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Tap into Their Passion, Unleash the Energy

SOME PEOPLE THINK that you should keep your distance from those who work for you. Somewhere along the line, you may have been told, “Don’t get too close” or “Some level of fear is good.” According to the research, this is not true. You don’t have to be best friends with your team members. You do, however, need to spend time getting to know them. You need to know about their goals—personal, as appropriate, and professional alike. You need to know what motivates them and how they would like to be held accountable. We say all of this because they need to know that you have their best interests at heart. Leadership scholars Bernard Bass and Bruce Avolio suggest that if your team members know that you care about them they will work harder and produce more.¹³ As you look at your career, can you think of a supervisor whom you respected? We would imagine that the majority of you felt that this person had your best interests at heart. They cared about your development and challenged you. They understood when you had personal issues arise. They were flexible, yet structured, in their expectations.

If you were to line up all the people who work for you and work to understand their goals, motivations, values, and beliefs, it is likely that you would elicit responses at each end of the spectrum. For example, some come to work because of the paycheck. Others find an inherent sense of mission in the work they do. You have the challenge of leading individuals with myriad personality differences, and your ability to do it well will determine your success or failure as a leader. More important, the manager creates the culture (on a micro level) that (in part) determines how people feel when they come to work every day. All too often, organizations and leaders assume that a one-size-fits-all approach will produce a committed and competent workforce. In reality, it can take an organization only so far. Have you worked for a leader who assumed the same techniques and behaviors would motivate everyone on the same level? One-size-fits-all can take the manager or an organization only to a certain point. At some point, effective leaders dig deeper and truly get to know those around them—they learn about, and focus on, group and individual aspirations. By doing so, managers can “switch up” their approaches to meet the needs of those around them. In a strange way, this concept is akin to excellent customer service (see Tip #8: Realize Your Team Is Your Customer). When people treat you well, you treat them well in return, establishing a sense of mutual commitment and respect. Moving away from the one-size-fits-all style of leadership will move those with whom you work from mere compliance to commitment.

Remember, you’re developing leadership potential in others, so you want to do two things. First, identify the knowledge, skills, or abilities you wish to see more of. Second, find the right motivator to help your team members grow in this area. Next, employ Tip #10: Coach for Performance.