All of us have heard this before, "Do as I say, not as I do." - well...that might be the very most demotivating anyone has said EVER! What would happen if we all tried something different, and say, "Do as I say, because I'm right here in the trenches doing it with you."
This approach comes with some great "pros" (and some cons, which I'll get into later). In my experience, leading by example is the best way to motivate any person to complete a task, and complete it well.
As I have mentioned in my previous post about Chute Help, I have literally worked in every department from janitorial services, to sales, to marketing, to book keeping and even to dealing with the government. Austin, does the same thing with his roles at our company - which makes his managerial style with his employees very impactful. They think, "If he (the owner of the company) is willing to sandblast / clean / cut parts / weld and RUN THE WHOLE FREAKING COMPANY (all while being humble and kind) at the same time, they are willing to dig their heels in and follow by the example they see in the leadership. Delegating is great and very necessary, but to show anyone that you're not above something that seems menial, they are less likely to turn their nose up.
Hard work goes a long way, and again, it's necessary to keep up with what everyone else in your particular field is doing. If you're able to raise the bar by being a better leader, it creates an environment where everyone else is rising to the top, by creating MORE leaders!
That's the goal with capitalism, right? That everyone be motivated to make their lives better by WORKING just as hard or HARDER than their neighbor. Again, the bar keeps raising, and everyone rises to the top.
As someone in a leadership role once told me, "you have to find a way to inspire / communicate and motivate people, so that as you're doing everything in your power to help them succeed, they will return the favor."
I mentioned above that there is a "con" to this theory - and this is all totally dependent on your individual personality. I am a very hard worker, and will very rarely say "no" to anyone's request for help or guidance - and do it to the very best of my ability. When someone as Type A as myself asks for they same kind of treatment, it does happen that the person you're expecting to put in the same efforts falls short (sometimes very short) of your expectations. Basically, I expect everyone to put in the same amount and type of effort, and am disappointed in the results - causing frustration and hard feelings. Therefore, I have to make a concerted effort to keep my personal expectations in a place where, although some people might not perform the way "I would have done it", it just another punch to roll with.
In all of my "jobs" - I put that in quotes, because it is hard to describe some of my workplaces as a "job" - the most rewarding thing that I have experienced from other's leadership, and then being able to practice it on my own as an individual is being the person that will do anything - just ask me.
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