Got a leadership motivation problem? These 3 Tips Will Solve It

Why do you lead?

No really, stop for a minute and consider this question: Why do you lead?

Do you know how to answer that question? Leadership is not for the faint of heart. It can be daunting. It can be exhausting. We can wake up some days wondering why we chose to lead in the first place.

It is in those moments that we need clarity on how we answer the question, “why do you lead?”.

For me, this Proverb sums it up.

“The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out” — Proverbs 20:5

This is one of my favorite Proverbs as a leader. It is jam packed with wisdom and really helps clarify what leadership is all about. All of us need someone in our lives who uses their insights to draw out our purposes and set us on course to live a life fulfilling those purposes.

There are purposes that reside in the deep waters of our heart and we need others to come along side us to unlock those purposes. There may be aspects of ourselves we cannot see or areas where to fall prey to self-limiting beliefs. It is in these areas where we need a leader who has insight to come along side us and call these purposes out.

There is no greater calling for a leader than to draw out the purposes in the heart of another person. Great leaders liberate those they lead and create an environment where the best in people can be exposed and leveraged for the good of everyone around them. This creates high-performing cultures and a place where people feel safe and willing to bring their best selves every day.

How are you using your insights to draw out the purposes of those under your care?

Who are you investing in to liberate and awaken greatness within?

Who are you coming alongside to help them discover the purposes that might be hidden in deep waters today but can be unleashed for the benefit of those around them and the world?

How do you make this happen?

Here are (3) pragmatic ways you can position yourself as someone who has insight a reap the greatest reward you can gain as a leader.

Listen More Than You Talk

There are a couple key words in this Proverb — Insight and draws. In order to gain insights, we have to become great at actively listening and discerning what we hear. The one who has insights draws out. This means if you do not have insights you are very limited in the drawing out part. Investing time asking great questions, listening, learning, gaining insights, etc. will help position you to draw out the purposes of those you are investing in.

While cultivating your insights, the other key word is to draw out. To draw out is an active verb. This does not happen passively or accidentally. This requires active engagement with the person you are leading. This does not happen from a distance. There is no drawing out without intentional connection and active participation. Remember, these purposes are in deep waters. If they were easy to draw out, they would already be exposed and leveraged. Actively engage and continuously cultivate insights.

Discover Their Design

One of the most effective ways to engage as a leader is to come along side those you are leading and help them discover their design. This helps drive self-awareness and build emotional intelligence skills. It is a great way to help each of you gain insight. The tool I use is the Enneagram personality model. There are many tools you can use to promote self-discovery, but I like to use the Enneagram because of its simplicity and structure. It creates a “deep water” conversation and helps people on your team discover things about themselves that give insight into their purpose.

As Ian Cron says, “The Enneagram is not meant to put you in a box. The Enneagram shows you the box you are already in and how to get out.” These tools serve as self-discovery prompts that allow you, the leader, to gain valuable insights so you can more intentionally support and lead your team.

Help Them Define Their PLAN

We all want to understand our purpose. That is ingrained within our design. Our purpose serves as a guidance system and as fuel for our life journey. As the leader, the one who is gaining insights and engaging in the drawing out process, it is helpful to have a structured way to help your team define a PLAN that aligns their purpose with action they take today. I created and use the PLAN Framework for that purpose.

The PLAN Framework is a tool that helps people gain more insights into their purpose but also goes beyond that. The PLAN Framework drives insights into what we love, the attributes we have available for us to leverage on our journey and the near-term actions we can take to directionally keep us on track. It is a career planning framework designed to drive integrated action that ultimately helps us move closer and closer to our preferred destination. Tools like this are ways to drive insights that ultimately draws out the purposes of someone’s heart that are hidden in deep waters.

If you would like to learn more about the PLAN Framework, check out my site where you can request a copy of the PLAN Framework.

So, we end where we began.

Why do you lead? Do you know your motive? Do you understand your “why” and often refer back to remind yourself why you do what you do?

The greatest reward in leadership is to see the people you lead go further than they thought possible. They need a leader to engage and help them along the way. You are that leader for your team.