To be honest, I’m not a lover of the cold weather, though here where I live on the
Gold Coast, our winters are quite mild. But there’s nothing like curling up in front of
an open fire, mesmerised by the flickering flames and warmed by the heat.
This basic human need for warmth, safety and comfort is often overlooked in the
leadership toolkit but it can be used to every leader’s advantage. Think about it this
way, what if, through your leadership you could ignite a spark in your people that
warms the cockles of their heart. That lights them up with a sense of safety and
comfort that deepens into trust in your leadership. If you could fan the flame of desire
so they want to come closer, listen more intently and eagerly learn new skills,
processes, and systems.
With a new perspective, leadership winters can be a thing of the past. Instead of
trying to motivate and move your people to a common goal, why not light them up?
- Satisfy their basic human need for warmth, safety and comfort and build trust
by ensuring a harmonious and healthy work environment. For instance, when
you update your human resource policies, ensure training is conducted and
individual assessments recorded so everyone is fully cognizant of the
company’s commitment to a healthy and productive workplace free of
unacceptable behaviours. - Plug into your people by genuinely showing interest in their needs, dreams,
and goals. That’s what really motivates them! Allocate time and training in
personal development to broaden their mindset, energy, and skills mastery. If
you can help them achieve their personal goals, they’re more willing to help
you achieve organisational ones. - Show them how to fire and rewire their brains to get the results they want,
which means you’ll get the results you want. Implement programs such as
group coaching or lunchtime masterclasses in brain and body work to
recharge everyone to reach higher.
Leadership needn’t be a cold, miserable job. It’s must more rewarding and warming
when you light them up and lead.
