Motivate Like a CEO: Communicate Your Strategic Vision and Inspire People to Act! - Hardcover

BATES

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0071600299 ISBN 13: 9780071600293

Publisher: McGraw Hill, 2008

Synopsis

“An exciting read, you won’t want to put Motivate Like a CEO down until you’ve mastered all of its secrets!”
Marshall Goldsmith, New York Times bestselling author of What Got You Here Won’t Get You There

"Motivated leaders are rare, yet everyone seeks to become one. The greatness of this book is that it breaks down the process by giving you the ideas and the tools to motivate and inspire yourself first, and then others second. If you’re in a leadership position or hoping to get to the next level, make the decision to buy this book, study this book, and put it into practice."
-Jeffrey Gitomer, author of The Little Red Book of Selling

The most successful leaders seem to possess a remarkable gift for inspiring and motivating people. They are not only hard workers who possess great business minds; they rally others to drive forward with a powerful, common vision. Motivate Like a CEO demonstrates how leaders at every level can develop this skill and use it to bring their teams together around a common purpose.

In this follow-up to her bestselling Speak Like a CEO, Suzanne Bates explains how you can become a powerful force of influence within your organization and position your company for greatness. You'll learn how to translate simple, effective concepts into brilliant execution; get people working together on the highest priorities; and align warring factions to channel energy into the efforts that make your company profitable.

Inside, you’ll discover secrets to generate excitement all the way down the line to achieve superior results. Real-world stories of leaders who have transformed their organizations will inspire you to move your own organization to a position of strength. And, you’ll find helpful, easy-to-follow advice on how to communicate ina way that inspires people to act.

Motivate Like a CEO teaches you how to:

• Inspire people to embrace and share your vision
• Speak with energy and confidence in tough situations
• Turn challenges into opportunities
• Get your team engaged, in the loop, and tracking real results
• Make time in your schedule for sharing your message of motivation throughout your company

Even a well-positioned, strategically sound company will fail if its messages and focus are not clear. Successful leaders must be able to move the strategic plan from words on paper into the hearts and minds of the people who make it happen.

Motivate Like a CEO can help you significantly improve bottom line results, create a happier, more unified team of people, and allow you to leave a legacy of leadership.

About this title

About the Author

Suzanne Bates is an executive coach, author, speaker, entrepreneur, and former award-winning television news anchor. As president and CEO of Bates Communications, she shows leaders how to get business results through better communication.

From the Back Cover

COMMUNICATE YOUR VISION—AND INSPIRE ACTION!

“How do you increase the forward momentum of your company? How do you get your people excited about helping you implement your vision? Learn how to Motivate Like a CEO. Suzanne Bates will help you discover how you can be the catalyst for your organization’s future success. What a great book.”-Ken Blanchard, coauthor of The One Minute Manager® and The One Minute Entrepreneur

"Motivate Like a CEO tells you why, then how to motivate an organization. It is well written, clear and motivating both for the experienced CEO and the new leader."
-Robert Chappell, CEO, Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company

"If you're a leader who wants a high performance team, make this book your 'bible!'"
-Christine Comaford, Business Accelerator, Mighty Ventures and New York Times bestselling author of Rules for Renegades

“Suzanne Bates insightfully goes against the current models of business, based mainly on financial stimulus and behavioral response, and illustrates the importance of people rather than institutions. In a nutshell, this book is important, because it’s about people connecting.”
-Charles H. Green, co-author of The Trusted Advisor

“Motivate like a CEO is chock full of great ideas and strategies. Suzanne Bates has written a valuable guide that will not only help leaders to inspire others but also will help them get their own batteries recharged.”
-Diane Hessan, CEO, Communispace Corporation

"A 'must-read' for anyone who is, or aspires to be in a position of high leadership."
-Chuck Wright, former Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Agency and Marketing Officer, State Farm Insurance Companies

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

MOTIVATE LIKE A CEO

COMMUNICATE YOUR STRATEGIC VISION AND INSPIRE PEOPLE TO ACT!By SUZANNE BATES

The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Copyright © 2009 Suzanne Bates
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-07-160029-3

Contents

Chapter One

What It Means to Motivate Like a CEO

I want to put a ding in the universe.

—Steve Jobs

What motivates us as people? This is a fascinating question because we are all different! How can there be one answer to such a question?

Yet I believe there is. As human beings, we all want to have a purpose. We want our lives to matter. We want to do something in the short time we have here to make a difference in the world.

