Leadership is a skill that can be developed by anyone, regardless of their background or experience. It's not just about being in charge or having a certain title, it's about being able to inspire and guide others towards a common goal. A great leader is able to connect with their team, understand their needs and motivations, and effectively communicate a clear vision that everyone can work towards.
One of the key elements of leadership is the ability to empower others. A good leader doesn't just tell their team what to do, they give them the tools and support they need to succeed. This includes providing opportunities for growth and development, as well as fostering a positive and inclusive work culture. When a leader is able to empower their team, they create a sense of ownership and engagement that helps drive success.
Another important aspect of leadership is adaptability. As the world changes and new challenges arise, leaders must be able to adjust their approach and find new ways to navigate the unknown. This requires a certain level of creativity and flexibility, as well as the ability to think strategically and make quick decisions. A great leader is able to see opportunities in the face of adversity and lead their team through difficult times.
It's also important to note that leadership is not a one-size-fits-all concept. Different situations and teams require different leadership styles, and the best leaders are able to adapt and use the right approach for the specific task at hand. This means understanding the strengths and weaknesses of your team, as well as being able to communicate effectively with different personality types.
To develop your leadership skills, it's important to set specific goals and actively work towards them. This can involve taking on new challenges and responsibilities, seeking out mentorship and feedback, and continuously learning and growing. Leadership is a lifelong journey, and the most successful leaders are always looking for ways to improve and evolve.
One important insight is that a great leader should also be a great listener. Listening to your team, your customers and other stakeholders, will provide you with valuable insights that can help you make better decisions and improve your leadership skills.
Another insight is that a leader should not only be able to lead their team towards a specific goal, but also have the ability to anticipate and prepare for the future. This means being proactive rather than reactive, and having a clear understanding of the industry trends and the competitive landscape.
Finally, a great leader should be able to lead by example, and this means being honest, transparent and accountable for your actions. This also means not being afraid to admit mistakes and take responsibility for them, which will gain the respect and trust of your team.
Leadership is not a one-size-fits-all concept. The best leaders are able to adapt their style to the situation and the people they are leading. They are able to recognize and utilize the strengths of their team members, and delegate tasks accordingly. They also understand that effective communication is key in any leadership role and make sure to actively listen to the perspectives and ideas of their team.
One of the most important qualities of a leader is the ability to inspire and motivate others. A leader who can clearly communicate a vision and inspire their team to work towards that vision is crucial for achieving success. A good leader also understands that leading by example is crucial, and they are willing to put in the hard work and lead from the front.
In addition to these key leadership qualities, a good leader should also possess emotional intelligence. This means being able to understand and manage their own emotions, as well as being able to empathize with and understand the emotions of others. A leader with high emotional intelligence is able to create a positive and supportive work environment, which in turn leads to increased productivity and job satisfaction among team members.
Another important aspect of leadership is the ability to make difficult decisions. A leader who can make tough decisions, even in the face of uncertainty, is crucial for the success of any organization. A good leader is able to weigh the pros and cons of different options and make a decision that is in the best interest of the team and the organization as a whole.
In conclusion, leadership is a skill that can be learned and developed over time. Whether you’re a CEO of a large corporation or a team leader in a small organization, the key to effective leadership is understanding that it’s not about you, but about the people you’re leading. A good leader is able to inspire and motivate their team, communicate effectively, possess emotional intelligence, and make difficult decisions. With practice and commitment, anyone can become a great leader.
An outstanding leader is there to guide, support, and serve the team.
Great leadership is not just about achieving a certain goal or making a profit, but about serving the greater good and making a positive impact on the community. A leader with a clear purpose is more resilient and able to navigate challenges. They inspire and influence others to work towards a common goal that benefits not just themselves, but the community at large. Quality leadership, also known as servant leadership, is about using one's influence to make a positive difference in the world. It's about having a sense of purpose and using it to drive and guide decision making. This is what sets true leaders apart from those who simply hold a position of power. Finding and embracing one's purpose is key to developing effective leadership skills and becoming a leader who truly makes a difference.
Relationship mastery
Your leadership is defined, to a large extent, by the quality of your relationships: your relationships with your family, friends and significant other, your professional relationships and your relationship with yourself. Relationships are so fundamentally important to us as humans because it’s these connections we make with one another that allow us to break free of perceived limitations and pursue our goals. And we don’t mean the kind of superficial networking connections you might make while schmoozing at a company happy hour. We’re talking deep, personal connections where you truly get to know someone and their fundamental needs – needs that, as a leader, you can appeal to when inspiring positive, lasting change in that person. The ability to inspire change is the true definition of a good leader and anyone can learn how to do it.
To make these connections, we need to think beyond the simple skill of building rapport to serve whatever our need is at the moment, and instead focus on truly understanding and appreciating where people are coming from so that we can best serve them.
Time mastery
One of our greatest assets is time. It’s no secret that in today’s digital world that’s heavily saturated with things like social media, emails, text messages and a torrent of other distractions, many of us find time in short supply. But don’t let the assumption that it’s too scarce stop you from taking control of yours.
The definition of a good leader is one who knows how to maximize their time by focusing their attention on the outcomes that matter the most to them. And time mastery extends beyond learning to maximize your own time and into knowing how to teach and guide others to do the same. When you learn how to become a good leader, you will see the importance of helping yourself and others cut through the clutter and focus on the results that speak directly to the most relevant and most valued objectives.
Finding certainty in uncertain times
Oftentimes, the greater the goal, the more unclear the path to achieving it. That’s why the definition of a good leader includes the ability to cultivate certainty among their team, even during the most uncertain times.
Ownership of purpose
Mastering relationships, time and certainty are essential when it comes to how to be a good leader, but these things are wasted skills if you don’t have a driving purpose behind what you’re doing. When you have purpose, learning how to balance profitability and passion becomes much easier and will help you learn how to become a good leader.
If someone asks you what you do for a living, what do you tell them? Do you call it work, or do you call it a mission? Do you answer with pride or feel embarrassed that you’re not doing something you care about more?
When we talk about what is a good leader, we must talk about the love leaders have for their business. If it’s only work, then it’s probably taking more from you than it’s giving. But if it’s a mission, that’s the psychological and spiritual juice life is made of. That’s the juice that will keep you pushing through setbacks, allow you to uplift your team members when you hit challenges and prevent any- and everything from obstructing your view of your ultimate goals. Purpose is the life force of how to be a good leader, and it’s essential to realizing your vision.
An objective viewpoint
You have to be able to see things as they currently are before you can move forward in any real way. Leaders with a clear vision have a keen understanding of not only what they want the future to look like, but what the present looks like as well. The definition of a good leader is possessing clarity and the ability to act on that clarity.
Confidence is a vital leadership quality. True leaders know they can think and act outside the box to take their companies to the next level. They also understand that leadership qualities like openness, emotional agility and resourcefulness are often more important than being able to make a sale or impress investors. To display confidence as a leader, it's important to have strong nonverbal communication skills and to let your confidence show through your actions and body language.
Focus is a key leadership quality. Good leaders have their eye on the prize and are organized and plan ahead while remaining flexible enough to handle unexpected challenges. Distractions can be a major saboteur in business, but strong leaders don't let them intrude. To improve focus, create an environment that is conducive to focus and limit distractions.
Vision is a common trait among great leaders. Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and Mother Teresa all had a powerful vision not only for their own lives, but for the world. A clear purpose that gives life meaning and inspires others to join you is a key to fostering leadership among your staff.
Resilience is important for leaders. Becoming a leader doesn't always come naturally, and it takes inner strength to embrace a growth mindset, develop skills, work on weaknesses, and challenge oneself daily. Learn to find the lesson in all of life's events and take it to heart, and inspire others to do the same.
Honesty is a vital leadership quality. Successful leaders lead with integrity and are honest in their interactions with others. It's important to set a good example of honesty and to make sure that everyone in your team or household understands your culture and core expectations.
Positivity is a valuable leadership quality. Positive leaders radiate energy and inspire others to do their best work. They are able to maintain a positive outlook, even in the face of challenges and setbacks. Positivity is contagious, and when leaders have a positive attitude, it tends to rub off on their team members and create a more productive and positive work environment.
Decisiveness: Making difficult decisions is a key leadership quality. Good leaders handle these decisions with good judgment and earn respect from others. Even if they make a wrong decision, they show decisiveness during tough times, which is better than waiting around or letting others make the decision.
Ability to Inspire: A good leader is able to inspire others to find their own strengths by honing their own leadership vision and communicating it effectively. Inspiration is what pushes people to achieve their goals and helps them to overcome difficult times.
Effective Communication: Strong leaders have a good understanding of their team’s communication styles and know how to communicate goals and vision effectively. They also know the power of words and use them to transform emotions and lead to breakthroughs. Good leaders also practice deep listening and asking thoughtful questions to show they care about their employees’ contributions.
