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Summary: Motivation is a critical aspect of leadership. But most leaders fail to realize practical processes to motivate people consistently. Here is a motivational-leadership tool to greatly increase your leadership effectiveness.
The Defining Moment: The Straw That Stirs The Drink Of Motivational Leadership (Part One) by Brent Filson
Decades ago, as a rifle platoon commander in Marines, I saw leaders who could motivate troops to do extraordinary things -- and leaders who couldn't get troops to do much at all. I wondered what was difference between successful and unsuccessful leaders; and if that difference be taught.
Those two questions have stayed with me throughout my civilian life as I have worked with thousands of leaders worldwide for past 21 years.
Now, at last, I can say I've answered those questions. I've cracked code.
The difference between successful and unsuccessful leaders is successful ones are able to engage in deep, human, emotional relationships with people they lead, unsuccessful ones don't. It's as simple as that, yet it's more complicated than you think.
The power of those relationships has been demonstrated since dawn of history. In all cultures, whenever people needed to do great things, one thing had to take place: A leader had to gather those people together and speak from heart. In other words, deep, human, emotional relationships had to be constituted for great things to be accomplished.
Look at it this way: Leaders themselves must be motivated, that's an absolute truth. If you're not motivated, you shouldn't be a leader. But burning challenges in leadership are, Can you transfer your motivation to others so they are as motivated as you? And can you translate that motivation into great results? Great leaders successfully meet those challenges.
There are three ways to transfer your motivation to others. Give them information, make sense, and make your experience their experience.
The most powerful is latter, having your experience become their experience. One way to make this happen is with "defining moment" technique.
This entails having leader's experience become people's experience. It can be most effective method of all, because when speaker's experience becomes audience's experience, a deep sharing of emotions and ideas, a communing, can take place.
