As a leader, convincing others to follow you where you want to go can be really challenging. One of the toughest parts of leading any team is that you have to figure out the right things to do and then do them over and over again. Sure you can occasionally pause to assess and adjust course perhaps, but you can never stop. What does it take to get your team motivated and ready to charge ahead? I think, getting people to “get on board” really comes down to just four critical elements.
1. Vision
First you must know where you want to go. Sure, things change and as they change the plan must change as well, but you still need a plan. Before you ask your team to get on board, make sure you have a clear map ahead.
2. Communication
So you know where you want to be, how well do you translate your vision to your team? Tell them what success looks like. Be honest with them about some of the challenges you and your organization will face. Show them what's in it for them. Now keep doing all that consistently. I know it takes a great deal of effort, but if leadership were easy, everyone would do it.
3. Passion
If you don't care, why should they? A passion and real energy for the work you do is utterly contagious, so be prepared to work very hard to stay in the right emotional space to keep your team willing and ready to charge ahead. You must be able to embody the very enthusiasm you want from your team. Your highly positive energy will be received and reflected by your people.
4. Trust
Change is uncomfortable. Trying new things is risky. Growth is hard. When you lead people, you are asking them to take risks, to grow, to stretch. You are asking them to open themselves up to changes and new experiences. They have to trust that you are a person of character, true to your word and willing and capable of providing a safety net while they grow and stretch to their capabilities.
Most of us leaders have so many things we want to do, goals we want to achieve for ourselves and our organizations and we need committed people to help us get there. Checking in with ourselves as to how well we are getting our teams to “get on board” is a worthy use of our time and one more step to getting where we want to be.
Leave a Reply