Looking for a way to supercharge an individual on your team or even your entire team? Among other suggestions, one of the simplest yet most often overlooked ways is by offering words of encouragement regularly. Encouragement provides fuel for the soul. It nutures and stimulates positive performance.
"Encouragement is the oxygen of the soul,", says leadership and motivational speaker and author John Maxwell, "Everyone needs it and they perform better when they get it".
Without trying to oversimplify, positive comments promote positive results; negative comments invoke negative responses. It's a knee-jerk reaction. When I speak critically to someone, it's human nature for them to feel immediately defensive- even if they know they're in error. Conversely, as I offer positive comments, that same person can feel inspired to press on even if adjustments might still be necessary. This doesn't mean we throw around flowery words at the expense of being honest. That's manipulative. There's no quicker way to jeopardize ones credibility than with disingenuous comments.
To quote Proverbs 16:24, Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweeeeet to the soul and health to the bones (emphasis added!).
Sincere words of encouragement demonstrate ones own personal confidence, the same confidence you want your team to carry. However, a leader who is insecure can have difficulty helping others feel confident. John Maxwell continues, "Good leaders liberally hand out encouragement. It cost little to affirm others ,yet pays great dividends".
Here are just a couple of suggestions to help you become a better encourager:
1. In spite of what you may know about someone, make it a habit to identify something positive and mention that first.
2. Maintain reasonable expectations. No one is perfect, not even you!
3. Whether anyone else does, find reasons and the means to encourage yourself.
Does offering encouragement come easy for you? Do you think others see you as motivational?
No comments:
Post a Comment