The pursuit of purpose is so important to us as human beings that if we ignore it, we are not happy or fulfilled. Purpose is what allows us to discover who we really are. When we find purpose and meaning in our work, and we pursue that larger purpose, we discover our talents, skills, and sources of genuine satisfaction. We are happiest when we have the opportunity to apply our talents and skills to something meaningful. Purpose is necessary, critical really, to a healthy, happy, and successful life.

Purpose is necessary, critical really, to a healthy, happy, and successful life.

In cultures where people live to be a hundred or more, research has found that individuals have a strong desire to fulfill their purpose. For example, in Costa Rica's "Blue Zone"—a place far from our business world—people live to a ripe old age; each individual creates a plan de vida. Costa Ricans believe that creating a plan for their lives is essential. They are taught that they must contribute to a greater good so they feel a compelling desire to be needed. And this drive for purpose that fulfills us isn't confined to any culture—it is universal. It is in all of us. We seek to find purpose and are happiest when we connect to a mission larger than ourselves.

Why begin a book on motivating people by talking about individual purpose? Because purpose is essential to motivation. Once we understand the role that purpose plays in our success and the success of our companies, we unlock the secret to achieving great things. As leaders, when we work with purpose and inspire others to purpose, we become a powerful force in the universe.

Regardless of where you are in your career, you can find purpose and meaning in your work. You can use this purpose to fuel your life and also become a great leader. When your work matters to you and you have a larger purpose that excites you, you inspire others. Making that kind of positive impact on the lives of other people, makes you an unstoppable force.

Your motivation and the motivation of your team will have a direct, undeniable impact on the bottom line of your business. A motivated, energized workforce is essential to accomplishing your goals. A good strategy and motivated people always accomplish amazing things. Motivated people will overcome the obstacles, defy the odds, and get more done.

Motivated people will overcome the obstacles, defy the odds, and accomplish more.

Connecting people with a larger purpose is an exciting, worthy personal goal. As a leader, you have an opportunity to make those connections. Can there be anything more rewarding than helping other people to realize their own potential? When you embrace a purpose, they can't wait to get on board and work toward that common goal. As they discover their own connection to purpose, they look for ways to use their talents and, in the process, go the extra mile. They grow as people and professionals and achieve their own, personal goals. Therefore, one of the most effective things you can do as leader is to connect people with purpose for the good of every individual as well as the enterprise.

The Oxford American Dictionary says that motivation is "giving motive or incentive; to stimulate the interest of, to inspire." The person who gives motive or incentive is, by definition, a leader. The leader takes the lead in communicating motive and in the process stimulates, develops, and nurtures the talents and skills of other people engaged in the pursuit of the goal. As you will see in the pages of this book, leaders who provide motive and incentive align organizations and move them rapidly toward their goals. This could be the highest definition of leadership.

To write this book, I gave quite a bit of thought to what it means to motivate like a CEO. I finally decided that what it comes down to is this: connecting people with purpose and passion toward a common goal. Leaders help people to achieve a common goal and, in the process, realize their own potential. To motivate like a CEO is to be driven by purpose and passion and to connect other people to that purpose.

Over the years, working with hundreds of executives, I've always admired those who are purpose-driven. In writing this book, I've had a unique opportunity to interview leaders who exemplify living and working with purpose and helping others connect with purpose, too. A common theme among these leaders is articulated well by Greg Case of Aon Corporation, who says that motivating a workforce means "to create that connection between the people and the company, the people and the message, the people and the strategy."

Leaders who connect people with the company, the message, and the strategy find it a far simpler task to accomplish their goals. They have an entire organization of people who are working not just for a paycheck, but to achieve their own potential. They are energized by the possibilities and are connected to each other through a common purpose. These leaders harness energy and talent and drive their organizations forward. This is essential because, as a leader, you cannot do it alone. You need everyone. "In a nutshell," says Case, "that is what it means to motivate like a CEO, to make a connection between every single person and the fundamental mission of the organization."

Making a Difference

People want to make a difference. When they believe that what they are doing matters, it motivates them and stimulates their passion and creativity. Keith Blakely, CEO of NanoDynamics, a clean energy technology company, says, "One thing that can motivate people is the idea that they can make a world of difference. That phrase is the company's tagline." From Nobel Prize–winning scientists to people on the production line, everyone is engaged by this mission. Blakely sees his role as getting "everyone in the boat pulling on the oars at the same time; to get them to understand where we are going and why."

People want to make a difference. When they believe that what they are doing matters, it motivates them and stimulates their passion and creativity.

