“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Our philosophy on leadership:
Before you can teach anyone to yearn for the vast and endless sea, you have to experience that same yearning yourself.
It is the leader’s job, therefore, to articulate a vision so powerful that it takes over the employee and makes him/her want to rush to work and do what needs doing.
Obviously this cannot be done unless the leader himself/herself is inspired by this vision.
This is merely the first step, however. The arduous task of refining and constantly, constantly, constantly communicating that vision in ways big and small lies ahead.
This communicating is not a solitary endeavor. It is the leader’s function to develop other leaders who also fully understand the vision and can communicate it as well, or better, than he/she can.
As a leader, you must be pulled by this vision, not pushed by motivation.
Let’s face it – much of what is traditionally defined as “motivation” is actually sophisticated manipulation to get workers to do what they are unwilling to. However, it is not the function of a leader to motivate followers. It is the function of a leader to find out what is demotivating followers and systematically remove it.
Your ability to clearly communicate a vision greater than yourself or the organization at large, is essential when it comes to inspiring your team.
The best way to inspire, however, is not to try to inspire but to embody inspiration yourself.
Let me ask you this:
Do you get up in the morning with your blood singing at the thought of being who you are and doing what you do? Do you come radiantly alive several times each day and feel like sinking to your knees in involuntary gratitude at the thought of the tremendous good fortune that has been bestowed on you?
If your heart is not on fire with enthusiasm and energy for your work and goals, I dare suggest you are wasting your life – and life is too short to be whittled away. A shift is needed to return to balance.
We believe …
You are each here for a reason.
The best, perhaps the only, way to release the motivation inherent in a person is to work to ensure that each individual reaches his/her highest potential.
Because here’s the thing:
An employee does not have a “work life” and a “personal life”. He or she has one life and either it is working or it is not.
This does not mean that he/she does not have challenges in one or more areas. It does mean that these challenges need to be addressed in a holistic fashion and not in a compartmentalized one.
Each individual needs to be comfortable enough to be authentic at work.
If he/she has to put on a mask at work – or, even worse, multiple different masks – then he or she is burnt out or heading towards burn-out.
Do you resonate with what I say?
If this makes complete sense to you, then we should talk about a custom designed corporate program.