Accountability: Good leaders take responsibility for their mistakes and hold their team accountable for their actions, which creates a culture of trust and humility. This sense of responsibility keeps the team continually striving for personal and business goals.
Empathy: Empathy is an essential leadership quality. It allows leaders to connect with others, understand their perspectives, and predict the effect of their words and actions on others. Without empathy, leaders risk alienating the people they are trying to connect with. Empathy is also the precursor to other soft skills required for leadership, such as self-awareness and critical thinking.
Traits of successful executive leaders
You don’t have to be a top executive with a corner office and a big paycheck to embody the qualities of a good leader. But if you do aspire to this role, you’re going to need to develop a few traits that will help you compete at the highest levels.
Competitiveness. Climbing the ladder gets harder and harder the closer you get to the top. You’ll be surrounded by others with similar talent and drive. Do you have the competitive spark that will allow you to stay energetic and focused on your goals?
Risk-taking. Everyone has different risk tolerance levels – but executives tend to have higher tolerance than others. This allows them to crush any fear of failure and take smart, strategic risks that others may not be willing to take.
Financial literacy. It isn’t just CFOs and investment bankers who need financial literacy – any top executive will need to know how to read financial statements. You wouldn’t fly a plane without reading the dials, and you can’t lead a company without understanding its finances.
These skills can be developed like any other – especially if you are able to find a mentor who has achieved what you want. Business coaching can also help you define your goals, track your progress and hold you accountable. The most important step is that you take action today.
Further listening
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2. Lead by example
3. Communicate
4. Find a connection
5. Build your skills
6. Invest in employees
7. Nurture talent
8. Find a mentor
Who are your favorite leaders? Of course all-time greats like Oprah, Nelson Mandela, Richard Branson and more come to mind. Yet we also encounter great leaders in our everyday lives: Our children’s coaches and teachers. Our own mentors or the peers who we look up to. The volunteer who runs your local food pantry. Maybe your own boss – and maybe even yourself.
Whether they are billionaires or members of your PTA, these people seem to know leadership secrets that others don’t. And after working with hundreds of the best minds in business and sports, I can tell you what they are.
Leadership secret number one: pure energy
Whenever you think of someone who has charisma or impact, isn’t it true that they also have a significant amount of psychological, emotional or physical energy? Virtually everyone knows someone who brings energy to any environment they live in. People gravitate toward them. Being able to tap into positive energy even when you are exhausted, even when things aren’t going your way, is the leadership secret that separates those who achieve and lead at the highest level versus those who fall short.
Energetic leaders can make the tough decisions and take the necessary action to turn things around in spite of the challenge. They can talk about the real issues, get everyone to face the challenges and have enough energy to find the solutions necessary, even in the most dire of circumstances.
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This leadership secret involves certain fundamental habits that can increase your energy regardless of how much sleep you’ve had or where your blood sugar is. I’m not talking about some naive approach to life where you delude yourself through positive thinking that everything will be just fine. I’m not talking about BS’ing yourself. I’m talking about ways to take action to shift your energy.
One way is to physically take care of yourself: to train your body so that you have that expanded sense of energy and endurance. But you can also find energy by tapping into a vision, which brings energy not only to yourself but to your team as well – and is one of the most powerful leadership secrets. Steve Jobs was famous for his undivided focus to create the greatest products in the world. Similarly, the standard that Steve Wynn holds for himself and his team creates an unstoppable energetic momentum. You must model successful people to become successful.
Leadership secret two: emotional mastery
The second core quality extraordinary leaders share is EMOTIONAL MASTERY.
Extraordinary and effective leaders bring certainty into uncertain environments. Whether it be in sports, business or even a parent, in times of uncertainty people are drawn to those who manage their emotions with level-headed certainty. This leadership secret isn’t just about emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is a set of skills, or you can think of it as a set of capacities. What I really focus on is emotional fitness – psychological strength.
Having the emotional certainty to use humor, playfulness, curiosity, compassion and creativity in the middle of stressful environments gives you flexibility and strength that can allow you to tackle any challenge with your team. Those who do this consistently develop a reputation or a leadership brand. People look to them for support, vision, insight and guidance.
How to improve emotional mastery
There’s a great book called Positive Intelligence by a friend of mine, Shirzad Chamine. In it, he shows that we all have “Saboteurs” inside ourselves that are overly judgmental, fearful, controlling, hyper-vigilant and so on. We also have parts inside ourselves that are also bold, creative, curious and determined. He calls these parts of our personality “the Sage.”
Training yourself so that you are emotionally fit, so you can tap into the power of the Sage in you – and learning to ignore your Saboteurs – will enable you to make a valuable contribution. Learning to change this in a matter of seconds is an extraordinarily valuable leadership secret. You can do this by identifying and overcoming your limiting beliefs, as well as changing negative self-talk into empowering thoughts and learning to assign a different meaning to your experiences.
Leadership secret three: life mastery
Life mastery is made up of two core qualities extraordinary leaders possess: . Relationship and time mastery
How many times have you heard, “business is relationships?” It’s one of those clichés that never escapes us. But one reason we hear clichés, again and again, is because they are true. Our capacity to connect on a very deep and personal level is the leadership secret that allows us to inspire others, as well as lead fulfilling lives. Ultimately the quality of your life is the quality of your relationships.
Relationships are built not just by practicing rapport skills, but by truly understanding and appreciating where people are coming from – wanting to step in their shoes, understanding their point of view and finding a way to help them meet their needs while they meet the needs of the team and the organization.
Time mastery
I don’t have to tell you, in the 24/7 LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram mobile world that we live in today that the mastery of time – learning how to extract greater results from the same hours or minutes – is one of the most important leadership secrets. Truly effective leaders don’t mistake movement for achievement. Every leader I know learns how to cut through the clutter of to-dos to focus on how to get the results that are necessary more rapidly, more efficiently and more effectively.
For most people today, we’re not hurting for information. We’re drowning in information, but we’re starving for wisdom. We have more time management tools than ever before, but very often the tools themselves can become a time thief. This leadership secret means constantly refining your capacity to understand what’s most important and when to get it done to produce the greatest impact.
Leadership secret four: growth
If you’re not growing, you’re dying. Growth is one of our deepest human needs and is especially essential for leaders. Yet even leaders experience chokeholds. Even leaders need to consistently turn obstacles into opportunities. The two most common leadership secrets to growth are OWNERSHIP OF PURPOSE and FINANCIAL MASTERY.
Ownership of purpose
Great leaders are purpose-driven. They know not only what to do, but why they are doing it and they are able to help other people tap into the power of WHY as well. The more you can share with people the driving purpose behind an outcome or activity, the more you can ignite your team to higher performance and make your leadership experience not only more effective, but also fulfilling.
How do you describe what you do for a living? Do you call it work? Your career? Or, is it your mission? If it’s work, then it tends to take more than it gives you. If it’s career, then it’s something you probably look forward to and invest more energy in, and as a result you make progress. But if it’s your mission, it is a source of psychological and spiritual “juice.” It’s something that when you are doing it, time disappears. This is the power of purpose.
Financial mastery
Effective business leaders need a certain level of financial mastery. You don’t have to be the CFO to lead an organization, but the more you understand about the real cost of time, resources and people, then the more powerful the decisions you’ll make. You want to build a profitable business, and therefore you must have the capacity to grow and sustain your positive influence on the organization you lead.
Remember, the growth chokehold of any business is most powerfully affected by the psychology of the leader. Financial skills are one of the most important leadership secrets, even for those who have extraordinary skills in every other area. Do you understand enough to lead the CFO of your organization? If not, this is an area or a set of skills that would be useful for you to master.
Leadership secret five: praise and appreciation
The final leadership secret is about how you treat your team: CELEBRATING VICTORY.
Leaders are not just made, they are discovered and rewarded for progress. They are honored so consistently that their hunger to become better is never-ending – and because of this they ultimately start achieving results that few could ever expect.
Great leaders are also constantly finding ways to honor their key people and celebrate their success. They understand that there’s only one thing that makes people happy long-term, and that’s progress. Progress equals happiness.
How to celebrate success
Do you tend to exclusively focus on what people fail to achieve? Or do you capture their victories and honor them publicly? Great leaders know to correct in private and praise in public. Waiting to praise until the ultimate outcome is achieved is a significant mistake made by many good leaders who have not yet tapped into the power of these leadership secrets.
Great leaders find the way to appreciate progress in themselves and progress in others. This is also the antidote to the sense of overwhelm that so many people feel when the task is so large. You must be on a constant and never-ending search for the good that people are accomplishing. Take action today to start acknowledging more progress to deepen your leadership capacity and keep your employees happy.
