As a leader, you want people to follow you. But are you worth it?
Do your employees and coworkers love you?
Are you the kind of leader that can inspire people (as one of my clients likes to put it) will walk through walls for you?
To succeed as a leader, you don’t just need respect. You need an emotional investment from the people around you. You need other people to contribute their
- Time
- Energy
- Effort
- Enthusiasm, and
- Talent
…to you. Why would they do that? How have you earned it?
You can inspire and motivate people in a such way that they truly want to do their best. Wendy Newcastle, executive vice president at Bank of America, calls this being an emotional leader.
Being an emotional leader is just as important as being an operational leader. By emotional I mean, why should people storm the Bastille for you, when in light of everything else, they might just as well stay put? In other words, all things being equal, why should they follow you?
If you’re a good leader, working for you is exhilarating. It’s probably challenging. It sometimes requires full speed, long hours, and hard work. It means setting unbelievably high goals and exceeding them every time. It can be frustrating, it can be exhausting, it can be stimulating…
…and if you’re an emotional leader, it’s so, so worth it.
Tips for Emotional Leaders
- Care about people. Ask about their kids, their colds, their hobbies.
- Get results. People want to be with the winner.
- Share the wins. Celebrate your team, all at once and one by one.
- Develop talent. Don’t just use other’s skills and talents like paper towels at your disposal. Cultivate them like a bountiful garden.
- Give back. What can you do to help people reach their personal goals?
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