorial Prerogative, "Intelligence ... What Makes Someone Qualified to Serve? |
 Washington Post | Nuggets welcome Chauncey Billups' leadership MLive.com, MI - But maybe most significant, he provides the kind of leadership that has catapulted the Nuggets to the top of the Northwest division standings. ... Not just another game for Billups Billups brings new attitude to Nuggets -- Allen Einstein/NBAE/Getty Images |
 CNET News | Ford touts its leadership in in-car connectivity CNET News, CA - During his keynote address at CES Thursday, Ford CEO Alan Mulally--along with several other Ford executives--emphasized that the car giant is interested in ... Ford Announces Plans for Continued In-Car Connectivity Leadership ... Ford Sync Upgrade Brings Turn-By-Turn Navigation, Coming To Every ... Ford to globalize its SYNC technologies and services - Update |
 FOXNews | Democratic leadership hurting Congress, people Mid Columbia Tri City Herald, WA - Burris, D.-Ill. In the process, he led the Democratic caucus into a kind of parody of responsible leadership. Reid is legitimately scornful of Illinois Gov. ... Obama honeymoon over? Obama eases up on economic timetable |
 Boston Globe | Jason Giambi must add leadership to his job description with Athletics Boston Herald, United States - After years of questioning the intangible value of clubhouse leadership, generally defining it as nothing more than a productive player, Billy sees the ... Giambi, A's ready to give it another go |
Conference urges leadership News-Journal.com, TX - Yordanos Refu speaks to students Thursday during the Longview International Baccalaureate Schools Youth Leadership Conference at LeTourneau University in ... LeTourneau hosts youth leadership conference |
 News 8 Austin | State Rep optimistic about change in House leadership Azle News, TX - However it came about, the change in leadership style is something Geren is looking forward to. Straus, he noted, possesses an impressive business resume ... Relative newcomer rises to House leadership Straus has earned the House's vote of confidence House roles may shift for South Plains legislators |
Missouri's senior starters figuring out leadership role Columbia Missourian, MO - One obvious problem for the Tigers was a lack of leadership. Once Illinois sprinted ahead of Missouri, there was no one to bring the team together or help ... |
World Financial Group Names Edward Mylett to Help Direct Field ... MSNBC - resident and WFG Executive Vice Chairman Edward Mylett has accepted the newly created position of Director of Field Leadership. ... |
Fiat Maintains Vehicle Sales Leadership In 2008 In Brazil CNNMoney.com - SAO PAULO -(Dow Jones)- Italian automaker Fiat SpA (FIAZY) maintained its leadership position as Brazil's top seller in 2008, according to figures released ... |
Resources
-
Sorry Currently Unavailable