How to Inspire Your Team

Do you find it easy to inspire your team? When we think of inspiring others, we typically think of an exciting speech or a touching story that motivates. However, most inspiration doesn’t come from just words…it comes from intention. It takes work and a willingness to step outside of your comfort zone to inspire others.

So what does it take? You need to put yourself out there to help inspire and motivate others. And when it is done right, people can be inspired to commit to a purpose and work much harder than they would otherwise. However, I sometimes find myself hesitating because I’m not sure how it is going to go over. After all, I don’t want to look foolish.

Do you realize how powerful of a force fear of embarrassment is? With our sound-bite world, many people are ready to pounce on someone who does something different. This falls into the category of minimizing risk. The risk of failure…the risk of looking foolish…and also, the risk of making a difference.

Don’t Let It Stop You from Trying

Whether you have a team of one or one thousand, they thirst for inspiration. They want the motivation to excel. It is your job to provide it to them, every day. That’s right, every day.

You may not have realized it when you took the job, but a huge part of your role is to help and inspire your team to greatness.

It’s Not About the Words

Inspiration comes in many different forms. It doesn’t have to be some big grand speech or gesture. As matter of fact, as great as those are, they are often short lived. (Late last year, I wrote about Genuine Intent which is important to inspiring people.) So, don’t “try” to inspire but take some time to understand what it takes to inspire.

1. Genuine Interest in Your Mission – Be genuinely interested in the mission of your company or cause. If you are strictly there to “make money” it will come off as phony and, yes, you will look foolish. You need to be inspired to inspire.
2. Genuine Interest in Leading –Many of you who read this are Sales or Business Leaders. Are you clear what you bought into besides a higher salary and longer hours? You bought into creating an environment of success for your team. You must have Genuine Intent every day with respect to their success first. You are second to them, not vice versa.
3. Genuine Interest in Each Person – Your team needs to come first. If you choose to take a genuine interest in each individual, they will be inspired. Do you know who they are, not just what they are supposed to do for you and the company? How do they best communicate? What is most important to them? If you learn these things, you are on the right track.

Create a habit of understanding how these three interests connect. If you are able to stay focused on these things daily, the inspiration your team seeks will come out naturally. It won’t be forced. It will be genuine and it will be effective. And yes, every now and then, it could be funny and a little “uncool,” but your team will know it comes from someplace real. And instead of making fun of it, they will embrace it.