As a leader or manager of any kind, it’s important to inspire those below you. They need to see you as a leader worth following or someone worth trusting, particularly if you’re leading them into hard work. Not only this, but they need to feel as though you’re leading with substance, and not the criteria given to you by the latest self-help book you’ve read.
It’s very easy to give shallow inspiration to those who you have as a captive audience. They may feel as though this works on the surface, but like any inferior form of fuel, it won’t serve its purpose for very long.
This is why so many Instagram entrepreneurs of ‘life coach gurus’ can be so tiring to listen to after a while, especially if they forcefully and aggressively make their points. We know the bravado covers that of little substance.
But how can you avoid shallow inspirational tactics when dealing with a team? Why should we be afraid of sharing our own real insight, and if we’re not afraid, how can we get this across in the healthiest manner possible? We’d suggest that the following should help you to this end:
Tailor Your Inspiration
Tailor your inspiration to the task at hand. Sure, you may find inspiration in a speech from Gladiator or Braveheart while you’re about to commit to your morning run, but that hardly helps a team of people dealing with an industry challenge.
Focus on the difficulties you’re attending to, and curate the self-belief of your team. Remain attentive to their needs. Speak to those struggling individually.
And most of all, do not speak in vague terms. Your team aren’t interested in being labelled heroes or conquerors, they may just want to feel as though you’re behind them as a risky product launch is about to take place.
Gain Worthwhile Knowledge
Become qualified and informed to the best standard you can. For instance, it may be easy for anyone following a health and fitness journey to become ‘a fitness guru,’ but does this inspire confidence in the clients you hope to build?
Might it be that following a Level 3 certificate in Personal Training could help you accredit yourself in the best instance, allowing you to go through conventional and professional channels, and maybe even secure employment before going freelance? You can’t beat refining yourself as a leader – because this is the vital underpinning of any authority.
Less Is More
Substantial inspiration often leads to the time-honoured adage that less is more. For instance, an effective leader praising one of his team when they have outdone themselves serves as an example to the rest of them, and it also shows that good work is recognized.
Yet if a team leader praises those under them for anything in order to ‘promote positivity,’ the effect of this praise is diluted. Sometimes, one piece of strong advice, insight or inspirational guidance can mean so much more than a scattering of it.
With this advice, we hope you can easily avoid shallow inspirational tactics, in all of their forms.
