How to Motivate People as a Leader

There are many people who are bound to follow, but only one person meant to be a leader. The problem, however, is that some people think that they cannot be leaders because leaders become so by destiny. True, many leaders have the same bubbling, charismatic, go-getter personalities – but some people who were once humble, shy, and quiet have become great leaders, too. It’s all a matter of knowing what people want and knowing how to motivate people. The last part, however, can be the most difficult job that you will need to take on as a leader.

Motivating people is certainly not easy, given that a person’s ability to be motivated is correlated with a person’s personality. When you start working with a group of people, there will be as many different quirks, personalities, and idiosyncrasies as there are people in that group, and you may need to juggle many different duties. In striving to please every single person, you may end up pleasing no one. So how can you work with diverse personalities and still be able to motivate people? Here are a few tips that you can use.

- Avoid trying to show everyone that you’re meeting their individual needs. Although this may appear counterintuitive, by appearing to be a rabid people pleaser, you can end up looking like an idiot who can survive only on the approval of others. Have you ever been annoyed when you saw someone trying to stoop down to the level of everybody else? Then think what you would look like if you were a leader and you had to do that – and everyone had to see it.

- Keep this in mind: you cannot please everybody. This is related to the previous statement, and it should also help you understand this one: no matter how hard you try, you can never make something turn out the way you want it, and you can never get a perfect end product.

This also means that you need to keep on plodding on: do not dwell on your mistakes, and learn from them instead. You cannot move forward without letting go of the past, so instead of wasting your time thinking and mulling over what you did wrong on that report, or what you said wrong during that meeting, or what you could have done right during your day, just keep on moving along.

- Don’t be afraid to show some anger and emotion. You’re human. You can’t smile all the time (and look ridiculous), be happy all the time (and look even more ridiculous), or laugh all the time (and look insane). If you’re mad at your team, be firm; but don’t be afraid to show them that they’ve done something wrong and you’re disappointed in their work. Be true to yourself and you can see that your team will be true to you – just don’t overdo it.

- Prepare rewards for your team members. Don’t stop at simple key chains or shirts, as though you were acting as a mouthpiece for a company or corporation. Promise a treat at a nearby restaurant if you all make a quota or get the job done. This way, you can all celebrate together, and you effectively show your team that this is a job for all of you, not just for them working under your orders.

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