{"id":1662,"date":"2015-10-02T21:55:18","date_gmt":"2015-10-02T21:55:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/?p=1662"},"modified":"2015-10-11T22:03:43","modified_gmt":"2015-10-11T22:03:43","slug":"want-to-motivate-your-successors-play-follow-the-leader-not-simon-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/want-to-motivate-your-successors-play-follow-the-leader-not-simon-says\/","title":{"rendered":"Want to Motivate Your Successors? Play ‘Follow the Leader,’ Not ‘Simon Says.’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Matthew<\/a><\/p>\n

MATTHEW ARRINGTON<\/div>\n
CONTRIBUTOR<\/div>\n
Executive Director and Co-Founder Forte Strong,<\/div>\n

October 02, 2015<\/p>\n

\n

Childhood games are so ingrained in our memories as fun experiences that we forget why we played them in the first place. For example, \u201cSimon Says\u201d seeks to teach children self-control<\/a>, teach\u00a0the importance of following directions and establish respect for an authority figure.<\/p>\n

Related:\u00a0The 10 Biggest Motivation Killers and How to Fix Them (Infographic)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, \u201cSimon Says\u201d falls woefully short in advancing children’s development, because it fails to harness their inner motivation. The essence of this game is to mindlessly follow Simon\u2019s orders — no questions asked — because Simon said so. But “Simon Says” is a game better suited for molding unmotivated (but obedient) drones, not the leaders of tomorrow.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s certainly not the way you want to train your successors — at work or at home.<\/p>\n

As a leader, if you find that\u00a0your task-delegation style is\u00a0limited to \u201cthe boss says,\u201d you owe it to\u00a0those following\u00a0in your footsteps to work on boosting your motivational strategies. Ideally, your role as leader is to not only ensure that your followers\u00a0are performing well, but to understand why<\/em> they need to perform well and to have the desire to up their\u00a0game.<\/p>\n

The takeaway: You shouldn\u2019t be playing an endless workflow game of \u201cSimon Says\u201d; you should be motivating your successors with \u201cFollow the Leader.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lead by example to set the tone.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The best way to utilize your leadership skills, to motivate your employees, your children\u00a0or anyone else who looks up to you is to set the right tone in everything you do. You have to understand that their roles depend on their assumption that you know what you\u2019re doing. You have to exude confidence and moxie in everything you do.<\/p>\n

A great example of a leader who was a master of motivation was the famous Marine Lt. Gen.\u00a0Lewis Burwell \u201cChesty\u201d Puller<\/a>. Puller is famously quoted as saying, \u201cThey\u2019re on our left, they\u2019re on our right, they\u2019re in front of us, they\u2019re behind us . . .\u00a0they can\u2019t get away this time.\u201d His poise and brash confidence gave his troops peace and purpose in even the most psychologically demanding environments.<\/p>\n

Though it\u2019s unlikely you\u2019ll ever have to lead your successors into battle, here are two more more tips for motivating your \u201ctroops.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related:\u00a05 Ways to Remain Motivated and Focused on Kicking Ass<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Show vulnerability.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In his book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team<\/a>,<\/em>\u00a0Patrick Lencioni explained that the first dysfunction that prevents effective team building is the breakdown of trust. Trust must exist to strengthen any relationship; and to build trust, we must be vulnerable.<\/p>\n

Being vulnerable is a way of exposing our proverbial underbellies, which encourages others to connect with us on a deeper level. It ensures that they understand how mistakes help us correct our direction and lead us to learn, grow and retain information.<\/p>\n

Although most leaders want to be perfect in the eyes of those they lead, they\u2019re not. Pretending to be a shining paragon of perfection would be a lie. You have to embrace your flaws.<\/p>\n

Take the time to give attention.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Time is much more valuable than money. Money can be earned and duplicated, but time cannot. The more time you spend with your successors, the more they will remember your example.<\/p>\n

In The 4-Hour Workweek<\/a><\/em>,\u00a0author Tim Ferriss discussed the concept that attention is what really gives time its value. You always have to be present when you\u2019re taking the time to motivate and mentor. Putting down your smartphone isn\u2019t enough — you have to ensure that your mind is focused on your companion, not the myriad things on your plate.<\/p>\n

My own job revolves around motivating others and helping them discover their own purpose as they grow and put certain skills into practice. You\u2019ll find — with your employees, your children or someone you mentor — that after every \u201caha!\u201d moment they experience, life truly shows its meaning. It\u2019s an unbelievably rewarding experience that leaves a lasting impact, which\u00a0a life of \u201cSimon Says\u201d could never replicate.<\/p>\n

Related: Lacking Motivation? Follow These Steps to Get Back on Track.\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MATTHEW ARRINGTON CONTRIBUTOR Executive Director and Co-Founder Forte Strong, October 02, 2015 Childhood games are so ingrained in our memories as fun experiences that we forget why we played them in the first place. For example, \u201cSimon Says\u201d seeks to teach children self-control, teach\u00a0the importance of following directions and establish respect for an authority figure. … Continue reading Want to Motivate Your Successors? Play ‘Follow the Leader,’ Not ‘Simon Says.’<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1662","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-leadership","pmpro-has-access"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4MGMb-qO","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1662","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1662"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1662\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1664,"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1662\/revisions\/1664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1662"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1662"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1662"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}