Leadership is a verb, not a noun. It is a about action, not just a title. Everyone is a leader in one form or another. Some of us are in leadership positions within our organizations and others are informal leaders in a family, a social unit, or a community. Some of us strive to be leaders and others just are. Regardless of who you lead of within what context, followers are looking for the same four basic things from you. These are TRUST, COMPASSION, STABILITY and HOPE.
TRUST is a no-brainer. Without it you have nothing. Think about each and every one of your interactions and actions. Which ones build trust and which erode it.
COMPASSION is critical for followers to feel you care about them and their future. If people feel you are only in it for your own gain they will not follow you for long.
STABILITY is crucial to the emotional well being of people. As leaders your job often entails the introduction of change. Change is vital and change is good, but followers are also looking for a common thread of stability and stability between changes.
Without HOPE all is lost. Leaders need to create optimism. During good times and bad, followers need to feel that they are working towards something good. Without this positive emotional connection motivation, engagement and performance will quickly slip.
Tags: circle of influence, Emotional Intelligence, high performance team, leadership, Motivation