This is such an important aspect of leadership that it cannot be emphasized enough. To motivate and inspire others, you must help people to see what a difference they can make in the world. This means that you must not only feel a strong sense of purpose but also be able to communicate it to others. Your job as a leader is simply to communicate your passion and connect your people to that larger purpose.

Research shows that people work for a paycheck, but they live for a purpose. A 2006 Gallup poll of 540 adults employed full or part time found that the top three things that made people happy were "doing what suits me best/fulfilling," "interacting with the public/helping people," and "freedom/flexibility to do my job my own way." These were 41 percent of responses, and all these and a few others ranked significantly above good pay, flexible hours, and job security. Although college graduates were more likely to praise their job for being fulfilling, even non–college graduates cited fulfillment as the number one reason they enjoyed their work.

What is the leader's challenge in this? It is to clearly communicate mission and purpose and do so with passion so that people are inspired. In 2008, Bates Communications conducted a survey of 187 managers, leaders, and professionals, and the overwhelming message was how important it is to communicate mission and purpose. As we reviewed all these responses, it became crystal clear how universally people long for a purpose larger themselves. They also have a strong desire to work for leaders and companies that connect them with purpose.

A few examples:

* "I need my company's leadership to communicate to me and my colleagues to provide a context for our work and a purpose for our everyday contributions. I feel like I need that high-level, overarching vision to motivate me to do my best work and to focus my work toward what helps the company bottom line."

* "Employees are not mind readers. It's important that employees stay connected to a vision larger than their own to succeed personally and help their company succeed."

* "If employees understand why they are doing certain things and what the ultimate goal is, they will be more enthusiastic and take ownership."

* "People need to know that the efforts they give are on target, appreciated, and make a difference."

* "People enjoy being part of something bigger than themselves and particularly enjoy being asked to assist in working and participating in the growth strategy."

As a Leader, Do You Feel a Strong Purpose?

In our survey, the good news is that most leaders report that they do feel a sense of mission and purpose. Eighty-five percent of managers, directors, leaders, and business owners agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, "I feel fulfilled because I am doing work that matters to me and to my company." Eighty percent agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, "My job is important, and my boss communicates how it connects with our overall business goals." Of course, since most of them are the boss, one of the bosses, or a partner in or owner of the business, you would hope so!

In our survey, most leaders report that they do feel a sense of mission and purpose.

Getting in touch with your own purpose is the first step to great leadership. The next step is to learn how to effectively communicate that purpose to others in a way that inspires them to do great things. This ability to communicate purpose is often what is missing in organizations.

In your company today, you may notice that motivation varies from division to division, team to team, site to site, office to office. It is common to have pockets of happy, productive people and pockets of unhappy, less productive people. Gallup found that in every company there are some groups that are highly productive and others that are not. According to Dennis Jacobe, Ph.D., Gallup's chief economist, these differences in work groups exist no matter how high or low a company's overall productivity.

Logic tells us that this inconsistency isn't for lack of a strategy, market, or customers. It probably is not because they don't like their benefits or the work environment. When all things are relatively equal it is more likely that the gap is a result of people not feeling connected or valued. Perhaps leaders in the organization are not equally effective in communicating with their teams in a way that motivates and inspires them. As you will discover in this book, your company must have leaders who consistently communicate mission and purpose and connect others to it.

Communicating, connecting, and inspiring people therefore are critical business skills; every leader must understand the power of purpose at a personal level and know how to communicate purpose with passion. "Many [leaders] come in and do their job and often forget they have people under them," said one person who participated in our study. "They haven't been properly mentored into their role; therefore, they can't mentor anyone else. Communication is key. Without sharing, people lack motivation and creativity."

A motivated workforce is your secret weapon in business—and it will allow your organization to overcome significant challenges. In talking with many leaders for this book, I heard over and over again how important they believe a motivated team is to their success. Rich Krueger, CEO of DynamicOps, a spin-off of Credit Suisse, told me that without a motivated workforce, he would sink. His company sells automation software to manage enterprise information technology (IT) organizations. As with most new companies, there's a long, long road between a great idea and customers who will pay for a product. Krueger says, "We don't have time or money enough to be successful without motivated people. If they treat it just like a job, we will fail." Every leader knows that you have to have people who are committed. When they are motivated they are committed to thinking about your problem as their problem.

