Inspiring and motivating others is the most difficult leadership competency to develop, according to results taken from more than 87,000 leaders.
Why is this component of leadership, which is completely necessary, so difficult to harness?
Forbes contributor Joseph Folkman explained in a recent article that there are two mysteries that make knowing how to inspire others so challenging: (1) it is hard to know what needs to be done to inspire others and (2) people inspire in different ways.
He lists six of the most successful approaches to inspiring and motivating others. The list includes:
- Visionary. Leaders who can create a clear picture of the future and make lofty goals seem attainable.
- Enhancer. Those who treat others with the highest level of respect.
- Driver. These leaders focus on what the organization needs and expects from its employees.
- Principled. Modeling a high level of integrity and encouraging others to do the same.
- Enthusiast. A dynamic leader who shows lots of passion and excitement.
- Expert. Leaders who bring important information to their teams and can find innovative solutions to issues.
Every leader will have their own approach to inspiring and motivating their employees – what works for one leader may not be the best approach for another.
In fact, Folkman adds, those leaders who use more than one of these approaches "are more inspiring than those who primarily rely on one."
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