The Secret of Motivation
Leadership is about motivation and leaders who enable their followers to help them to feel more involved. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to substitute at one of our local high schools. I always love being able to step onto campus and see what is going on in the life of students, teachers, and administrators. Throughout the day I traveled from classroom to classroom and spoke to various people. The more time I spent at the high school, the more I noticed the variation of leadership styles among the staff members.
The leadership style of the teachers and administrators had either a positive or negative effect on students. Students chose how to react to teachers based on how they interacted; how they lead. As the day moved forward, I found it was becoming easy to predict how students would respond during the class period based on the way the teacher interacted during the first one-minute of class.
The reaction of the students changed in direct relation to the use of leadership style and methods of motivation to attempt to get students involved. One study promoted the importance of using motivation tactics as an instrument to bring about competitive advantages among followers. The teachers who engaged their students acknowledged concerns and sought student involvement had a more positive reaction than their counterparts. The teachers who had these positive results were using good motivation tactics.
Jesus Christ also used effective motivation tactics as he spoke to the woman at the well to meet her need. Jesus used what impacted her to open up an opportunity to speak; he used her past. Jesus knew this woman was thirsty for a change in her life and offered her “living water” (John 4:10). He motivated her based on her current position and her desire for change.
Motivation is crucial to effective leadership, and the following bullet points will help you to become a better motivator:
- Know who you are and who you are not.
- Be genuine when dealing with your followers.
- Become aware of the needs of your followers and do your best to meet those needs.
- Followers will see how much work you put in and adjust accordingly, so work diligently.
- Do not expect others to do something you are not willing to do yourself.