These leadership secrets are not a complete and perfect list, but rather designed to show you the common qualities of successful leaders that I’ve worked with over the years. How many of these qualities do your favorite leaders embody? How can you strengthen these qualities within yourself to enhance your ability to lead?
Compassionate and caring leadership is the cornerstone of any successful business.
Harvard surveyed more than 1,000 leaders to prove the importance of compassionate leadership. Ninety-one percent thought compassion was very important for leadership. But 80% didn’t know how to build this vital skill. Fortunately, building compassion as a leader is something anyone can do – you just need the right tools.
What is compassionate leadership?
Compassionate leadership means seeing employees both as individuals and as important parts of your organization. Compassionate leaders relate to their employees on a deeper level. They want to understand their team’s needs and provide the support they need to do their jobs well. They are at their core servant leaders who understand that to reach the heights of business success, you must inspire others to follow you.
Compassionate leadership doesn’t mean enabling bad behavior. It doesn’t mean avoiding bad news and negative feedback because you want to avoid conflict. While it may be easier for you, it only enables bad behavior and sets others up to fail – the opposite of being compassionate.
Having compassion as a leader means setting high standards and helping others live up to them. It also means living up to these standards yourself in every aspect of your daily life. Leading by example is a hallmark of compassionate and caring leadership.
Rather than asking “What’s in it for me?,” compassionate leaders are always asking, “How can I make this better?”
Why do I need compassionate and caring leadership?
Compassion as a leader is an essential piece of modern organizations. Today’s employees demand a workplace that provides feedback, support and professional development. Without compassionate and caring leadership, you won’t be able to inspire others to follow your vision – and you won’t have an engaged workforce.
Engaged employees are more connected to each other and to the company. They trust leadership more and are more committed to the company. That means they’re less likely to leave. Studies have found that compassionate leadership results in lower turnover and better teamwork.
That means compassionate leadership can affect your company’s bottom line. When you have compassion as a leader, you’ll spend less money on employee turnover and training. That’s good for everyone.
How to have compassion as a leader
Compassionate leadership isn’t just about being nice at work. It’s much more. And it’s made up of habits we can practice every day.
Listen
Great leaders are great communicators. It has nothing to do with public speaking skills or salesmanship. Communication begins with deep listening. Making eye contact, giving nonverbal feedback, using your body language affirmatively and focusing on the conversation are all ways you can practice deep listening. This principle of compassionate leadership helps you earn your team’s trust and uncover how you can help them feel more fulfilled at work.
Communicate
Once you master deep listening, you’ll be able to uncover others’ metaprograms and determine how to communicate with them effectively. Metaprograms are the way people process information, and are the key to influencing them. The words you choose are another piece of the puzzle. Compassionate leadership uses affirmative language. Eliminate words like “can’t” and “challenge” and replace them with “haven’t yet” and “opportunity.” A Harvard study found that encouraging words cause the brain to produce the feel-good chemical oxytocin – and when your team feels good, they’ll be more productive.
Learn
One of the first steps to compassionate leadership is to realize that you don’t know everything. Your team, your organization and others in your life all have different experiences from which you can learn. Don’t make the mistake of ignoring new ideas or assuming there’s nothing more you can do. Always seek feedback and treat others around you as the intelligent people they are. It takes self-awareness to practice compassionate and caring leadership.
Be present
Seeking feedback is one way to be present: Ask thoughtful questions and truly listen to the answers. Being present also means connecting with the day-to-day tasks of your team. Don’t lock yourself away in the corner office and hope everything runs smoothly. Facing problems along with your team shows that you respect them and care about them. You can improve your leadership skills just by being there.
Control your emotions
If you had a stressful morning, an awful commute or just have a lot going on right now, it might be hard to practice compassionate leadership. That’s OK. No one feels kind and considerate all the time. But great leaders know how to control their emotions, instead of letting their emotions control them. They don’t yell. They don’t storm out of meetings. They don’t nitpick and micromanage. They trust their team, and empower them to innovate and create.
Show gratitude
Having compassion as a leader won’t mean anything if you don’t show it. Human beings want to feel significant – so give your team some recognition for their accomplishments. Tony says that “When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears.” In the workplace, showing your gratitude for your team can inspire them to work harder and be more innovative. Abundance will surely appear.
There are all sorts of different leaders in this world with myriad goals they’re aiming for, but there are a distinct set of learned qualities and styles that unify the best leaders. They are committed to using time, dedication, consistency and a distinct purpose to achieve their goals. You, too, can cultivate these skills and become one of the greats. By mastering your own set of leadership skills, you can not only fuel yourself closer to your purpose, but also encourage those around you to harness their own skills.
Tony Robbins has worked with some of the top names in business and sports – and he knows the importance of leadership. Below, you’ll find a number of resources that will help you to strengthen and refine your leadership abilities.
A good leader can step into any given situation and construct a vision for a better future, brainstorm strategies for realizing that future and execute a plan to see it to fruition.
But great leaders take it a step further by understanding their strengths and weaknesses and learning to practice the types of leadership that best suit them and their team, allowing them to accomplish more, compel change and create a legacy that extends beyond their lifetime.
There are as many great leaders as there are leadership styles. These are the individuals that are capable of channeling their skills and guiding teams toward amazing results – building some of the most powerful companies, sports teams and organizations in the world. To follow in their footsteps, you must answer two questions: What is your leadership style? And how can you embrace different leadership styles to become an even stronger leader?
Why are leadership styles important?
Understanding the leadership style best suited for your particular personality will not only make you a more effective leader, it will help you better understand and master yourself. You’ll learn about your strongest qualities so you can maximize them, while also becoming more aware of what to work on so you can be the best version of yourself. Your leadership style affects how you connect and communicate with your team, relate to your team’s working style, resolve conflicts and more.
It’s important to note that just because you feel more naturally inclined to a certain style doesn’t mean you can’t use another if the situation calls for it. Some types of leadership styles are more effective for a particular set of challenges than others, so don’t be afraid to pull from another style if you feel it will help your cause.
What kind of leader are you? Take our Leadership Quiz to find out.
Types of leadership styles
Strong leaders come in all genders, ages and personality types. What they have in common is the ability to inspire others – and get things done. You’ll likely utilize different leadership styles depending on how you handle stress, who you are interacting with and your current goals. However, you’ll also have a predominant leadership style that comes most naturally to you. Here are 11 leadership styles – do any of them fit you?
No matter which style resonates with you the most, everything you do as a leader must be rooted in servant leadership. Servant leadership means using your leadership skills to serve a greater good. To truly be a servant leader, you must find your purpose and integrate it into everything you do. This could mean working to benefit your workplace, community, culture or the world at large. Having a purpose is vital in business: It informs your company’s values, culture and its success or failure.
Servant leadership is the most effective and powerful way to lead. It is the universal leadership style that you must master – because servant leaders are inspiring leaders. They have a vision so clear, others see it, too. They’re able to persevere through hard times that may come their way because they have a deep belief in themselves. They make a big impact through their contributions and leave the world a better place.
2. Authentic leadership style
In addition to using leadership skills to fulfill a higher purpose in life, the best leaders are also authentic. Authentic leaders focus on building transparent, open relationships with their employees. The truth is important to them, and their values and beliefs often include being ethical, honest and genuine. Because of this, they inspire loyalty in their team and are excellent at getting long-term, positive results. Yes – authenticity can be a business advantage.
3. Democratic leadership style
Democratic leaders place high value on the diverse skills, qualities and knowledge of their team. They cultivate consensus within the group by consistently asking for opinions and deeply listening to the answers. Democratic leaders tap into the collective wisdom the group has to offer in order to discover the next best step, and allow others to develop confidence in the leader.
United States senators, regardless of their party affiliations, are theoretically democratic leaders in that the decisions they make are heavily informed by the thoughts, opinions and desires of their constituents. Of all the different leadership styles, democratic leaders are the most collaborative and effective at long-term planning.
However, this style is not ideal for crisis leadership as it can be more time-consuming than other styles. It’s beneficial to know where your team stands on any given issue, but sometimes you have to make decisions – especially fast ones – alone.
4. Visionary leadership style
Visionary leaders excel at finding new directions and new potential solutions to a given problem. This leadership style relies on abstract thinking and is able to visualize possibilities that others aren’t yet able to see. They’re “big picture” thinkers who can see future potential and articulate it to the group. They tend to be passionate, creative and open-minded and are most effective at inspiring forward momentum.
Steve Jobs is a quintessential visionary leader. Known for his big ideas and his knack for creating an innovation culture, he’s infamous for being able to envision a future that didn’t quite exist (yet!) through the lens of his groundbreaking technology.
Visionaries conceptualize new goals and ideas, but they’re likely to enlist others to make an actionable plan – they typically don’t like to be bothered with minute details. Visionary leadership is an essential piece of a team, but also highlights how important different leadership styles are. When you create a cross-functional team with a variety of talents, one person can formulate big ideas while others execute.
