*HOW SHOULD LEADERS SUSTAIN THEMSELVES TO STAY MOTIVATED? *
Motivation is an essential characteristic for anybody in a leadership role. A leader with no motivation can find it difficult to lead, inspire and motivate others, earning no trust and respect in the process. But keeping the enthusiasm alive can be a complicated endeavor—especially when a leader is confronted by challenges, depression, or lack of clarity. Leaders need committed practice on self-awareness, self-care, resilience and purpose to stay the course and sustain motivation. Leaders who can figure out how to keep themselves motivated are not just leaders, but leaders of a motivated team.
1. Understanding Motivation
First things first: What is motivation, and how does it work? Motivation is described as the inner force that is an impetus for action and goal attainment. It’s the motivation driving decision making, productivity, behavior. When it comes to leadership, there are intrinsic and extrinsic motivators. The secret is to keep both types of motivation up, so leaders can maintain momentum when the weather turns bad. But leaders typically have a lot of balls in the air, dangling so many responsibilities above their heads it’s hard to give their own welfare the attention it needs. But leaders can’t lead effectively if they’re not paying adequate amounts of attention to why they do what they do.
2. Self-Awareness: The Voice Behind Your ’Why‘
One of the first step in learning to stay motivated is developing self-awareness. Leaders need to know what makes them tick and what ultimately fills them with a sense of meaning and purpose. This is a tool they can use to maintain motivation in tough situations. It helps leaders to stay rooted and look at the larger picture. For example, leaders who are feeling depleted or disillusioned, can rekindle their passion by reminding themselves why they became a leader.
It’s a good place to start by leaders asking themselves regularly:…
Why was I a leader to begin with?
What do I stand for and how does what I stand for show up in my leadership?
What impact does my work have on the overall mission or vision of the organization?
Self-reflection — This can be used as a tool to assist leadership with identify and re-identifying long-term future plans, if possible taking their focus away from a temporary setback and / or a burnout. Because they know the reasons why they guide, they can maintain their energy even when times are tough.
3. **Resilience: Are You Bouncing Back from Setbacks?
All leaders will experience failures, and how they overcome them is instrumental in sustaining their own motivation. At its core, resiliency is the capacity to recover from adversity, to see things in a positive light, to thrive in the face of challenge, not be defeated by it. This trait must be developed by leaders if they want to persevere when the journey gets tough.
Leaders can create resiliency by:
Foster a growth mindset: Leaders with a growth mindset view challenges as opportunities to learn instead of as roadblocks. They know that experimentation tells you what doesn’t work, yet they’d knock on doors and accept a rejection or 12 because they realize that failure is a stop on the journey, not the end of it.
Keep perspective: Leaders who are able to step back and view issues more objectively aren’t as likely to find them overwhelming. This way, they are able to maintain their motivation by either concentrating on long-term objectives or by not paying attention to the immediate struggle.
Seek support: Being resilient doesn’t imply “toughing it out” alone. Leaders with strong support systems — from mentors, peers or trusted team members — are more likely to be able to handle the stress and stay motivated.
Resilience motivates leaders. It allows them to bounce back from failures, setbacks, and challenges with even greater resolve, and to move from stumbling blocks back to the path.
4. Self-Care: Making Time for You
Well-being, too, is closely tied to how motivated a leader is. Self-careless leaders end up burnt out, tired, and not in love with what they do. In order to avoid getting disheartened, leaders need to focus on their mental, emotional and physical health. This means deliberately setting aside time for the care of one’s self, for rest, for recovery.
Self-care practices to keep in mind:
Physical activity*: Regular exercise makes people feel good, reduces stress and increases energy. When leaders work out, they can become healthier and better equipped to handle the demands of leadership.
Mental Health:** Mental health is as important as physical health. Leaders also need to be sure they’re carving out time for relaxation, mindfulness and to reduce stress. Meditation, journaling and immersing yourself in nature are ways in which you can clear your head and reset your emotions.
Sleep and Nutrition* Good sleep and a balanced diet form the foundation of motivation. Well-rested and fed leaders have more energy, focus, and strength to navigate difficulties.
Self-care is not something leaders can afford, it’s something they can’t afford to go without. Leaders cannot hope to inspire others if they are not well-rested and practicing their own self-care.
