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How to Get Others to Follow Your Lead

We succeed in business and in life when we influence how others think, feel, and act: getting them to accept our point of view, follow our lead, join our cause, feel our excitement, or buy our products and services. The act of influencing is such a part of our daily lives that we often don’t even realize when we (or others) are doing it.

But to succeed, we need to know how influence works…and how to use it. Here are my 4 critical elements to get others to follow you;

“Influence is our ability to lift people up to our perspective”

Building Trust

Successful teamwork is built on a foundation of trust. Each member of the team must establish trust, cultivate trust through his or her actions and words, and work to maintain it. Each member also needs to be able to trust his team members to make a commitment to the team and its goals, work competently with those goals in mind, and communicate consistently about any issues that affect the team.

Getting others to buy-in and follow your lead requires trust on a multitude of levels.

How are you working to establish and nurture this trust? Getting to know your team and openly discuss trust issues is a great way to start the process.

Having a clear vision

People need to know where they are going or what the final destination is so create a compelling vision that will make others want to follow you. I interact with individuals from numerous different industries and i find it shocking that most of them don’t know what to do or where they are headed as a team. The vision is imperative and should be communicated effectively.You could stumble and stutter over your words, but if people saw you speaking to the things you truly believed, and felt that you truly understood them and respected their views, you are far more likely to make the vital connection that would attract them to your vision.

It is critical to be clear about your leadership vision and also what your expectations are from the rest of them. Get your team involved in the vision process as this automatically creates a level of accountability. The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.

Positive Energy

You experience and create all kinds of different energies that affect how you feel and what you accomplish throughout your day. Some energies are powerful and easily recognizable, while others are more subtle and often only intuitively felt. I believe it is fair to say that everything is, in a sense, energy

Positive energy is contagious. When you constantly take in the positive energy from your surroundings, it will be visible in the outer world.

This may seem inconsequential but it’s actually critical. If you’re presenting your vision to others you have to be very careful about the energy you’re exuding. If you are speaking and leading from a place of fear it will be picked up subconsciously by your followers. You could stumble and stutter over your words, but if people saw you speaking to the things you truly believed, and felt that you truly understood them and respected their views, you were far more likely to make the vital connection that would attract them to your vision.

Communication

One of the most difficult things for leaders to do is to communicate consistently and effectively with all levels of the organization. This requires a sincere focus on communication strategy and execution to do this well. Leaders who skimp on this step pay the price!

Leaders must earn the license to lead. Not by expertise, authority, or title alone, but by influence

Important as influencing skills are, most people don’t know how to gauge their level of proficiency when it comes to influencing others. So to understand and build on a current level of influencing skills there are assessments that can be used to determine a starting point. The assessment asks questions on key components of influencing skills. The results help to provide insights into areas of strength and opportunities for growth that will help to hone this skill for overall effectiveness in changing minds, shaping opinions and moving others to act.

To learn more about our Influencing Skills Assessment Tool (ISAT) and how it can be used to develop this competency in your organization, contact us

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5 Ways to Develop Self Discipline

There are many important qualities that can contribute to a person’s achievements and happiness, but there is only one that begets sustainable, long-term success in all aspects of life: self discipline. Whether in terms of your diet, fitness, work ethic or relationships, self discipline is the number one trait needed to accomplish goals, lead a healthy lifestyle, and ultimately, be happy.

Self-discipline involves acting according to what you think instead of how you feel in the moment. Often it involves sacrificing the pleasure and thrill of the moment for what matters most in life. Therefore it is self-discipline that drives us..

“Self Discipline is about controlling your desires and impulses while staying focused on what needs to get done to achieve your goal”

This quality isn’t something that we are born with. It is rather something that we can develop over time. In fact, it’s very much like a muscle that strengthens the more we use it. Here are 5 strategies that you can use to develop the habit of self discipline:

1. Get Clear – What do you want?

What do you really want? This is a question we don’t ask ourselves very often, instead we know what we don’t want – Clarity is Power.

Consistent tuning of where you are going and how you are going to get there is very important. Repetition and authority are needed to anchor your bigger picture within you. Writing things down helps you anchor that vision very deeply. Know what gives you meaning and how to get it.

