Leaders play many roles and you may be transitioning between these roles unconsciously and unintentionally. Perhaps you’re over-doing one role and under-utilizing another role or you don’t recognize all of the different roles that you can perform. It’s also possible that you may not recognize when you should use one role over another. These roles are performed up, down, and laterally; including any and all colleagues, not only direct reports. As always, you don’t need a formal leadership title to exhibit leadership behavior.
How intentional are you as a leader about creating an environment in which employees are motivated and engaged? Do you know what motivates each person on your team? Do you know their genuine aspirations? Do you feel they are being honest with you about these? (if not, see: How to build trust).
Many leaders make the mistake of assuming that their role in motivating others is only about helping people climb the corporate ladder. I’m here to tell you there’s a whole world of motivation out there beyond helping people get promoted and the faster you recognize this and put it into action, the more engaged and productive your team will be.
Many things can motivate employees: your vulnerability, your honesty, your caring about them as a human, your desire to care about their well-being, your effort to understand them, your listening to them, and much more.
Another huge thing that motivates people: when you aren’t passive – when you hold others accountable, are decisive, and when you prioritize supporting your people.
Your people might not be able to articulate what motivates them. Chances are, they might have never been asked! Make it something you explore together. Share what motivates you too.
Favorite resource: 100 ways to motivate others
There are many times when leaders have to assume a teaching role; it often shows up when there is training involved. Teaching can be very straight-forward. It’s often one-way, directive, theoretical, and transactional and focuses on the acquisition of new knowledge or skills.
As a teacher, you should understand your student’s learning style: visual (spatial), auditory, hands-on/doing, reading/writing text, verbal (linguistic), logical (mathematical), social (interpersonal), solitary (intrapersonal). You should also recognize that as adults, we only retain 10% of information that is taught in a classroom setting and plan your method accordingly. Perhaps the teaching would be more effective if it is combined with a mentor or accountability buddy.
As with any teaching/training, there should be learning objectives and measures of success/progress clearly stated. How will you know if your teaching role is a success for others?
Favorite resource: Mager Six-Pack
What do you think of when you hear the word “coach”? Here’s what I think of for leaders acting as coaches: a leader who wants to truly develop others, a leader who is choosing to drop the command/directive style and choosing to adopt the “I want to develop you” style.
A coaching style is: two-way, non-directive, non-judgmental, compassionate, partnership, inviting someone to think deeper. This leadership role is often extremely motivating and engaging for others who are on the receiving end. To do this effectively, the leader must not be attached to an end outcome. Unfortunately, this role is rarely used by leaders.
Here are some examples of the leader as a coach:
Coaching is done by asking powerful open-ended questions, listening to understand (not to respond), and having the ability to see a bigger picture and inviting someone to see it too. It’s something that requires a fair amount of patience and leaders often overlook it because they are “too busy” and it’s faster to provide the answer/direction. While that may be true in the short-term, you are missing out on the insane long-term benefits of this role. Acting as a coach promotes critical thinking – expanded perspectives as well as growth and development. Additionally, acting as a coach will naturally secure the person’s buy-in because they weren’t told or directed – they got there themselves and are choosing it.
How will you know if your coaching role is a success for others?
Favorite resource: The Coaching Habit
A leader is a very important role model in an organization. People look up to leaders to provide guidance, motivation, development, vision, perspective, and more.
Are you acting as a role model? Do you see yourself as a role model? Are you leading by example? Do your actions match your words? Do you practice what you preach? Do others respect you as their leader? Are you the leader that people want to follow? Do you care about being a role model?
Favorite resource: Taking People With You
Something I hear consistently day-in and day-out from clients and connections is that their leader is very passive – avoids making decisions, avoids holding others accountable, avoids standing up for their employees. All in all: a leader who is focused on moving forward the daily tasks and doesn’t do much else to be a leader. These leaders are usually reactive to issues, complacent, okay with the status quo, and a product of their environment. Often, I hear about leaders who pass off decision making duty or their own influencing tasks as an excuse to empower others and not have to do it (yikes!). Passive leaders are generally leaders who can’t retain employees and they are usually less noticeable at lower levels in the organization. Passive leaders at the top exist just as much and they are much more noticeable and their complacence and inaction affects more people.
Passive and reactive leadership is very expensive for an organization and causes unnecessary stress, strife, and frustration to direct reports, peers, HR, and leaders. When you avoid conflict, supporting others, representing the interests of your team/department, operate reactively, and pass everything off as HR’s responsibility, you are modeling that you aren’t a leader.
Favorite resource: How passive leaders undermine employee well-being
What do you think? Do you see yourself playing each of these roles? Remember – you don’t have to have a leadership title to exhibit leadership behavior. Individual contributors and leaders can teach, coach, act as a role model and motivate others.
