Leadership teams seeking to invigorate their organizations and achieve a significant boost in productivity, profitability, and consumer spending should prioritize connecting their employees to their job, each other, and the business. This connection animates a culture and motivates employees to resist the playground-like incentives that may, and will, entice good people away. This relationship is what sparks genuine enthusiasm, the fire that drives development.
Implementing new tools and technologies is crucial in the current digital landscape, but it also poses significant internal challenges: From a human perspective, teams may be unprepared for changes in their operational habits; from a financial perspective, critical technology implementations with long-term profitability make investments challenging to comprehend; and from a functional perspective, the organization of multiple departments around a new culture and work dynamic.
According to Brandon Dawson, people connect when they have the same beliefs as you. Discover and communicate your WHY, your hard-wired motivation. Express it in simple, repetitive, tweetable words in bite-sized inspiration pieces.
Your WHY becomes the company’s driving force and is the basis for all communications, from vision to slogan. With knowledge of the natural drives of team members, it is possible to assign or relocate them to seats or roles where they will be in their zone, work harder with less effort, and optimize their productivity. When employees’ WHAT and WHY are linked, they become engaged and create true love for their work.
In the past, employees may have misinterpreted their coworkers or been turned off by them; nevertheless, they now respect the contributions made by their coworkers. Team members have a collective sense of connection to one another and to the goals they share.
People have a strong need to feel that they and their job matter. Visions that are genuine and come from within an organization are far superior to those that outside consultants or organizations develop.
Explain your relevance in a way that goes beyond the goods or services you offer. Your teams should be indoctrinated with your values, but they should also be allowed to voice their opinions within the business.
When present and potential workers, customers, and prospects see that you “get” them and will supply what they need, they buy in. Provide your employees with repeatable, persuasive language that helps them “sell” your firm and links you to your intended audiences. When customers trust your brand, they spend 20% more on average.
When employees and team members identify with a leader’s personal and organizational WHY, they become advocates for your cause. Clear, succinct, WHY-based communications transform “9-to-5’ers” into aligned team members who, at every customer interaction point, can explain and advocate for the organization’s values and inspire others. When companies articulate WHY they do WHAT they do and WHAT they believe, individuals join up. They are members of the organization. They become devoted, enthusiastic admirers. Your WHY is essential to building a profitable business in an era where authenticity is valued.
Brandon always says that the true definition of leadership is making others’ successes easier. See what’s next.
Opinions expressed by US Insider contributors are their own.