Keep in mind the big picture, allowing it to connect to an even larger picture. Keep asking questions about your purpose and answer these 3 questions first;

What do I want?

Why do I want it?

What am I going to do to achieve my desired result?

2. Identify Challenges and Obstacles

With clarity of course comes more certainty, and with more certainty it becomes easier to muster up the self-discipline needed to stick with the actions you set yourself to get the job done. However, as with all journeys you will inevitably confront obstacles that will test your discipline.

As a Leadership coach, I often work with clients who are struggling to overcome personal setbacks. They don’t know what to do, where to begin or how to move forward when adversity strikes. Moreover, they struggle to start-over again when everything seems to have fallen apart.

In such instances I will ask them a series of questions that help them gain new perspectives and understandings about their circumstances. As a result they begin to unlock hidden resources they never realized they had.Ask yourself;

What are the obstacles/challenges standing in my way?

What specific things could side-track me along my journey?

How am I going to respond to my challenges?

3. Find a Role Model

Role models are important in all areas of life because they provide inspiration, experience and motivation, and if there is a personal connection, a role model can even offer guidance, support and mentoring.

Is there someone among your friends and family that you truly admire?Could it perhaps be a work colleague? If they are getting the results that you desire, now might be a great time to reach out for assistance. Be tactful in your approach though and ask intelligent questions, find out how they discipline themselves and write it down or keep a mental note and use the information to assist you along your journey.

My suggestion would be finding 2 or 3 role models and keeping them close by as you never know what other obstacles you could be facing. Some questions to ask yourself;

Who has successfully mastered this habit?

Who is doing this right now?

What can I learn from this person that can help me along my journey?

4. Develop a Plan of Action

Developing an action plan can help change-makers turn their visions into reality, and increase efficiency and accountability . An action plan describes the way you will meet your objectives through detailed action steps that describe how and when these steps will be taken.

Keep in mind that an action plan is always a work in progress. It is not something you can write, lock in your file drawers, and forget about. Keep it visible. Display it prominently. As you change and grow, you will want to continually (usually monthly) revise your action plan to fit the changing needs.The plan should be complete, clear, and current.

Additionally, the action plan should include information and ideas on how to achieve your goals while maintaining self discipline;

What actions or changes will occur?

Who will carry out these changes?

By when they will take place, and for how long?

What resources (i.e., money, time) are needed to aid me being more self disciplined?

“Discipline is doing what you know needs to be done, even if you don’t want to do it”

5. Hold Yourself Accountable

You must hold yourself accountable and likewise you must have someone else holding you accountable for the choices and decisions you make along your journey.

Some of the most successful people I know review their to-do lists each night and every Friday. They study what they accomplished—and what they did not. Even outside of work, you can do the same. Schedule a time each week to reflect. How were your eating habits this week? Did you exercise this month? What about your spending? Did you stick to your budget or did you splurge? What can you do better next week?

Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you struggle with this, get a coach that holds you accountable. Having another voice encouraging and motivating you will help you to stick-at-it for longer through till the very end. And that’s essentially what self-discipline is all about.

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Training The Leader to Coach in The Workplace

In this workshop, Participants can learn the latest and best practices for building, developing coaching initiatives that deliver long-term, maximum results for both individual and organization. This program is a dynamic mix of a strong focus on the International Coach Federation’s Core Coaching Competencies set in a firm grounding of practical business application.

In this program, you’ll develop a strategy for coaching based on your unique strengths and experiences. Through case studies and experiential exercises—including ones that place you in the shoes of someone receiving coaching—you’ll develop and fine-tune essential coaching skills. By moving beyond typical mentoring and day-to-day managing, you’ll find new ways to strengthen your team and add value to your organization.

Program Benefits
Become a better leader by developing your coaching toolkit
Help your employees reach their potential, while supporting the goals of the company
Practice key elements of the coaching process, from contracting to initial meeting to completion
Learn how to conduct a coaching session from the beginning to the end.
Learn and practice powerful coaching skills that can be immediately applied in the workplace.
Explore specific applications of coaching that can release and develop talent skills in the team.
Learn to improve relationships and communication within teams.
Learn a non-directive style of coaching which focuses on relating to the coachee as being their own expert in the world.

