There is nothing more inspiring than influencing others.
It is for a reason that great leaders are described as inspirational. Great managers have the capacity to get others to believe in something, to believe that hard work and dedication serves a purpose. Viktor Frankl’s logotherapy argues that the biggest motivator for human beings is finding a reason to do the things we do. It is therefore critical for a great manager to have a management mission, one which guides them and their team in understanding why they are doing the things they do. Eventually the management mission will become a mission statement, however before this a great manager must embrace the importance of being a leader and the difference they can make.
Great managers embrace the difference they make as a leader.
In some jobs it may be easy to embrace that purpose via the product you are part of producing. For example in summer camp management, it is easy to identify with the fact that by managing staff well, you indirectly influence the experience of the children. In other jobs, this moral end via the product may be harder to identify. However I am a firm believer that great managers embrace the purpose of changing lives. As a leader of a team of people you really have this power to create positive change and bring out the best in people and hence create a more productive and happier place to work.
Great managers create not only more productive environments but also happier ones.
A great manager is nearly always someone who can tap into extra energy or enthusiasm. Managers who are able to do so have a management mission – a purpose – which makes this extra push worth doing and cause they believe so much in this purpose they invariably pull others along with them. It is worth reminding yourself that people want to believe in good things. Inspiration happens when leaders combine enthusiasm and energy with purpose. Inevitably inspirational managers, create inspirational staff and positive circles are created. So if you truly want to be the very best manager you can be, start now embracing the amazing opportunity you have to change lives, as via great management you really can.
Embrace your mission of changing lives.
What to do?
Make a list of all the ways you believe you can positively influence the people you lead. Also make a smaller list of the ways you could perhaps negatively influence others if you didn’t lead well. Once you have your list, review it and think think about how doing this well (or not) would make your feel. Then write one paragraph saying why achieving this matters to you. Again fire it out instinctively don’t worry about precision at this stage.
100 Steps Mission 