Can you make them thirsty?

You can lead a horse to water, but getting them to feel thirsty, well that’s a whole other ball game.

I like to think I’m a pretty observant person, I love to sit back and actively listen to other people’s stories and experiences.?It’s come from many years of experience, not just in the world of Network Marketing, but also in active ministry, teaching and as a Club Manager back in the day of being able to work all night and still have crazy levels of energy left in me to dance on the bar.?A wise leader within faith once told me, “Em to be a great orator, you need to be an even better listener and a collector of stories”.?It’s always stayed with me and fascinated me.?Just as the subject of motivation has always intrigued me.?What drives people to act, or worse not act?

Have you ever tried to motivate a toddler to drink out of the blue cup, when they wanted the rainbow glitter cup that has never even existed – ever!??You can reason, offer rewards of chocolate, and biscuits and trips to the cinema.?You can threaten, scold or take away their comfort blanket.?But nothing YOU can do will make that toddler, no matter how much you know they need to drink, take even the smallest of sips.?Frustrating isn’t it.

As a leader in business, you might find recruitment a doddle, yet, getting people to put in action to grow, sometimes it can be like getting a toddler to take a sip out of that blue cup.?That’s because you are not on the same paradigm as your recruit, or team member.?You might as well be speaking a different language, or dancing in-front of them doing a little alien dance in an invisibility cloak.?The only outcome when a member of your team is that unmotivated is you will burn out, your momentum will slow down as you’ve spent all your energy on them.?The whole team can be dragged down from one unmotivated member of your team.

Here's you permission to quit.?Yes quit it, stop thinking you are God and can move mountains with other people’s motivation.?If their motivation is flat lined, you can’t bring it back to life.?What you can do is put in some amazing action steps yourself to help others uncover their “I” in their “Why”.?You just need to know how, think of the adage, it doesn’t matter how great a chef you are, if your ingredients are rotten, the meal will make you sick.???

The first thing to embrace is that YOU are a great leader.?In fact if you are eager to learn about this and are reading this, it already means that you are a great leader.?You are great because you are putting in action to improve the success of those around you.?So, just give yourself a quick pat on the back.?You need to be prepared to believe in yourself, and fully understand your ego centric “I” in your Why.?How can you in your daily life and interactions demonstrate your

·????????Inner Passion

·????????Inner Drive

·????????Inner Belief

·????????Fun

·????????Achievements with a level of humbleness

Once you are doing that with confidence you can start on creatively, passionately and facilitating others to find their inner motivation.?Notice this week we’re looking at starting people’s motivation from a flatline position, not maintaining.?Next week we will look at maintaining motivation. ?In 5 simple steps you will achieve your aims of having a motivated team or motivated customers.

1.??????Listen:?Really listen, ask the big questions.?It’s so easy to be tempted to start explaining your why and talking about yourself and your goals, your vision and what you need from them.?Take a step back and really actively listen.?Repeat back what has been said, then add a question to help that person start to peel back their layers.?

2.??????Ask the Right Questions:?Your questions always need to prompt inner reflection, encourage dialogue and self-exploration with the person you are talking to.?Take a leaf out of the toddler’s book, ask why to everything.?Find out what matters most to that person.?Take notes, so next time you talk to them, you can remember what was and is important to them.?That helps the other person feel truly cared about.?

3.??????Be flexible:?Be flexible in your leadership style, remember that everyone learns at a different speed and a different way.?Are you making sure that you are putting out support material in visual, auditory and actively “doing” ways??Are you supporting people only in big groups (where your introvert is cowering in the corner), or only in 1-1s (leaving your extroverts feeling lost and vulnerable without the crowd).?Mix it up, have fun with it.

4.??????Set Goals:?Show trust in your teams, set them big achievable goals.?They won’t want to let you down if you have done step 1-3 right.?People respond much more eagerly when they know you have faith in them and their abilities.?

5.??????Support:?Avoid going down the route of “give it here I’ll do it”.?That’s so crushing to others motivation.?Give constructive support and facilitate them in their learning journey.?Let them know that you are there if they have questions, however also put in boundaries otherwise the unmotivated will expect you to do the job for them.?

At the end of the day, you can not physically pick someone up and motivate them to change.?If they are not thirsty, you can’t make them drink.?Lead by example, listen intentionally, and ask the right questions.

If you would like to work with me on super charging your social media and leadership skills, you can book in for your free 30 minute strategy session here

https://calendly.com/emlovs/30min