By Todd Duncan

The following statement is one of the greatest secrets of effective leadership:

"We shall no longer strive for our own way but commit ourselves, honestly and simply, to inspiring others to develop the power to be their best."

Hardly the stereotypical spirit of the legendary, tough-minded CEO!

But if leadership is a challenge for you, then you must begin to lead by that statement. If you are constantly dealing with others not measuring up to your self-compared expectations, if you are pushing your team members down rather than pulling them up, and if you want overall better performance from your team, now is the time to close the gap.

Are you holding others back, or are you inspiring them to win?

Leadership is all about influence and motivation. Neither happens naturally, but they are both the results of intentional leadership decisions. As a leader, you must recognize that your role is not a title. Leadership is a position. You must realize that people came to work for you not to make you successful, but to become more successful themselves. You must understand that the team is more important than you are and that the team needs to receive the credit for your success.

How does a leader deploy these truths?

Follow these ideas:

Leadership Is Influence

People always do things for their reasons, not yours. Leaders must develop an environment that helps team members thrive, while still moving them to higher levels of “followership.”

Master Motivation

Recent studies provide several big motivators for higher levels of performance: significant contributions, goals and quota participation, positive dissatisfaction (knowing you can do better), recognition, and clear expectations. The same studies tell us that the big demotivators include belittling, manipulation, discouragement, lack of personal growth, and a condescending leader.

About 50 percent of your leadership challenges will dissipate when you raise the bar and close the gap in the areas of influence and motivation.

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