5. Charismatic leadership style
Charismatic leaders share many traits with visionaries. They are charming and persuasive, and are able to connect with others on a deeper level. They are confident and decisive, but make others feel like their opinions are valued. Most of all, charismatic leaders are loved by those around them. They’re viewed as trustworthy, knowledgeable and invaluable to the company – and they are able to inspire others to big accomplishments.
6. Coaching leadership style
Coaching leaders focus on cultivating deep connections that allow for a more thorough understanding of an individual’s hopes, beliefs, dreams and values. One of the types of leadership styles that focuses on guiding rather than instructing, coaching leaders will lift their team to new heights by knowing what inspires them into action. They cultivate a positive environment where encouragement and communication can flow freely.
One of the best examples of this leadership style is Mike Krzyzewski, better known as “Coach K.” As head coach of the Duke University men’s basketball team, he has the most victories in NCAA Division I history, plus five national championships. And he doesn’t just coach his team to victory: There are nine current Division I head coaches that served under Coach K and consider him a mentor. Clearly, Coach K knows how to inspire greatness.
Coaching is one of the more effective leadership styles in the right circumstances, but it does run the risk of making others feel micromanaged. Coaching leaders focus their time and energy on the individuals in a given group. If coaching speaks to you most out of the different leadership styles, remember to occasionally step back and let your team breathe.
7. Affiliative leadership style
For affiliative leaders, the team always comes first. This type of leadership style focuses on building trust within the group and creating emotional bonds that promote a sense of belonging. Affiliative leaders are very effective in times of stress or when group morale is low. This is one of the best leadership styles for repairing broken trust in the workplace, improving communication and fostering a sense of team harmony.
The most famous example of affiliative leadership also comes from sports. As manager of the New York Yankees, Joe Torre led his team to a World Series victory in 1999. Torre made multiple statements to the press praising his team and emphasizing the importance of every player. He would occasionally spotlight players who were going through difficult times, as well as those whose contracts were up. Torre made it clear he wanted to keep the team together – the perfect example of affiliative leadership.
This leadership style must be careful not to let poor performances go unaddressed, however. Praise and encouragement are very important in a group setting, but affiliative leaders tend to overlook issues in their efforts to build a strong, happy team. They must ensure they address problems that could harm the company’s bottom line.
8. Empathetic leadership style
Affiliative leaders are often highly empathetic. Empathy in business is essential, but those with an empathetic leadership style have particularly mastered this skill. They take a genuine interest in their team and are always there to offer support however they can. However, like affiliative leaders, empathetic leaders may need to work on their willingness to confront challenges head-on.
9. Pacesetting leadership style
Pacesetting leaders are known for taking action. They lead by doing and set high standards for themselves, inspiring others to follow their example. This is a good choice for groups of high-performing people who are dedicated to improvement, which is why it’s one of the most common military leadership styles.
Julius Caesar is famous for never having asked his soldiers to do something that he wouldn’t do himself. He’d frequently fight with them, join them in their daily activities and be the kind of soldier he wanted them to be. This empowered his troops to give their jobs their all, because if their leader was willing to do it, that meant they could too.
Of the 11 types of leadership styles, this one relies the most on autonomy, which can be problematic for those who require a lot of guidance. Pacesetting leaders must ensure that their expectations are reasonable and that their team has all of the skills and tools they need. Pacesetting leadership can also create an environment in which some might feel they’re being pushed too hard by a leader whose standards don’t mirror their own.
10. Commanding leadership style
Commanding leaders are the kind we most often see in movies and read about in books. They approach leadership with an attitude of “do as I say because I’m the boss,” giving directives and expecting others to follow orders without question.
Commanding personalities are one of the most effective leadership styles in times of crisis when quick decisions need to be made. This type of leadership style is also common in top-down organizations, such as the government and the military.
However, long-term usage of this style can leave group members feeling as though they have very little say or influence in the group’s direction and goals. In many business models, this will undercut morale and sense of job fulfillment. You want your employees to be raving fans of your company, and to achieve this, you need to treat them with respect and offer a listening ear.
11. Situational leadership style
The ability to choose different leadership styles according to the situation at hand is a true sign of a strong leader. Situational leaders are agile. They look at the challenge, weigh the variables and then decide on the leadership style that will best help them accomplish their goals. They are also resourceful. They understand that as Tony says, “It’s not about your resources, it’s about your resourcefulness.” Situational leaders can adapt no matter what.
Situational leadership can even involve combining leadership styles or using several different styles in the course of solving the same challenge. For example, when faced with planning a company’s next steps, it’s common for CEOs of major companies to deploy visionary, coaching and democratic leadership styles at the same time. They’ll cultivate a community by fostering meaningful connections (coaching) that make its members feel comfortable collaborating (democratic). Then they’ll utilize the resulting strength to carry out the vision in their mind’s eye (visionary). This type of leader is a master of influencing others and achieving their goals.
Finding your leadership style
There is no “right” or “one-size-fits-all” leadership style. The world needs all types of leadership styles to fit various situations, challenges and obstacles. But before you can climb the career ladder or start your own business, it’s essential to answer the question, “What is my leadership style?” Exploring the types of leadership is a vital first step in developing your own skills, becoming an adaptable, agile leader – and in determining how to lead your company effectively.
Discovering your leadership style takes honesty and the ability to take constructive feedback. You can start by developing self-awareness in leadership – become aware of your emotions and your interactions with others. Learn your patterns, both positive and negative. Ask for input from others. Once you know your own strengths and weaknesses, you’re ready to work on becoming a real leader.
Discover what your leadership style is
You don’t need to be an executive or a manager to learn how to become a leader at work. No matter what walk of life you come from or where you sit in the company, you can follow these steps to learn how to be a leader at work.
Being a leader at work begins on an individual level. After all, the only thing you can truly control in your life is you. Before asking for a promotion or searching for management opportunities, first look at yourself. Do you display the skills and traits necessary in a good leader? If not, are you willing to put the time and effort into developing them? Commit to CANI – constant and never-ending improvement – for both soft skills, like communication, and hard skills, like learning new tools.
2. Add value
When you’re thinking about what skills to work on, focus on what will add the most value to your organization. Does your company need someone with a certain certification or knowledge of a specific software? Would it be more helpful to work on your email writing skills or to become an amazing public speaker for client presentations? Exceed expectations, demonstrate your hunger and your potential, and you’ll automatically be noticed when it’s time for promotions.
3. Work on your emotional fitness
Extraordinary leaders bring certainty into uncertain environments. That doesn’t mean that you have all the answers, but you do have the inner conviction that you can find the answer and move forward. The key to emotional fitness is being ready for anything. When you bring creativity, humor and curiosity to stressful situations, others will naturally turn to you when things become difficult or chaotic.
4. Practice self-awareness
It isn’t just businesses themselves that have a brand identity. Each employee has their own “work brand” based on their strengths and weaknesses and the best ways they can contribute to the company. It’s essential to be aware of your work brand in order to develop your leadership at work. The best leaders are the most self-aware. They’re always asking questions about their performance, and they take feedback seriously and professionally. Talk to your manager or even your colleagues and start applying your strengths today.
5. Adopt a growth mindset
True leaders also use their self-awareness and insight to consistently challenge themselves to grow. You view criticism and setbacks not as catastrophic roadblocks, but as a way to improve yourself and your situation. You’re constantly honing your skills and developing new ones. This is called a growth mindset, and it’s high on the list of how to be a leader at work. When you are constantly striving to better yourself, you will be able to give and become more than you ever thought possible, defying the odds, setting a new standard and stepping up to create the future you want.
6. Support others
A true leader is a great facilitator. Do you encourage others to speak up? Do you publicly recognize them when they do an excellent job? You look for greatness in your colleagues and are pleased to listen to what they have to say rather than offering your opinion over and over again. If you disagree with them, you discuss it in a constructive way. You excel at building trust in the workplace and creating a rapport with others. Because a true leader understands that when people are rewarded for progress and honored consistently, their drive to become better increases as well.
7. Think strategically
Being a leader at work requires resourcefulness – in achieving your personal goals and your goals as a team. This doesn’t mean doing more with less. It means thinking strategically and always being goal-oriented. It means having a plan to get you to your goals and having the determination to enact it. For the team, it means recognizing the potential in everyone and knowing how to delegate to make the best use of your team’s strengths. Strategic thinking skills are a way to add the most value to your organization – the ultimate goal of leadership at work.
8. Be innovative
Thriving companies are innovative. It doesn’t matter if you work for a tech startup or a pizza restaurant – organizations that find a way to differentiate themselves with fresh ideas are the ones that will survive. If you’re wondering how to become a leader at work, look no further than your own imagination: Contributing creative ideas that push the envelope and improve your company’s bottom line is one of the best strategies.
