LEADERSHIP and MOTIVATION - Foundation for SUCCESS

Leadership and Motivation go hand in hand. Leadership will be provided if the proper level of motivation has been established.  

Vincent Thomas Lombardi (1913 – 1970) was an American football coach.

You cannot lead if you are not motivated to lead. In principle, this needs to be first at the highest level in the organization to assure leadership at that level. To get the proper leadership at lower levels, motivation also needs to be established there, even though some of the motivation may come from "because the boss wants it" and there is nothing wrong with that provided the proper arguments are being used. 

Motivation to provide leadership normally will come from various directions: from within the person; from his/her from friends and family members; from within the organization - bosses, peers, colleagues, the management profession; from the neighborhood, from external parties such as clients, legislation, pressure groups; etc.

Now I am not an expert on motivation, I am a chemical engineer and got my experience by getting older and keeping at least somewhat in touch with the environment in which I am living. So, don't expect the right answers here, just some points that you may want to consider when assisting to get the proper motivation level for leadership in action.

Remember that, when I am talking about leadership here, I do not really mean the person that climbs on a crate or tool box to provide a pep-talk. That may happen from time to time but what I really mean is leadership providing direction based on setting objectives and targets in combination with a well-founded plan - the "management system", which is the main subject of this website.

Some points to consider to motivate leadership in action:

• potential loss (= risk) - what can go wrong: direct damage, business losses, human suffering, 
• actual loss - what is being lost in comparison to business results, human suffering 
• 3rd party requirements - including authorities, clients, neighbors - what others demand or expect 
• company profile/image - how the company wants to be recognized in their world 
• stakeholders - shareholders, employees, customers, neighbors: each with their own interest and expectations 
• management profession - how does the manager wants to be compared with colleagues, the management profession 
• personal attitude - how the manager as a person feels about taking care of "his/her" organization/department/people 

I like to think that people who are leaders come with a high degree of self-motivation which will be rewarded by the results that "their" people are able to get and by the motivation they manage to install within others in their organization, unit or department. 

 The 17-step process allows management leadership in action when building a management system leading to management success.

Below is a TEDX Amsterdam presentaion: "From hero to zero - when leaders turn bad", presentation by Mr. Manfred Kets de Vries on November 6, 2013. Mr. Kets de Vries has spent over 25 years of his professional life at INSEAD, he started teaching there in 1971, leaving in 1973, and returning in 1984. He is now the Raoul de Vitry d’Avaucourt Chaired Clinical Professor of Leadership Development. He was also the Founder of INSEAD Global Leadership Centre in 2003.