Award Winning Influence
As a leader, how do you get people to do what needs to be done? This is a question I was recently asked, while being interviewed on the “Go Local, Unfiltered” Podcast. I was also asked this question by my friend Mel Tempest, on the “Gym Owners Fitness Business” Podcast a couple years ago. If you are in a leadership role, hopefully, this question has already triggered you to start thinking about your own personal strategy for leading teams to success and reflecting on “how” you were able to make that happen. One of my favorite John Maxwell quotes is, “the true measure of leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less” . Drawing from this quote, I have restructured the question to “how do you influence members of your team to do what needs to be done”?
My answer to this question may have been different as a young leader, however, as I have matured and grown through experience, I have implemented the following 4 strategies to influence and inspire teams, creating success.
1. Instill Pride in the Team
People will work harder, longer, and be more committed to something if they feel it is something they are proud to be a part of. This is something that I experienced as a young Marine, when 1st Lt David “Bull” Gurfein stood in front of a platoon that had been struggling with morale and truly lacked confidence as a unit. “You are the best mortar platoon in the Marine Corps… The Marine Corps is the finest fighting force in the world… Therefore, you are the best mortar platoon in the world”. After that speech, the members of the platoon stood a little taller, held their shoulders back a little further, and took on a mindset of excellence. A “chip on their shoulder”. The result was a platoon that went to war as the most prepared, professional, and effective units in the entire division and it was recognized by leaders at multiple levels. I have used this technique to create a mindset of pride with several teams throughout my corporate experience. Letting teams know that they are part of something great, something to take pride in, is always my starting point.
2. Communicate “Why”
Simon Sinek gave that Ted Talk several years ago, and it still holds true today. “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it”. I have utilized this strategy for getting teams to perform specific tasks which lead to a desired result. An example of this is when trying to increase the revenue from recurring personal training business through a PTEFT model. Explaining to the teams how the recurring revenue creates a healthier and more predictable business, a more consistent member experience, as well as a consistent paycheck for team members, provided the club leaders and fitness department leaders with an understanding of the “why” before asking them to sell this package vs the paid in full package. When they have a clear understanding of why we are requiring these actions, they are more likely to perform them.
3. Seek Input to Create Buy-In
Have you ever been part of a team where the leader gave the order, and it was not open to discussion? “This is what we are going to do, go do it”. This strategy is not inspiring for many and if you have ever been a part of an organization or a team where this was the leadership strategy, you were probably not too inspired by this either. You may have complied, but were you committed?
The best teams I have led, performed at a high level because I explained the results we needed and then gave them the autonomy to work collectively to come up with a solution to get those results. I may have not always agreed, and I may have overruled some of the ideas, but just the fact that they were heard and had the opportunity to have input, made the difference. This created buy-in and allowed me to hold them accountable at a different level because they had established their own expectations. Additionally, allowing your team to think through solutions to problems, discuss cause and effect, creates independent thought, and will help them grow personally instead of just being “order takers”.
4. Hold them Accountable
As a leader, one of the most important actions we can take is to hold our team members accountable. Following up on expectations and ensuring that if a team member is not meeting those expectations, we are not just looking the other way, but we are addressing it, course correcting, and moving forward. As leaders we get what we tolerate. If you set an expectation, start with why, create buy-in, and there is a lack of action and no one is held accountable, you lose all credibility, as a leader, and you are enabling that team member to underperform (See my article on coaching for more thoughts on this https://www.jayfgraves.com/what-im-writing/a-cool-coach).
These are strategies which I have employed and have resulted in leading some incredibly successful teams. I hope that you can incorporate these into your leadership style to help you drive outstanding results in your business.
I ask again, “As a leader, how do you influence people to do what needs to be done”?
Jay Graves is a proven leader, building successful teams throughout the past 30+ years. Jay has successfully led teams across multiple professions from military, police, fitness business owner/operator, corporate leader in single and multi-unit/multi-state markets. Jay began writing articles to share with his team leaders as part of his own personal development plan and continues to share his learnings with the desire to contribute to the development of leaders around the world. Jay is a speaker, author, and coach. He recently published his first book, “Line of Departure, Outstanding Starts Here”, which is available on Amazon. To learn more about Jay or to contact him visit www.jayfgraves.com, LinkedIn, or email jay@jayfgraves.com.