9. Take on more responsibility
Once you’ve developed your communication skills, mastered delegating and are contributing innovative ideas, you’re ready to level up your game. You’ve already got your team working at maximum efficiency, so you’ll have some time to learn new things and take on more responsibility. At this point, management is sure to have noticed your hard work and dedication, so don’t be afraid to ask for what you want. The sky’s the limit once you’re consistently practicing how to be a leader at work.
10. Surround yourself with greatness
Tony says that, “Proximity is power. If you want to have an extraordinary life, surround yourself with people who make you better.” That’s why many successful individuals credit having a mentor with helping them achieve their dreams. If you want to demonstrate leadership at work, consider getting a Results Coach or attending virtual leadership events like Business Mastery. Stay inspired and feed your mind by reading quotes, articles or biographies about your favorite leaders. Remember, if you’re not growing, you’re dying. There is always room for more growth.
The following examples of leadership skills encapsulate outcomes that will help you become the most effective leader you can be.
With a clear idea of your leadership strengths and weaknesses, you’re ready to take massive action by making a game plan aligned with your leadership style. If you identified a lack of confidence as a weakness, take steps to build self-confidence. If you identified poor communication as a weakness, start practicing effective communication techniques. With practice, you’ll begin to embody examples of leadership skills to facilitate success in any endeavor.
2. Be passionate
No one wants to seek counsel from someone who doesn’t care about the topic as much or more than they do. Passion is effort; passion is exertion. Passion is never giving up. Without it, you cease innovating and stagnate. When you display authentic enthusiasm and passion for the end result, your people will keep working to achieve their goals.
Employees respond to those who are eager to help them learn and grow. Show passion for everything you do, including in your efforts at developing leadership skills. Your desire will be clear to your employees, and you will inspire them to improve leadership skills, too.
3. Model great leadership for others
What are leadership skills going to accomplish if they don’t inspire others to action? Not much. People respect someone who walks the walk. Research supports this statement; a core characteristic of transformational leaders is the ability to be a role model.
One of the most powerful examples of leadership skills is showing those around you exactly what you’d like to see them do. Don’t waver on this. The strongest message you can send to your team is to model the behaviors you’d like to see. “If they can do this,” your team will think, “So can I.”
4. Don’t ignore your strengths
Developing leadership skills often focuses on weaknesses, but don’t forget that you can develop your strengths as well. An understanding of your weaknesses provides you with areas you know you can improve, but a strong knowledge of your innate gifts and abilities means you can put them to work for you right now.
Are there areas where you feel strong and can use those strengths in a new way? If you’re an excellent speaker, give presentations on challenging topics or join a public speaking group to improve your skills even more. Remember that the areas of improvement for leaders are endless, including your strengths.
5. Set concrete goals and execute them
Even the most formidable leaders don’t come up with success out of nowhere. The grandest vision will never get off the ground if you don’t plot a path to get there. When you’re developing leadership skills, invest time in clarifying your goals and solidifying them. Formulating the right plan and setting meaningful benchmarks along the way gives you a map to follow, a methodology that will guide your business through the next week, month, year and decade.
Once you achieve a particular goal, look toward another; constantly striving to meet that next benchmark will give you and your employees a sense of meaning and pride. As you make progress on your goals, the examples of leadership skills you embody will speak volumes about your tenacity in realizing your business vision.
6. Admit when you fail and move on
What are leadership skills – does being an effective leader mean never making mistakes? Even the most powerful, inspiring leaders make mistakes. When you recognize an error, admit it openly and take action to correct it. Be open about your failures; discuss them with yourself and with your team. Learn from them. Ask yourself and your team, “How can I avoid making this mistake in the future?”
Learning from your failures sends a powerful message to those around you. They understand that you will lead well even when you make a mistake. Those wondering how to improve leadership skills need to learn how to recognize successes and failures.
7. Inspire others
If you’re complaining about every little detail and can only see the worst-case scenario at the end of every plan, you have little chance of inspiring others. Inspiration is an extension of belief; if you say, “No, that won’t work” or “why bother?” to an employee, you’re signaling to them that you do not believe in their idea, in them or even in the business itself. An employee who feels you do not believe in them will not perform well, and this can even create a domino effect of poor morale across the business.
Instead, believe in others and what they are capable of. Inspire them to work harder and reach greater heights. Developing leadership skills throughout your business by generating and focusing positive energy, even when things aren’t going according to plan, is the secret to sustained growth.
8. Find your higher purpose
When developing leadership skills, it’s essential that you know why you’re putting time and effort into your chosen goal. What drives you? Your immediate response may be straightforward: a larger paycheck from a job well done or the prestige that comes from higher rank.
But step back for a moment. Why do you want that larger paycheck? Is it so your family feels more secure? Perhaps you want to lead because you feel you can help others by developing products and services that they need, or you see a place where you can cause positive change in your industry. These are all higher purposes, and by identifying your own, you can better operate as a confident, knowledgeable and empowering leader for others.
As you hone your effectiveness as a leader in your own life – whether that’s in a professional or personal capacity – you’ll strengthen the efforts you put into your own goals. Those around you will see the hard work and passion you bring to the table each day, stirring them to work on developing leadership skills, too.
When you think of leadership communication, do you picture great orators like Winston Churchill or Martin Luther King, Jr.? Maybe you imagine speaking to stadiums of thousands or giving TED Talks that get millions of views. These types of leaders are incredible public speakers, but that’s not why the world finds them so inspiring.
Leadership and communication are all about vision, passion and values. When you lead with your heart, tap into your emotional intelligence and understand how to listen, others are drawn to you. Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce, puts it succinctly: “The best leaders are great communicators and listeners.”
Effective leadership communication can help you grow from an average leader into a transformational visionary. Start working on these skills right now.
Discover your leadership communication skills
Tony says that “The greatest chokehold on the growth of any business is always its leader.” A company is only as strong as its leader’s psychology. If you haven’t learned to master your emotions, develop your emotional intelligence and build resilience and inner strength, you have work to do before you can begin to think about leadership communication. Start with self-reflection and build from there. You cannot begin to know how to inspire others until you know yourself.
2. Listen
Effective leadership communication always starts with building rapport, and building rapport always starts with listening. Pause: Comfortable silence gives others a chance to speak. Ask for opinions before you give your own to avoid confirmation bias. Focus sincerely on the other person’s wants and needs over your own. And make eye contact, give nonverbal feedback and be fully present. These deep-listening techniques build trust, a crucial part of leadership and communication.
3. Ask the right questions
When you ask the right questions, you get better answers. This is the essence of leadership communication. Let people air their complaints, then ask clarifying questions that get to the root of the problem. You might be surprised how often your employees will come up with their own solutions. Asking the right questions will also help you uncover others’ communication styles so that you can increase your own influence on their decision-making processes.
4. Be honest
You’ll never be able to earn trust if you don’t come across as authentic. People love leaders who are real with them. Be honest not only about who you are, but about what you have to say. Don’t sugarcoat bad news and don’t delay giving good news. Be direct. Don’t provide unnecessary information or make an issue more complex than it needs to be. Honest, straightforward leadership communication will help you align expectations and build trust.
5. Align your actions
We’ve all heard the saying, “Do as I say, not as I do” – and we all know that it just doesn’t work that way. If your actions aren’t aligned with your words, you’ll never earn the trust of your employees or be able to inspire them to greatness. Ensure your policies are aligned with your leadership values. Treat others with respect and empathy. Keep your office door open. Attend company events – and have fun. Leadership and communication follow when you connect yourself to the work.
6. Answer the “why”
When we’re told to do something, most of us don’t do it blindly. We naturally wonder, “why?” Answering the why makes leadership communication more persuasive and effective. Always follow your directives with a “because…” statement that explains your reasoning. Share ideas you didn’t choose and describe why not. This shows you’ve considered alternate perspectives and explains why your decision is the best one.
7. Tell a story
Humans are hardwired for storytelling – we’ve been doing it since we first sat around a campfire. If telling a story fits with your message and is an appropriate communication style for the situation, this can be one of the most powerful leadership communication skills. You can use stories to give context, create meaning or teach a lesson. Just beware of coming across as self-centered or a know-it-all. Take the time to learn how to tell a great story and you’ll strengthen your leadership communication.
8. Master body language
You may have heard the statistic that communication is 93% nonverbal and only 7% verbal. While the numbers aren’t exact, there’s no doubt that mastering body language is a vital leadership communication skill. Using your own physiology to mirror others can help you build rapport and influence. Understanding others’ body language and tone of voice also helps you read between the lines of what others are saying. What isn’t being said is often even more important than the words.
