Leadership motivators

I asked my followers across all my social networks a question yesterday.

What motivates you to follow a leader? Fear? Respect? Position? Love? What do you want to motivate those who follow you?

Answers came in throughout the day. I'll post a few here along with my ideas.

"Love and respect.."

We naturally allow those we love and respect to have a certain amount of influence with us. It's easy to follow these people. There is an inherent trust and with that we willingly follow.

"Leadership with a soft heart is better than leadership with a heavy hand."

"Definitely respect and the ability to LEAD, not just manage. No fear or intimidation, but expecting and driving results by getting in the trenches with the troops."
"Knowing for certain that the person has MY best interests in mind and probably knows them better than I do in that circumstance."

I notice an interesting common thread among these responses. .Respect for the worker / subordinate seems to be extremely high on the list of things that inspire people to willingly follow a leader. A mutual respect. Respect both demanded and returned in kind rank very high. So why do so many leaders attempt to lead by "heavy hand?"

I believe mature leaders understand the dynamics of leadership far more than the newly appointed leader. Veteran managers often have a better approach. This is of coarse not a hard and fast rule.

I first asked the question about why people follow leaders. The more important question is how you want your leadership to be? What approach do you use when leading others. Seeing the answers above about how people respond to certain leadership styles, I know the angle of attack I would take. I respect my people as people. I expect them to do their jobs and will let them know when they are off-mark. I do this with respect because I want them to improve themselves along with their performance.

There is certainly a ime when each approach to leadership is a necessity. In a combat situation, fear and respect for position are powerful tools in the leadership toolkit.

Whether we like the style of those in positions of leadership above us, be must always recognize the authority of position. We must act with respect for those in positions over us. Follow orders unless they are illegal or immoral.

Lead with integrity. Lead from the front of the group. Dive in and lead from the front lines. Respect your people and treat them with dignity. You just might find your staff are willing to follow you to the end of the world because they respect you and know you are in it for them as well as the success of the organization.

I started this post with 2 questions. The same questions are out there for you to answer for yourself. Decide how you and to follow and how you want to lead.

What motivates you to follow a leader? Fear? Respect? Position? Love? What do you want to motivate those who follow you?