Editor’s note: This article was first published in September 2013. The claim that Colan has “trained more than 20,000 leaders” is his figure as given in 2013.
Inspiring, motivating and persuading people is part of a leader’s job. Sometimes we confuse a manager with a leader, even though the difference is very simple: a manager has subordinates, while a leader has followers.
Lee J. Colan, author of Engaging the Hearts and Minds of All Your Employees, has worked with, coached and trained more than 20,000 leaders at both small businesses and large companies. If you want to inspire others, here is a list of what to do at work, according to Colan:
1. Put a rigorous selection process in place to make sure you hire only the best and brightest professionals.
This may seem like obvious advice, yet it is one of the biggest mistakes made by mid-sized companies in Spain, which try to hire good professionals at bargain prices. As with household appliances, buying cheap sometimes turns out expensive.
2. A leader must set a clear and compelling vision for employees.
3. The leader should work with the team to define a plan for achieving that vision.
Once the team knows what it has to do, and with the best people in each field at work, the leader should not have to keep telling the group what to do. As Steve Jobs said: “It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.”
4. The plan should always be visible to everyone.
5. Look for people who are doing something well and recognise them publicly.
See also: Speaking techniques of the best TED speakers for business, presentations and sales
This motivates the people who are doing well and those who are still learning not to do things badly. It also discourages those who had no intention of making an effort.
6. Remove bureaucratic obstacles and provide everything needed to carry out projects. (Read: How to have happy, motivated employees)
7. Get to know the people behind the employees.
8. A leader cares as much about their people as about their people’s performance.
9. Inspiring leaders focus on the organisation’s purpose much more than on profits.
If the company does a good job and keeps customers happy, you don’t need to chase profits. They come on their own.
10. Give due credit to employees who do a good job, and don’t keep toxic employees a minute longer than necessary. (Read: 6 things that motivate nobody at work)
Knowing what a leader should not do to inspire their team is just as important as knowing what they should do. Common leadership practices to avoid include:
1. Hiring people under pressure or simply to fill empty seats in certain positions.
2. Painting a vague, constantly changing picture that only creates uncertainty about the future.
3. Constantly telling the group how to reach its goals (remember that if we did things right at the hiring stage, this is a waste of time and a big obstacle; that doesn’t mean we can’t keep contributing ideas like any other member of the team).
See also: What a company looks for in an executive: the good leader
4. Keeping the team in the dark about progress towards goals in order to keep control over consequences and/or rewards.
5. Constantly looking for mistakes and punishing them.
6. Not dealing with small problems (remember that problems feed on themselves and grow; it is much easier to tackle a small problem than to try to solve big problems at the company).
7. Taking personal credit for the work of your whole team.
Grabbing the credit for a team’s work is the surest way to destroy that team.
8. Caring only about the company’s results and profits.
This is without doubt the surest way to make sure the results never come.
More on leadership:
- 4 differences between a leader and a manager
- How to be a more persuasive and charismatic leader
- To be a good leader, start by changing yourself
- Leadership: the emotions of great leaders
Featured image: Phil Roeder, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr.