5. *Making Achievable Goals: The Small Wins of Life *
It’s natural being a leader that you are able to set goals, but the impetus for staying motivated is setting the goals that are manageable and attainable. Big, long term goals can provide vision for our lives, but concentrating on the small wins can build momentum, and take you one step closer to those lofty aspirations. Now, that mini-goal has its own motivation attached to it, with success along the way!
Leaders can help to chunk larger projects into smaller, more digestible, doable tasks. For each step they are able to accomplish they gain in momentum drawing them closer to their objective. The act of achieving small wins creates confidence and reminds the learner that they’re making progress, which is crucial to keeping the motivation alive.
Leaders should also take time to celebrate successes, large and small. Acknowledging achievements however small, keeps the excitement alive and keeps you motivated.
6. The Purpose of the Leader
The leader who is motivated at all levels is the leader who is motivated by purpose. When leaders have a sense of the importance of their role and they affect the lives of others, they are most motivated to keep going in difficult times. An inspiring sense of purpose enables leaders to bring what they do in to flow with who they are and their vision for a better world, sense of meaningful contribution, and compelling fulfillment as a leader.
To head off a sense of purposelessness, leaders can:
Reconnect to the organization’s mission:** Leaders need to consistently remind themselves about the purpose and mission of their organization. Realizing how their efforts advance the org’s mission can spark motivation.
Give then a sense of impact:** When people know that their leadership is making a difference to others, this can be hugely motivating. Leaders who are able to connect their actions and decisions with the positive impact it has on the lives of their team, customers, or community are much more likely to remain motivated.
Lead by example:** When leaders are examples of their values and purpose, they model it for others and that can inspire them too, further increasing their own motivations. If they lead with integrity and motivate others to do the same, chances are they will remain resilient.
Leaders informed of their mission, motivation is something that comes from within that drives them.
7. Learning and Growing This racial lens also continues to support the idea of the learning and growing process in educational dialogue.
Leaders who are dedicated to learning and growing are more equipped to remain motivated. Such a mind set avoids stagnation and enable leaders to respond to new challenges. Beautifully said, Paul! You know that leaders who are open for learning will treasure EVERY experience whether positive, or challenging.
Here are some tips to keep learning:
Seek new knowledge:** Leaders should invest in education and learning such as attending workshops, reading books and finding a mentor. Learning new skills or obtaining a new outlook can inspire and revial new life in their leadership.
Seek feedback:** Leaders are self-improved and feedback is key in that journey. If you are a leader who welcomes feedback, from your team or your peers, you may be able to see from your feedback plan that you are doing something incorrectly and implement some change.
Curiosity:** Driven leaders are curious. Whether chasing novelty in new ideas, technology, or thinking, curiosity keeps them plugged in and turned on.
When leaders commit to growth, their leadership journey becomes dynamic and rewarding.
8. Positive Way of Life Surroundings
The context a leader finds themselves in can also effect the maintaining of motivation. Marshall tells us that “hanging around” with positive, supportive and like-minded folks can “help keep our spirits up and our sense of purpose alive.” So a toxic or negative environment can sap your motivation and energy in the same way.
How leaders can keep the motivation going:
Creating a strong network of support:** This includes surrounding oneself with a network of mentors, colleagues and friends who inspire and lift them up – a support system that helps to keep leaders motivated. These are the people who offer counsel, motivation and a shoulder to lean against.
Cultivating positive relationships with their people:** Inspired leaders create strong, personal relationships with members of the team. This ensures a vibrant and entrepreneurial culture driven by motivation of one another.
Minimizing negativity:** Leaders must safeguard their mental and emotional triggers by keeping negative sources of energy at bay, whether they’re people or situations.
Leaders find by immersing themselves in good things that their motivation never dies but thrives.
Conclusion
For leaders to remain motivated, they have to be attentive to self-awareness, resilience, self-care, goal-setting, purpose, lifelong learning, and positive relationships. Leadership is more than leading others—it is leading oneself. When leaders stay motivated it helps them to motivate and inspire their followers. To inspire, cause-driven leaders establish culPlanstures where employees are engaged, valued, and driving forward. Leader Effectiveness Training By prioritizing their own health and growth, leaders maintain a high level of motivation andleaders maintain a high level of motivation, and continue to lead from the heart.
