Effective leadership starts with inspiring and motivating others. Natural leaders embody a sense of charisma, empowering others to work toward common goals. But even for the most effective leaders, inspiration can come in waves, and everyone feels stuck sometimes. Here are five ways to move past mental hangups, find your inspiration and motivate others in the workplace and beyond.
Foster Optimism
Our feelings affect our actions, and research shows people tend to procrastinate more when they aren’t happy. Negative feelings are part of life, but you still shouldn’t allow yourself to wallow in them for long. Celebrate small victories and reward yourself for reaching goals. Doing so will foster a sense of optimism and increase your productivity.
Fall (Back) in Love With Your Work
Enthusiasm is contagious, but people will see through you if your excitement isn’t authentic. If you feel stuck, get back to the basics and remind yourself what drew you to your work in the first place. If you truly love your work, it will show, and others will be drawn to you.
Practice What You Preach
People pay more attention to what you do than what you say, and inspirational leaders don’t just talk the talk — they also walk the walk. Consistently following through on expectations and setting the bar high by reaching your own goals will inspire others to do the same.
Show Others They Are Valuable
People need to feel that they matter in the workplace. Helping someone else feel seen, validated and valued starts with you. Take time to speak with different people in all levels of your organization and take their concerns to heart. Effective leaders show they care through active listening, taking in constructive feedback and seeking out other opinions when making decisions.
Use Peer Pressure to Your Advantage
A healthy dose of competition can increase motivation, improve productivity and enhance performance. Research shows competition yields the most results in smaller groups of people with similar skill sets, so fostering competition among groups of employees rather than an entire organization may be more fruitful. Competition can also yield ongoing results, since winning provides a rush of dopamine, making the competitor to want to compete again and again.
Ultimately, inspiring others starts with igniting the passion within yourself. Your natural enthusiasm will draw others to you and motivate everyone to achieve more.
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