Topics Covered
Developing a coaching mindset by examining the latest coaching principles and best practices
Discovering essential competencies for effective coaching: thinking, being, and doing
Using personal assessment tools to help people understand how others perceive them
Adapting your coaching style to the needs of different individuals by practicing mirroring, directive, guiding, and facilitating conversations
Overcoming common coaching challenges, such as delivering difficult feedback in a way that promotes constructive outcomes
Gaining greater self-awareness through coaching and furthering your own professional development.

Includes:

iEQ9 Enneagram Assessment
Enneagram Debrief (60 mins)
5 Coaching Sessions(60 mins)
Lunch/Refreshments
Training Material
Certificate of Attendance
Resources

LEVEL 1 BBBEE STATUS

Spending with Elite Performers counts twice! You Can claim 135% of any training spend with us towards your Procurement scorecard, and everything spent with us on training your qualifying staff will count towards your Skills Development target!

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The 4 key Emotions that lead to Engagement

A recent study on employee engagement helps to answer a question many businesses ask today: how to engage employees? The study found that emotions are some of the main drivers of engagement. In any organization’s employee engagement strategy, emotions are important indicators of the current level of engagement. Emotions such as enthusiasm, inspiration, empowerment and confidence can engage employees, and the presence of at least three can indicate an engaged employee. Organizations can work to foster these emotions as part of their employee engagement strategy by improving the relationships employees have with managers and senior leaders. The basic emotion that leads an employee to be engaged is being valued,which is the sum of other feelings that are necessary to generate engagement. Lets take a look at some of these drivers..

ENTHUSIASM

The buzz currently in organizational circles is about engaged employees or employee engagement. The truth is that engaged employees are enthusiastic ones. Nothing is more contagious than enthusiasm, especially in the workplace. Enthusiastic employees are interested and engaged in their work and with the people with whom they work. They have a strong passion. Passion is something that can’t be taught. It can be caught, but not taught. One way to spread the enthusiasm virus is to assign an enthusiastic employee to someone who needs to be. This attitude will positively affect both of them. When employers look at prospective candidates, beyond skills, experience, and training, they look for those who demonstrate enthusiasm – those they believe will complete assigned tasks in an upbeat and cooperative manner. All other things being equal, a candidate who can demonstrate a positive attitude and eagerness to tackle the job will have an advantage over one who displays an attitude viewed by the employer as negative or disinterested. In fact, many employers would rather provide job skills training to an enthusiastic but inexperienced worker than hire someone with perfect qualifications but a lessthan-positive attitude. Managers sometimes worry that this type of person will not get along with supervisors and co-workers, treat customers disrespectfully, and not put much effort into his or her work. On the other hand, employees who are viewed as enthusiastic are known to provide good customer service, resolve interpersonal conflict effectively, and work productively with others.

EMPOWERED

Employee empowerment is a strategy and philosophy that enables employees to make decisions about their jobs. Employee empowerment helps employees own their work and take responsibility for their results. Employee empowerment helps employees serve customers at the level of the organization where the customer interface exists. When employees feel under-compensated, under-titled for the responsibilities they take on, under-noticed, under-praised, and under-appreciated, don’t expect results from employee empowerment. The basic needs of employees must feel met for employees to give you their discretionary energy, that extra effort that people voluntarily invest in work. For successful employee empowerment, recognition plays a significant role.

INSPIRED

An inspired employee gives his or her all to their employer, and is constantly striving to be and do their best; to use their skills and talents to their full potential. Take a look around at the people who work with you. Are they listless or full of energy? Are they somewhat disinterested in their work or are they passionately striving to achieve company goals and working to their full potential? If you are like most employers, your workers could probably use a little added jolt of energy and enthusiasm on the job, something that will make them love coming to work every day.

How is this accomplished? Quite simply, you need to inspire your employees. An inspired employee gives his or her all to their employer, and is constantly striving to be and do their best; to use their skills and talents to their full potential.

Eighteen hundred years ago, Patanjali – the author of Yoga Sutra – had this to say about inspiration: “When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds: Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.

