Guest Post: Inspire Your Team – Gordon Tredgold

Inspire Your Team

Inspire your team: dare them to dream; energize them; excite them; ignite their passions.

As leaders this is one of our key responsibilities, in fact it’s what being a leader is be all about.

There is nothing worse than a team or department lacking inspiration.

They have a grey look and feel to them, they look like they are just going through the motions disinterested in what they are doing, lethargic and wishing they were anywhere else but here.

Working in a job that lacks inspiration is soul-destroying, the days just drag and minutes feel like hours.

As John Quincy Adam says “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more and become more, then you are a leader”.

This is what we should aspire to; leadership is not about power, position and control, for sure they may be some of the things that come along with the role, but these should not be the reasons we want to become leaders.

If those are the reasons, that you want to lead, then I doubt that much inspiration will follow.

How do we start to inspire our teams?

The first step is build up their self-confidence, it’s hard for them to believe they can achieve a big goal if the team lacks self-confidence, or doesn’t feel you have confidence in them.

Confidence is built through positive feedback, recognition and a sense of achievement.

Look to create small successes, because small success can be built into big successes, as success is addictive.

Dare you teams to dream of what’s possible.

Mediocrity can become a habit, but habits can be broken.

Tell them of your dreams, create a positive image of success, and show them your vision.

Everyone wants to be successful, if you can create an image of success, people will want to help achieve it and to be part of it.

So today I challenge you to take a hard look at your team.

Do they look energized, exited, and inspired, if not what are you going to do about it, because that it is your job, and you are failing!