Leadership is mostly about inspiring others to be more than they believe they can be. If leaders aren’t doing this, they really aren’t leaders. And here is the thing… it’s not that hard. There is one thing you can start doing immediately that will powerfully inspire others.
Think about the last time someone said something really nice about you. How did you feel? If you are like every human on the planet, it felt great!
When is the last time your boss, coach or someone who leads said something nice to you? How did it feel?
When is the last time you complimented someone you lead?
The reason I am asking all of these questions is probably pretty obvious. I want you to reflect on how compliments make you feel so you that you will compliment more often. Leaders who compliment, are more likely and regularly able to inspire those they lead. It isn’t difficult and can be mastered and turned into a habit fairly quickly.
However, how you give a compliment matters and can be the difference between an okay compliment and one that is really meaningful to someone. So it is important to remember a few things before you hand out your next kind and meaningful compliment.
1. Discover what motivates the person. People normally give compliments based on what they feel is important. Next time think about what the person you are giving the compliment to would like to hear.
2. Be genuine. This tip goes without saying. If you don’t feel it, don’t say it. Anything else will feel trite to the person receiving the compliment.
3. Be specific. Don’t just say, “you are a great project leader.” Say instead, “I love how detailed you are when leading a project. You keep us on task and inspire us to do things like ______ that we’ve never done before.”
4. Consider ending your compliments with a question. When you end your compliments with a question you prompt a conversation that shows you are genuinely interested in the person you are giving the compliment to. Instead of saying, “You are so good at XYZ.” Say, “You are so good at XYZ, what’s your secret?” The question takes compliments to another level and allows you an opportunity to learn as well.
I love the following video and the power and love you feel when watching these people give genuine compliments. My challenge is that each of us will do more complimenting and less complaining.
Another great video I would highly recommend watching and sharing can be found here. It is the most powerful video I have ever watched on the power of a compliment. It is a story that I think you will appreciate for many different reasons.
Please feel free to share this post and video with your teams, friends, neighbors, family or anyone else you think would like it. You can Facebook share it, LinkedIn share, Tweet it or email it by using one of the icons below. Thanks teamwork and leadership friends!