CONFIDENCE

What is the number one personality trait of individuals who deal effectively with change? It’s confidence. Confident people are self-motivated, have high self-esteem and are willing to take risks. But even the most confident employee may suffer a crisis of self-doubt in times of radical change. That’s when leadership becomes a critical factor.

A confident employee makes for an employee who is more likely to succeed. Employees who lack self-confidence often find themselves unsure of their work, causing their performance to suffer. As a manager or owner, you have the task of ensuring that employees feel good about themselves. Instilling confidence in an employee requires you to take a personable approach to managing and make the employee feel that he’s needed by the company and that he’s successful at his job. Managers need to design “small wins” to encourage people along the way to achieving goals of exceptional performance. One manager put it this way: “A stretch goal can scare people to death. I always begin with a mini-goal that I know my staff can achieve, and then I use that victory as a confidence-builder for reaching the larger objective.”

As a manager, the employees you hire play a significant role in determining your success within the organization. You need strong, confident employees that help motivate others, increase productivity, and drive results. Confident employees don’t wait for opportunities to come knocking at their door; they go after them. Look for candidates that have demonstrated their willingness to help out on projects other than those assigned to them. These professionals are always looking for ways to gain experience and continue growing professionally. When their skills are relevant to a situation, they aren’t afraid to speak up and offer their expertise. These are …

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Afraid of losing Top Talent? How to win them back

The last thing a manager wants to hear is one of his star employees saying, “I quit.” Yet it happens all the time. But just because a good employee leaves doesn’t mean you can’t win this employee back. The job market today may be the fiercest in recent memory.The buzzword these days within organizations is “transformed”, however, when you have talented people in your employ, it’s important to find new and inventive ways to keep them there. Remember that one in the hand is better than ten in the tree, after all.

Address Management Issues- It’s no secret that many people leave companies because of their direct manager or supervisor. One supervisor in your business having significantly more voluntary turnover than the rest? Is this the same supervisor that you’ve been considering moving out? Do what needs to be done and always keep in mind, people leave people, Not the Organization!!
Create a culture where employees feel comfortable offering feedback. “If employees feel they have to stay quiet and keep their ideas to themselves, you’re going to find yourself in trouble”. Provide assurances that you will continue to support their career growth. You can do so by committing an amount so they can attend courses or work with a coach who can help them elevate their game. Think about whom you know that may make a great mentor for this person. Offer to make an introduction,

Gain insights from them- Surveys are one of the best ways to measure how your employees feel about the company and their jobs, and figure out what needs to change.Often the best source of information about the state of affairs within your business organization is going to come from the recently hired. Try to keep it to people who have been with the company for two weeks to two months. More or less than that and they have either not enough knowledge to be honest and open or too much to lose to risk offending.Also, One of the best ways to win back good employees is to make it a point to stay in touch. You can do this in a number of ways including sending an occasional email. Let the former employee know you’ve been thinking about him or her and wanted to reach out to see how they are doing. When doing so, consider including an article that might be of interest to them or perhaps sending a quick note about a local happening that is right up their alley.

Don’t underestimate the power of the exit interview- By identifying the factors driving employees to leave, you’ll identify the factors that could potentially drive other employees out the door – and do something about it before it’s too late. “If one of your top employees is saying something in their exit interview, chances are, there are other people within the organization who feel the same way. While an exit interview will not “save” the employee who’s actually being interviewed, it may help you retain everybody else.

Use their talent- One of the most commonly cited reasons for employees to leave the companies they work for is a distinct lack of challenge in the work. They need challenges in order to stay engaged in the tasks at hand and committed to the job. It’s great to have a big picture plan but everyone contributing to that big picture needs challenges that are achievable but somewhat aggressive (not impossible) in order to make them feel like they have something important to bring to the table and keep them coming back Monday morning after Monday morning.They need to believe they have a future within the company and that the business has a vested interest in them. Look for new challenges and increasing responsibilities to give to employees who produce consistently good results so they’ll have ample incentive to continue doing so.

Elite Performers is a team of experts specializing in Consulting, Employee Engagement, Business and Life coaching for teams and individuals as well as Leadership training and development.
We help organizations get their people strategy right and achieve their objectives.

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