Why don't leaders focus more of their own time and energy on communicating to inspire others? The simple answer is that they feel like they are too busy. Many are struggling to keep their heads above water. They feel trapped by their schedules of travel, meetings, and day-to-day activities. Yet, if leaders don't find a way to climb above the noise of the work-day, to communicate a big inspiring message, they ultimately fail. Employees told us that their bosses are so distracted that they often forget to do the important things. "They are too busy 'doing' to lead," said one. "They are caught up in the day-to-day and neglect to communicate," said another. And then there was this: "They often say that they don't have time, but I think it is that they don't have a philosophy or plan about how they want to lead," said another.

What is the leader's challenge? It is to clearly communicate mission and purpose with passion so that it inspires people and allows them to connect with their own sense of purpose.

What If People Aren't Motivated?

When people start a new job, they are always enthusiastic as they anticipate where it will lead them in their careers. If you've hired even one person in your life, you know that he or she came in day one wanting to wow you. People genuinely want to do a great job, contribute in a significant way, and be acknowledged for their efforts. Yet sometimes, in a few weeks or a few months, their enthusiasm wanes. It seems that they've lost their motivation. Is it their fault? Yes, they are ultimately responsible for their own success and happiness. Yet, more often than not, the problem really isn't the employee. The problem is that the leader and the organization have not made a strong connection with the individual and have not allowed him or her to see the excitement of being part of the organization.

If the employee does not find an opportunity to make a real contribution that is connected to a primary purpose of the organization, he or she doesn't feel important or valued. This is not a failure of the individual; it is a failure of leadership. Leaders must focus on connecting people to purpose, communicating with each individual directly and explicitly. Leaders need to talk out loud about the mission, purpose, and why the individual's work matters. If leaders don't do this, they have only themselves to blame when people are disengaged. It is the leader's job to communicate in a way that encourages each individual to explore his or her own connection to the larger purpose.

If the employee does not find an opportunity to make a real contribution that is connected to a primary purpose of the organization, he or she doesn't feel important or valued.

"People love to feel important," said one respondent. This is why your ability to communicate and connect people with purpose really matters. The leader has to "allow people to see how their work fits in and why they are important to reaching the goal," said another. "We all need to be working toward common goals and need to know that what we do aligns with that strategy."

Ellyn McColgan, president and chief operating officer of Morgan Stanley's Global Wealth Management Group, says that leadership for her is about how the people who "pass through her life" feel valued. "It's not about controlling human energy; it's about expanding it. And if you expand it, you have to make sure it expands into the area that adds value. That's the art of leadership." McColgan explains, "Everyone comes to work wanting to do a good job. That sounds simple, but it is true. Everyone wants to do well. You can't be a good leader if you don't recognize that." She adds, "People will never disappoint you if that is how you come at them."

As a leader, you must believe in your heart that the people who work with you are truly in it for something bigger than themselves. When you believe this you are able to communicate in a way that respects their desire to make a difference. People don't just come to work for a paycheck. Once their basic needs are met, research shows that they seek opportunities for personal growth. Abraham Maslow, one of the founders of the humanistic school, theorized that there were five human needs and that self-actualization is the highest of those. In A Theory of Human Motivation (1943), he characterizes a person who is self-actualized as focused on problems external to himself or herself. If you accept that this is true, when you appeal to a person's desire to grow and develop, you are appealing to the highest level of that person's conscious needs.

When people have a reasonable degree of financial security, work in a safe, productive environment, and believe in what they do, they turn their focus to contributing and developing their talents and skills. Aon's Greg Case says that, in his experience, self-actualization is a driving force. "People want to maximize their ability to utilize whatever talents they have; that's what creates happiness and satisfaction." Case says consultants and brokers at Aon are especially driven by self-actualization. "A sense of individual accomplishment is paramount," Case says. "That lies at the heart of motivation."

To be successful communicating and connecting people to purpose, you have to get to know them and understand them. The results can be disastrous if you try to "dive in" from time to time with an inspirational message, whether for your own employees or your customers. One manager who responded to our survey told this story of a failure to take time to know the customer: "The CEO decided he wanted to join me as I called on people who had hired us. He had not been involved in the day-to-day activities of the company for a number of years, but a recent divorce changed his attitude toward being involved. He came to these meetings in a three-piece suit, black wing tips, and driving his sports car, even though the man who signed the contract to hire us typically wore blue jeans, a flannel shirt, and work boots, ... and drove a pickup!

(Continues...)

Excerpted from MOTIVATE LIKE A CEOby SUZANNE BATES Copyright © 2009 by Suzanne Bates. Excerpted by permission of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Edition details

• Publisher: McGraw Hill
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0071600299
• ISBN 13: 9780071600293
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288