As leaders, we often talk and think about all the things we need to do to motivate others, to help us with our cause, to get on the same page, to engage in the process. I wanted to talk about three things I see people not do that dramatically affect their ability to get people to follow them, help them, and even respect them. Let’s expand on each one.
1. Asking for help and then not saying thank you or recognizing the efforts put forth. A short while back, a company I do business with sent me an e-mail and asked for feedback. One of the managers from the company has sent me e-mails asking for feedback many times. I always speak my mind. Unfortunately, the person asking me never speaks hers. On three occasions, she has asked me for feedback and each time I took the time to reply with some well-thought-out ideas. She has not responded to me at all. I didn’t hear a thing. So you know what? I’m done responding to her requests for feedback. She has demotivated me and made me lose interest. I’m left to wonder, “Why did you ask for my help in the first place?” Pretty basic stuff, right? Pretty easy to understand why someone would not want to help someone who doesn’t seem to appreciate the help, right? Now look at what you do. People in your life: Do you ignore them? If you ask for my help and I give it to you and then you don’t dignify it with a reply, that’s a great way to get someone to not want to help you in the future. I see it all the time. If you want people to follow you, you have to communicate. Be polite, be grateful, be responsive. Good leaders are grateful and let their followers know that.
2. Not communicating well. There isn’t an organization, team, company or group in the world that can say, “Yep, we have communication figured out. Cross that off the to-do list.” Communication is something you focus on and work on 24/7 and sadly many of us landscapers don’t communicate well. If you want to demotivate people, then don’t communicate such things as: You need to work this Saturday to get a job finished. That Mrs. Jones was upset about our being at her house a day early. I could go on and on. No one likes surprises and poor communication, or just a lack of it, frustrates people. And people frustrated with you will not follow you. Good leaders are good communicators.
3. Not being certain that your words match your actions. I learned a long time ago that leaders show what’s important to them by what they do, not by what they say. Sure, a good motivational speech is a cool thing, but if your words don’t match what you say, that’s trouble. Many years ago I was speaking at a conference where a big-time, legendary motivational guru was speaking on the big stage in front of 10,000 people. I was back stage and got to meet him. He was someone I always looked up to. After watching his behavior for 10 minutes, I decided I didn’t care for him any longer. When he went out on stage he was “lights out.” He was a great performer, but once he got out of the public eye, he started yelling and screaming at the help. He used a few choice four-letter words and his lessons – his words – didn’t match his actions. One of the hardest things about running a company or being a leader is that we always have to be “on.” We can’t make mistakes in the words we choose or the actions we show. When we do, we will pay for those and people will stop following us, stop supporting us, and, most importantly, stop believing us. And when people don’t believe you, they don’t trust you and when they don’t trust you, they won’t follow you. Good leaders lead by example.
The bottom line is this: People don’t leave companies because of the company; they leave because of their leader. Take some time to look at how you’re leading and make a commitment to get better.