9. Stay adaptable
Our preferred way of communicating has to do with our leadership style: visionary leaders can be prone to long stories, affiliative leaders to deep listening and commanding leaders to straightforward statements. But one of the most essential – and hard to achieve – leadership communication skills is the ability to effortlessly switch between styles or even combine styles. Master this and you’ll be able to influence anyone, anytime, anywhere.
10. Communicate constantly
There’s no such thing as too much leadership communication. Make sure you’re communicating to all stakeholders at every level of the organization, and that you’re doing it on a consistent basis, as well as when anything important happens. Constant communication is how you will spread your leadership vision and inspire others to follow you on this crazy journey we call life.
You’ve put a lot of work into building your business. You’ve focused on constant, never-ending improvement to provide more value than anyone else. You’ve mapped out your business plan and created your sales strategy. And you’ve sharpened your recruitment strategies and hired the right people for the job – at least you thought you did. But lately, you’ve been noticing team motivation declining.
You’ve attempted to entice employees with bonuses, pay raises and benefits, but they’re still missing deliverables and aren’t excited about the job. All of the traditional approaches you learned about how to motivate a team don’t seem to be working.
That’s because you’re using the wrong tools.
The top ways to motivate your team aren’t related to money: They’re related to each individual’s values. It’s more about inspiration than motivation, and it takes true leadership – combined with real-life strategies. But once you truly understand these concepts, you’ll unlock limitless employee motivation.
There are two types of team motivation: extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic motivation includes pay, benefits and promotions. Intrinsic motivation refers to the gratification a person gets from completing a certain task. The best ways to motivate your team use intrinsic motivation, leveraging each individual’s need for growth and purpose.
2. Know and share your vision
Learning how to inspire your team starts with learning what inspires you: You must discover your own purpose before you can relate to others’ needs for fulfillment. What brings you into work every day? What is your ultimate goal for your business? Distill your purpose into a powerful vision statement and share it with your team.
3. Lead by example
Sharing your vision isn’t enough – you must live your purpose every day. Great leaders embody the traits they want to see in their team: hard work, dedication, loyalty and more. Discover your values and bring them to the table at work. Admit when you’re wrong. Learn from your mistakes. You’ll inspire your team to do the same.
4. Discover your leadership style
Leading by example is a great start, but you can dig deeper. What are your strengths and weaknesses? Once you know your natural leadership style, you can develop your skills and become a well-rounded leader who can switch styles to inspire a team in any circumstance.
5. Master communication
The best leaders are the best communicators. They excel at reading nonverbal cues and use mirroring and pacing techniques to exert influence. They’re able to adapt to different communication styles to ensure they are understood. And they are always empathetic and open to new views.
6. Improve your listening skills
Learning how to motivate a team often isn’t about speaking at all – it’s about deep listening. Ask questions and truly listen to the answers. Implement solutions whenever you can. Knowing they are heard is extremely motivating to team members.
7. Build rapport
Deep listening skills are also the first step to building rapport with your team. Rapport is about relationship-building: being open and authentic, finding common ground and establishing mutual respect. Creating those deeper connections is essential to intrinsic team motivation.
8. Be honest
Building rapport also means being honest – but the benefits of honesty go even further. When you’re transparent with your team, you’ll build trust in the workplace and earn respect. And when your team respects you, they will be much more open to your suggestions.
9. Use leverage
At the root of intrinsic team motivation lies each individual’s values: You must find out what drives them to come to work every day. Do they love the freedom to be creative? Does work fulfill their need for significance or contribution? Do they enjoy working on mastering skills? Discover their “why” and you’ll discover how to motivate a team.
10. Recognize accomplishments
Now that you’ve built the foundation of team motivation, you can implement a series of actions to help inspire your team to greatness. The first is recognition – everyone wants to be recognized. When you see a team member go above and beyond, recognize them. You’ll empower them to do more of the same.
11. Create goals
If you’re not giving your employees clear tasks and goals, you may not have a team motivation problem – you may have a communication problem. Goals let your team know what is expected and set a clear path for advancement – and are a must at any successful company.
12. Use performance reviews
Performance reviews are an excellent form of feedback that not only helps you create goals for each employee, but lets them know where they stand. They’re a clear, objective form of communication that can be just what an employee needs to improve.
13. Foster collaboration
When employees work as a true team, rather than separate individuals, everyone is more productive. Teams hold each other accountable, but also help out when someone is overwhelmed or absent. Outings, fun traditions and friendly competitions foster that sense of collaboration and improve team motivation.
14. Encourage personal growth
Those with a growth mindset achieve goals because they enjoy learning new things. You can develop this mindset in your team by encouraging personal growth. Send them articles about new skills they could master, books about success and invites to networking events. Personal growth leads to professional growth.
15. Prioritize employee well-being
Modern employee motivation isn’t just about growth – it’s about their well-being. Today’s employees want to know that their companies genuinely care about them. They want you to ask about their families and their health. They want to take time off without feeling stressed. When you give your team time to refuel their own minds and bodies, they will be able to contribute more to your business.
16. Adapt to market changes
Many of the trends we are seeing toward remote work are deeply connected to the notion of well-being. Remote work allows employees to have flexible schedules. It allows them to reclaim the hour or two they would normally spend commuting every day. This is why many employees now see remote work not just as a perk, but as a necessity. If this is the case in your industry, it’s worth taking another look at implementing a remote or hybrid office.
17. Reward creativity
What do the Apples, Pelotons and Spotifys of the world have in common? They all have cultures of innovation that encourage employees to take risks, think creatively and always reach for the next best thing. You can embrace this form of employee motivation by encouraging brainstorming, rewarding originality and learning from failures and mistakes rather than punishing them.
18. Change it up
Boredom is the great team motivation killer – and it especially affects your top performers. If those at the top feel they have nothing else to learn, why stay? You can help them get out of their rut by switching up their routines, assigning them a new, big project or even encouraging a lateral move. Engaged employees are driven employees.
19. Trust your team
If you’re wondering how to motivate a team, the answer is almost never to micromanage them. One of the best ways to inspire your team may be to take a more hands-off approach. You’ll never really know what your team can accomplish if you’re always micromanaging; many employees find it stifling. Learn more about how to embrace your leadership role and manage your business from a place of trust, and you just may find the key to how to motivate your team.
20. Ask for help
No business owner knows it all. We all have blind spots and weaknesses, and learning how to inspire your team is a process. Every individual is different, which means that every team is different. In business, it’s always valuable to have a sounding board and a place to go for advice. Finding a mentor is a good start. A business coach can also help. Remember, when you elevate your peers, you will be lifted up as well.
ways to show employee appreciation
With our busy lives and the rise of all things digital, handwritten notes are becoming more rare – and that’s what makes them so special. Write your employee a nice card or make a tradition of leaving quick sticky notes to recognize a job well done.
2. Post on social media
We live in the digital age and social media is everywhere. The public, “shout it from the rooftops” nature of social media is part of what makes it such an effective way to show employee appreciation. Employees are bound to feel special when you post their picture and accomplishments for all to see.
3. Celebrate birthdays and work anniversaries
Birthdays are each employee’s own personal holiday and the ideal time to recognize each one individually. Don’t skip celebrating work anniversaries either: When employees feel rewarded for their loyalty, they’ll give more of it in return.
4. Recognize personal achievements
Your employees are superstars, and not just at work. Outside of work they are giving back to their communities, participating in sports and clubs and accomplishing incredible things. Celebrating these achievements shows that you appreciate employees as people, not just workers.
5. Pay for professional development
Employees don’t just want snacks and foosball tables – the best employees know that if you’re not growing, you’re dying. Let them choose a conference to attend or a course to take online that will provide the professional development they crave.
6. Use peer-to-peer appreciation
Learning how to show appreciation to employees isn’t just for managers and executives. Peer-to-peer recognition can be even more effective. Create an appreciation box where employees can drop notes recognizing each other’s accomplishments or create a channel in your messaging platform for appreciation.
7. Take suggestions
The best employee appreciation starts with what your employees want – but you won’t know what that is if you don’t ask. Put out a suggestion box or use an online survey service to let employees make requests anonymously. Choose one per month to follow through.
8. Promote self-care
Many leaders talk about self-care and the importance of taking time away from work, yet their company culture doesn’t reflect it. Take it seriously by providing quiet, comfortable spaces in your office, with yoga or meditation sessions and always encouraging vacation time.
9. Create a workplace “currency”
This is a great way to provide microrecognition that ladders up to formal recognition. When you see an employee do something nice or reach a small goal, give them a ticket. Then hold a raffle each month for prizes, or let them turn in tickets for rewards like half-day Fridays for a month or company swag.
10. Give them special treatment
The biggest key to how to show appreciation to employees is to make them feel special. There’s no better way to do that than to give them the corner office for a day, the prime parking spot for a month or a morning off to do whatever they please.
