What Motivates You to Lead?

Welcome to another post in our series on Bill George’s Authentic Leadership

Bill George both studied and practiced leadership. He served as CEO of Medtronic prior to teaching leadership at Harvard. Recently Bill George published True North Groups He describes that leaders today may need more than they themselves, their organizations, or their communities can deliver. He researched the impact of forming small groups for support, collaboration, and in-depth discussions. You can read more at his web site on True North Groups.

Third Area of Self-Development: Motivations

1. Self-Awareness; What is my story? What are my strengths and developmental needs?
2. Values: When are my most deeply held values? What principles guide my leadership? /
3. What Motivates You to Be a Leader?
• “Motivations: What motivates me? How do I balance external and internal motivations?”
  • “Because authentic leaders need to sustain high levels of motivation and keep their motivations in balance, it is critically important to understand what motivates them. This may take many years, even if their formative experiences occurred when they were much younger.”
  • There are two types of motivations—extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic motivations…are measured by the external world…Intrinsic motivations, on the other hand, are derived from your sense of the meanings of your life—your True North.”
  • For leaders with a high-achievement orientation, external motivations and positive validation by the outside world are a natural consequence. They appreciate the recognition that comes with their accomplishments. The key to developing as an authentic leader is not eschewing your extrinsic motivations but balancing them with intrinsic motivations.”
• “The term motivated capabilities is used to describe the alignment of your motivations with your strongest capabilities in order to find the sweet spot for your leadership.”
• “You will be most effective as a leaders when you find opportunities that highly motivate you and utilize your greatest capabilities. One without the other is insufficient. To find them, you must understand your deepest motivations and be honest with yourself about your capabilities.”
4. Support Teams: Who are the people I can count on to guide & support me along the way?
5. Integrated Life: How can I integrate all aspects of my life and find fulfillment?

 

Leadership with Purpose and Passion

In Part 3 of True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership Bill George and Peter Sims talk about Leadership with Purpose and Passion. In an address given at Bryant University in 2005 Bill George said “As a leader, your task is to engage the hearts of those you serve and align their interests with the interests of the organization you lead.  Engaging the hearts of others requires a sense of purpose and an understanding of where you’re going.  When you find that special alignment, you and your team will have the power to move mountains.  Nothing will be able to stand in your way.”

He discussed the need to find a cause worthy of your passions. You cannot find the passion in the money, the title. or any of the extrinsic things. You must find it in the purpose of your work. If not, find work worthy of your passion.

I really wish that I could communicate effectively the power from discovering your authentic leadership. I’ve been blessed to work in labors I love. My job fulfills my motivations and passions. Helping people get better jobs, better income,and better satisfaction motivates me to work harder.

I hope you take the time to find what motivates you, to discover your passion & purpose.

Join me Monday when we describe the benefits of building a support team for leadership