A recent post I wrote gave six approaches for inspiring and motivating people – a critical component to being an effective leader.  Adding to that, much of what influences others comes from what we say. When you feel inspired or motivated, you remember what was said to conjure up those feelings. Marcel Schwantes, principal and founder of Leadership From the Core, provides a list of three things great leaders say that build trust, which can then lead to inspiring and motivating others. The three phrases are: 1. "That was my fault." All great and effective leaders know how to put their eg ..read more

As leaders, we need our teams to perform at their best and highest level 100 percent of the time. How do we do it? Chris Hallberg, author and leadership coach, and former staff sergeant in the Army National Guard, suggests setting the bar high and keeping it there. In a recent interview with CNBC, Hallberg explains that leaders should absolutely serve as a "support system" for their employees, but also need to provide clear, concise and direct expectations. Part of this, he adds, is hiring "A" players. "My simple definition of an 'A' player is someone who can do twice that of a 'C' player," h ..read more

Inspiring and motivating others is the most difficult leadership competency to develop, according to results taken from more than 87,000 leaders. Why is this component of leadership, which is completely necessary, so difficult to harness? Forbes contributor Joseph Folkman explained in a recent article that there are two mysteries that make knowing how to inspire others so challenging: (1) it is hard to know what needs to be done to inspire others and (2) people inspire in different ways. He lists six of the most successful approaches to inspiring and motivating others. The list includes: Vis ..read more

Servant leadership. It is a style of leadership we've all heard of, but what exactly does it mean? Marcel Schwantes, principal and founder of Leadership From the Core, sums it up with words from leadership expert Ken Blanchard: "Servant leadership is love in action." Schwantes goes on to explain what this means in the business world. - Love in the business sense. "Crossing over from a traditional management mindset of power and control over others to a servant leadership mindset of love requires full admission that you are there to meet the needs of others before your own; it  ..read more

A study out of UC Berkeley found that top performers all have one thing in common: an ability to persuade others. UC Berkeley management professor Morten Hansen discovered through conducting this study that those leaders who rise to the top of an organization are all skilled at persuasion. The study – which looked at 5,000 successful employees and managers over a five-year time period – identified three ways top performers convince people of their ideas. These tactics, highlighted in a post by keynote speaker, communication adviser and author Carmine Gallo, include: Make them upset and excit ..read more

There is a big difference between leaders who are truly great and those who skate by or overly rely on their titles. Leaders who are great are easy to identify – they leave a lasting mark on their organizations and the people who work for them. "[O]rganizations with the highest-quality leaders are 13 times more likely to outperform the competition in a variety of key metrics, including customer satisfaction, employee engagement, and overall financial performance," writes Leadership guru Peter Economy. He says these high-quality leaders all share these five C's of leadership: 1. Charismatic ..read more

You are who you spend time with. We've all heard this line – or something similar to it – and it's true. When we surround ourselves with positive, good people, we are much more likely to do good things. Rhett Power, head coach of Power Coaching and Consulting, lists five ways to attract "amazing people" into our lives. His list includes: 1. Be that person. If you want amazing people in your life, then be amazing yourself. 2. Speak it. "Speak what you want," Power writes. 3. Make the connection. Be interested in others. Ask questions and listen to the answers. 4. Add value. Make sure the amaz ..read more

For an organization to be successful, you must have a good team in place. And for a team to function at its highest potential, it needs a leader that knows how to motivate and shine the spotlight on others. Marcel Schwantes, principal and founder of Leadership From the Core, writes that this kind of culture only exists in a workplace where a leader intentionally creates an environment that drives engagement and innovation. He lists six things that leaders can give their employees to make this kind of work culture a reality. The list includes: They give employees their ear. Schwantes encourag ..read more

Leaders and managers – both essential to an organization's success yet carry out vastly different roles. Or at least they should. The Harvard Business Review describes the differences in the two roles: "Management consists of controlling a group or a set of entities to accomplish a goal. Leadership refers to an individual's ability to influence, motivate, and enable others to contribute toward organizational success. Influence and inspiration separate leaders from managers, not power and control." Said a different way: "Leadership begins where management ends and smart organizations value bot ..read more

A Harvard Business Review survey of more than 400,000 people across the U.S. found that when employees believe promotions were managed appropriately, they are more than twice as likely to work harder and stay engaged in their current organization. The survey, conducted throughout the last year, proves that effectively promoting people throughout your company can greatly enhance your organization's success. The survey also found that these people – who believe that promotions are handled effectively – are five times as likely to think leaders act with integrity. With this in mind, before promo ..read more