11. Go on a fun outing
Remote work has been on the rise for years, but nothing can take the place of face-to-face interaction. Shared experiences during outings help teams bond, which in turn helps them work better together. Let them choose a fun day trip once or twice a year to keep teamwork strong.
12. Make a wall of fame
The wall of fame is one of the most traditional ways to show employee appreciation – but in the age of remote work, it’s getting an upgrade. Use an online forum or message board to make a digital “wall” that employees anywhere can see and update.
13. Listen
Ultimately, learning how to show appreciation to employees is about building gratitude and genuine connection into your company culture. The best way to do that is to truly care about your employees and what they want. There’s no replacement for practicing empathy, listening to their needs and doing your best to meet them.
Human beings are incredibly complex. Our genetics, upbringing and experiences all combine to make each one of us completely, utterly unique. It’s what makes life interesting – and it’s also what makes motivating others so hard. We all have different personalities, wants and needs, and that means we all have different things that drive us.
If you’re wondering how to motivate others, you’re well aware of the challenges. You need solutions. The good news is that great leaders are made, not born. You can learn how to develop the skills that will allow you to inspire others – and help them achieve more than they ever dreamed.
If you’re wondering how to motivate others, look no further than your own example. Great leaders take to heart the quote, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Oprah built an empire on positivity and celebrating the successes of others. Jeff Bezos’ bold, visionary insights are legendary. Bill Gates is known as one of the hardest workers in tech.
All of these great leaders were fueled by their own unwavering belief in themselves. They knew what they wanted, and they set out to achieve it. People are attracted to certainty. When you discover your passion in life and let it fuel your inner fire, motivating others comes more naturally because they will be attracted to your passion.
Listen
How do you motivate others without listening to them? The truth is that you’ll never be able to inspire others to action if you’re the one talking all the time. Listening is essential. It shows that you’re interested in what others have to say and you care about their lives. It also allows you to uncover their passions, which you can use to motivate them.
Deep listening is more than just “hearing” someone. It’s an active state that requires concentration and effort. Put your phone away and step away from your computer to give the person your full attention. Maintain good eye contact and practice mirroring to make them feel safe and understood. Give both verbal and nonverbal feedback. You cannot learn how to motivate others until you learn how to be a good listener.
Ask the right questions
Tony says that “Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers.” Giving the right feedback is just as important as deep listening. When you ask the right questions, you’re able to create a connection and uncover someone’s innermost dreams and desires – and ultimately figure out how to motivate others.
Show an interest in the person’s life. Ask about their family, their partner or their weekend plans. These questions will often show you what matters most to them. Find out if they volunteer, play sports or love to get into a good book. Recreational activities reveal traits like compassion, competitiveness and desire to learn new things – and you can leverage these traits to inspire others.
Adapt your leadership style
People inherently respond differently to different motivators. People also have different communication styles, or metaprograms, such as internal and external frames of reference and tendencies to look for similarities or for differences. Motivating others is about adapting your leadership style to fit different personalities and communication styles.
But you must start with determining your natural leadership style. Take the DISC assessment to see what type of leader you are. Then work on building up your areas of weakness, such as your coaching skills or your use of praise and encouragement. When you can change your leadership style at will, you’ll discover how to motivate others no matter who they are.
Set goals
It seems contradictory, but assigning responsibility is key to how to motivate others. It shows that you trust them and believe they have the skills to get the job done – and that in turn makes them want to live up to your expectations. As with anything else involving leadership, effective communication is essential to making sure you get the result you want.
Set clear goals that are a little bit of a “stretch,” but are attainable based on the person’s skill set and experience. Goals that are too easy won’t push them to improve, but goals that are too hard may frustrate them and actually cause them to lose motivation. The right goals provide just the push they need to be their best selves.
Provide support
Motivating others isn’t just about giving inspiring speeches or writing an amazing company vision statement. It’s about following up and providing the support people need to achieve their goals. It means providing the physical tools and programs they need to succeed, but also providing emotional support. Ask them how you can help. Let them know you’re there for them. And always follow up and keep them on track for success.
When people achieve goals, they gain confidence. When they gain confidence, they begin to believe in themselves – and they feel inspired to achieve even more. Great leaders are the catalyst that sparks the passion within. Then they use that flame to illuminate the right path. Ultimately, they inspire others to become leaders themselves, passing the flame along to help even more people.
In order to feel like a contributing member of the workforce, employees need to feel they are both skillful and trusted on the job. Therefore, empowering a reasonable level of autonomy in the workplace is one of the most effective things that motivate people.
2. Mastery
Whether you are the owner of a small business or an employee of a growing firm, a feeling of mastery on the job is an important part of what motivates people to work. To effectively learn how to inspire people, make sure everyone has the tools and information they need to excel on the job.
3. Purpose
What motivates you to work hard? For almost all of us, the best incentive is one of Tony Robbins’ pivotal business growth concepts: purpose in the workplace. It is not money that ultimately keeps people working hard. What drives people is the sense of purpose and contribution they feel on the job. Invest in employee retention and morale, and you’ll understand not only what motivates people in life but also what creates happy, dedicated employees.
4. Fear
What are people motivated by? You often don’t have to look any further than fear – but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Fear of embarrassment could lead you to practice a presentation until it’s pitch perfect. Fear of letting others down could lead you to work even harder. Just be sure you’re not being ruled by your fears.
5. Opposition
We all know this personality type: you tell them they can’t do something, and they go out and excel at it. Opposition is just the thing that motivates people like this. They don’t want to experience the pain of proving you right. Barbara Corcoran’s ex told her she’d never succeed without him. Then she built a multi-million-dollar real estate empire.
6. Competition
Opposition is proving to yourself that you can do something when others doubt you. Competition is proving that you’re the best, period. They often go hand in hand. People with competitive spirits want to avoid the pain of losing. Bill Gates and Richard Branson are famously competitive – and we’d say it’s worked out for them.
7. Necessity
People have physical needs. We need a roof over our heads. We need food and water. We need to avoid the discomfort that’s caused when we don’t have these things. Often what motivates people is the fear of losing these things. Unlike the factors above, necessity probably isn’t inspiring people to greatness, but if you’re an employer, you can still use it to motivate your team.
8. Certainty
We all need certainty to feel safe and secure and to have people we can depend on. But like necessity, certainty can be what motivates people to achieve less, not more. When you feel secure in your job, you don’t want to take a chance on a more fulfilling role. When you feel safe in your relationship, it’s easier to ignore that you don’t feel fulfilled. Things that motivate people aren’t always positive.
9. Vision
Your vision determines the quality of your life. That’s why it’s one of the strongest things that motivate people. But it’s not always easy to create a vision. It takes introspection, self-awareness and honesty to truly determine what it is that you want so bad, it pulls you toward it.
10. Passion
Without passion, life is boring. We need passion in relationships and passion for our work, family and giving back. It’s what gives us boundless energy. It’s the reason Tony can do six-day, 12-hour events, no problem. He’s pulled to it by his passion.
11. Significance
Things that motivate people can often be traced back to the Six Human Needs. Significance is one of these. In terms of what motivates people, the need for significance manifests in a need for recognition. When people feel validated and valued, they’re inspired to work harder.
12. Growth
The human need for growth is hard-wired into all of us, but some find it more motivating than others. When people are driven by growth, they desire career development and advancement. They want to learn new skills, reach their physical best and discover their peak state.
13. Contribution
Another human need that’s a big factor in what motivates people is contribution. Millennials are often motivated by workplaces that give back. Many tech startups would list “making the world a better place” in their vision statement. Contribution is one of the strongest things that motivate people. How to motivate others
Working with a diverse team can be incredibly rewarding, adding immense depth and insight to your collaboration. Working with different personalities can also be challenging. Even in the healthiest of workplaces, personality clashes inevitably arise due to differences in communication, leadership style or personal opinion. Whether you own a business, manage one or are employed by one, knowing how to manage a team with different personalities is critical. When you know how to deal with different personalities in the workplace, you’re able to achieve your goals, maintain your peace of mind and create a company culture that’s representative of your brand.
Tips for working with different personalities
Collaborating with different personalities is a skill and an art. Implement the following tips to develop the “soft skills” you need to interact with others productively.
Self-respect is a precursor to self-awareness. When you understand and value yourself, your perspective and skill set, you’re able to engage others with equal respect. With a solid base of mutual respect, you’re able to handle conflicts successfully.
2. Prioritize shared goals.
When you’re working on how to deal with different personalities in the workplace, your team’s shared goals are the ultimate unifier. You’re all on the same team – this is what’s behind the concept of “team players.” Working as a team doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your opinion to avoid rocking the boat or back down from coworkers who are more dominant or assertive than you. Working with different personalities just means prioritizing your ultimate purpose.
3. Don’t take conflict personally.
When conflicts arise in working with different personalities, it can feel personal. When someone disrespects you or dismisses your input, it’s valid to feel hurt. But don’t take their behavior personally. They behave the way they do because of their own issues, not because of your character. Creating a bit of space between yourself and others’ behaviors goes a long way in mastering how to manage a team with different personalities.
4. Embrace what others bring to the table.
When you’re working with different personalities on the job, it’s easy to spot the difficulties your differences create. What’s less obvious is how your differences can enhance collaboration. To create cohesion, you’ll need to intentionally seek out the upside of your colleagues’ personalities. If you find a coworker to be aggressive, also consider that this person’s directness allows for a clear exchange of information. If you find a coworker to be overly passive, consider that this person may be trying to demonstrate empathy.
5. Don’t be afraid to handle conflicts directly.
Part of learning how to manage a team with different personalities is leaning into interpersonal conflict. If there’s a dispute, don’t be afraid to confront it directly. As uncomfortable as this may feel at first, it’s far better than letting the issue fester. When you learn how to handle workplace conflicts, this skill sets you apart as an empathetic and effective leader.
6. Understand each role in your company.
Part of knowing how to manage a team with different personalities is knowing what strengths each role requires. If a team member’s role is client-facing, that person will need to have extroverted personality traits. If a role is heavily technical, that person will need to be a natural problem solver. When you understand what is asked of each role, you can hire strategically, incorporate complementary personalities into a team and reduce friction when working with different personalities.
7. Model empathetic communication.
Great leaders lead by example, especially when they’re mastering how to manage a team with different personalities. Demonstrate effective teamwork by tailoring your own communication to the person you’re interacting with. If you know they tend to be soft-spoken, be extra sensitive when conversing with them. If they tend to be very direct, approach the conversation with equal directness.
8. Build a corporate culture of respect.
When personality differences breed disrespectful behavior in the workplace, the results are toxic. A study of nearly 800 employees and managers across 17 industries found that when staff was treated poorly at work, 47% intentionally decreased the amount of time they spent on the job, 38% decreased the quality of their work and 78% reduced their company loyalty. If an employee has a habit of disrespecting others, this is a personal problem you must nip in the bud to master how to manage a team with different personalities. Take proactive measures to shape a culture of respect that reflects your business’s core values.
Working with different personalities is a challenge that can transform your experience on the job. Get the support you need to collaborate effectively with Tony Robbins’ Mastering Influence, your resource for effective communication in the workplace and beyond.
We are all leaders in some elements of our life, some more than others. Do not mistake yourself with ‘I’m not the leader type’ (ANT-alert). When you are leading: the quality of listening and attention determines the quality of speaking (= the quality of info entering your mind). The best leaders are real. The best leaders are great human beings.
Keep your promises (talk is very cheap). Life is all about relationships.
Always be authentic, people can sense if you are not (or worse, if you’re manipulating them).
Practice Ubuntu: “a person is a person through other people,” you are where you are because many others helped you, not because you are a gifted genius.
Lead with empathy.
Put people first.
Also: prioritize your team’s needs above yourself.
Have humility.
Be transparent and honest.
Know how to motivate different people in different ways (some need to be pushed, some need to be supported).
Always give credit. Take blame.
Focus on what your people can do, not what they can’t do.
Be competent in your own craft; the best leaders are always prepared and outworking everyone else.
Under-promise and over-deliver.
People can't remember more than 3 points from a speech.
To combat an adversary, become their friend.
Set a high bar, believe you can reach that bar.
Don’t sacrifice the short term for the long term, but always keep the long-run perspective in mind.
Everyone is shy. Other people are waiting for you to introduce yourself to them, they are waiting for you to send them an email, they are waiting for you to ask them on a date. Go ahead.
Own up to what you don’t know. It will set others free. Together you can come to shared truths. No one knows it all; listening & incorporating others’ views is key for highly functioning teams.
Don’t be afraid of letting others teach you. It does not degrade you; it uplifts you. The ego doesn’t always acknowledge this simple truth.
Learn how to learn from those you disagree with, or even offend you. See if you can find the truth in what they believe.
Being enthusiastic is worth 25 IQ points.
Surround yourself with people with the same mindset, heart set, health set, and soul set. But don’t be the smartest person in the room. Hang out with, and learn from, people smarter than yourself. Even better, find smart people who will disagree with you.
Realize you are not special. You are alive. This is everyone’s experience. Every single one. Everyone’s everyone.
This is true: It’s hard to cheat an honest man. Be honest and decrease the integrity gap
Promptness is a sign of respect.
Don’t take it personally when someone turns you down. Assume they are like you: busy, occupied, distracted. Try again later. It’s amazing how often a second try works.
1/3 thinking, 1/3 doing, 1/3 people. Make relationships a priority.
Never lose your cool; don’t blow up at individual mistakes/losses – you’ll regret getting too emotional.
Personal accountability first: look in the mirror when something goes wrong, not at others.
No one is bigger than the team; we can all make a difference but we are also all replaceable
Savor and celebrate small victories / progress – yours and others.
Enjoy the process, not just the outcome; be passionate about what you do and have fun with your team.
Manage out of joy, not fear.
Laugh at yourself; never take yourself too seriously.
Regularly reflect on your leadership – don’t get too caught up in the day-to-day grind.
Stay balanced – don’t lose sight of your own family & things that really matter.
This is true: It’s hard to cheat an honest man.
If you borrow something, try to return it in better shape than you received it. Clean it, sharpen it, fill it up.
To quiet a crowd or a drunk, just whisper.
Ignore what others may be thinking of you. Because they aren’t.
Trust me: There is no “them”.
Each time you reach out to people, bring them a blessing; then they’ll be happy to see you when you bring them a problem.
If you meet a jerk, overlook them. If you meet jerks everywhere every day, look deeper into yourself.
If you can avoid seeking approval of others, your power is limitless.
When a child asks an endless string of “why?” questions, the smartest reply is, “I don’t know, what do you think?”
Tell me who your friends are, and I’ll tell you where you’re going.
It’s not an apology if it comes with an excuse. It is not a compliment if it comes with a request.
Don’t aim to have others like you; aim to have them respect you.
Compliment people behind their back. It’ll come back to you.
Your best response to an insult is “You’re probably right.” Often, they are.
Perhaps the most counter-intuitive truth of the universe is that the more you give to others, the more you’ll get. Understanding this is the beginning of wisdom.
Before you are old, attend as many funerals as you can bear, and listen. Nobody talks about the departed’s achievements. The only thing people will remember is what kind of person you were while you were achieving.
The only way to deal with an unfree world is that you very existence is an act of rebellion
Be yourself. Everyone else is taken.
The more you are interested in others, the more interesting they find you to be interesting. Be genuinely interested.
Optimize your generosity. No one on their deathbed has ever regretted giving too much away.
Friends are better than money. Almost anything money can do, friends can do better. In so many ways a friend with a boat is better than owning a boat.
Care!!
Avoid drama mamas. Men and women who have caught victimus excusitis.
And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music (Nietzsche)
Great spirits will encounter violent opposition from mediocre minds. The mediocre mind is incapable of understanding the man who refuses to bow blindly to conventional prejudices and chooses instead to express his opinions courageously and honestly (Einstein)
How to apologize: Quickly, specifically, sincerely.
Think about it: how do you feel when someone tries to impose their thinking on you? If a family member, friend, or colleague came up to you and said: ‘don’t think this: here’s your opinion,” you’d try to get away from that person as soon as you possibly could.
Treating a person to a meal never fails and is so easy to do. It’s powerful with old friends and a great way to make new friends.
Reading to your children regularly will bond you together and kickstart their imaginations.
Be humble (!!)
You realize you are not special. You are alive. This is everyone’s experience. Every single one. Everyone’s everyone.
When you die you take absolutely nothing with you except your reputation.
Show up. Keep showing up. Somebody successful said: 99% of success is just showing up.
Only surround yourself with top quality. In all!
Don’t aim to have others like you; aim to have them respect you.
Only build if you totally disrupt and change your field. Enrich clients, create a truly great experience, and breed fanatical followers.
You can’t have an A-level company with C-level performers
The more powerful a person truly is, the less they need to promote it
Be in the business to serve. Be helpful to society.
I will rely on the ones closest to me. And I will share their burdens. As they share mine.
If you desperately need a job, you are just another problem for a boss; if you can solve many of the problems the boss has right now, you are hired. To be hired, think like your boss.
Extraordinary claims should require extraordinary evidence to be believed.
To make something good, just do it. To make something great, just re-do it, re-do it, re-do it. The secret to making fine things is in remaking them.
You can obsess about serving your customers/audience/clients, or you can obsess about beating the competition. Both works, but of the two, obsessing about your customers will take you further.