Have you been tasked with attending an admin training session and expecting it to be a slow and painful death? Instead, it turned out that time flew by, and you learned a lot. This is the power of a passionate leader; they can channel their interest and energy into their listeners. They can make the mundane into exciting! So how can you become a passionate leader?
You can lead with a passion so people want to follow you by learning to show enthusiasm, assume default attacks, look for opportunities where others look for solutions, and invest in painful learning. Other more mainstream ways include; communicating your vision and celebrating victories.
In this article, we will talk about different ways to lead your team with a passion so that they will be inspired to follow your lead and become your partners in leading the business straight to the top. We will discuss the merits of being consistent, engaging, proactive, and the advantages of always being self-aware, pragmatic, and selfless. Let’s start!
1. Get Involved
Leading and managing a team is about more than just monitoring your team’s progress and ensuring that goals are met within a given time frame. Effective leadership calls for your actual involvement in the team’s affairs, particularly when circumstances are challenging.
Engage with everyone and exchange ideas and suggestions. A hands-on leader will encourage and inspire the team to give 100% effort in their work. Show enthusiasm for what you do, and your team will reciprocate.
The main job of a leader is to remove obstacles so that your team can move at full speed, but a common problem I see when training new leaders is that they become the obstacle. They get too involved in the details and the doing and too little in the overall picture.
This is most common when people have been moved to a leadership position without prior training.
The main job as a leader is to remove obstacles so that the team can move at full speed.
There’s a balance to be found between being too distant and too involved; let’s look at some ways you can interact with your team:
Be Predictable
Show true passion by being steadfast and dependable. Consistency in your words and actions significantly impacts how effectively you lead and manage your team. Do not show dedication and excitement for your work one day and withdraw the next.
Being predictable might sound bad, but when people know what you think, how you will react, and what to expect, they are much more likely to trust you!
Communicate Your Honest Level of Commitment
Giving 100% effort in your work calls for sacrifice and dedication; if we are honest with ourselves, most aren’t willing to give up family, health, and friendships for our job. That’s not a bad thing!
But only tell your team that you are 100% committed if that’s the truth; it’s better to say to them that you are 80% but always delivers on that; maybe sometimes you’ll even be able to overdeliver.
But if you go around swinging cliches about always doing your best, you better give it your best ALWAYS, or you’ll end up in a situation where trust will quickly erode.
As a leader who genuinely cares about the team and the business, you may have to set aside part of your interests. Set a good example for your team by adopting healthy habits and work-life harmony.
Make it clear to your team that achieving healthy work-life harmony is vital to happiness and satisfaction in your personal and professional lives. However, be clear about your boundaries as well. Work should only sometimes come before family, friends, and other personal matters.
I use the word harmony instead of balance; balance implies they are two opposing forces; I don’t believe this to be true. What happens at work impacts our private life and vice versa.
Exploit Your Strengths
Being a hands-on leader doesn’t mean you should dabble in every aspect of the business. We each have our strengths, so it’s best to focus on what you’re good at and let your team members do the same.
You, as a leader, should be good at planning contingencies, anticipating change, understanding the group dynamic, and how to develop each team member toward becoming an expert in their role.
Doing more of what you are good at is like rolling a stone downhill; all you need to do is give it a good push at the start and then add an extra push from time to time to keep it rolling.
The opposite is also true! When you are in a situation where your strengths don’t align with the task, you’re pushing the rock uphill; it’s slow and painful. But along the way, you will be stronger, and you’ll find yourself at the top sooner or later.
Your weakness will become your strength. The question is, do you have the time and energy to push it all the way up?
It’s essential you take some time to identify and acknowledge your weaknesses so that you can delegate as much of them as possible. You want to be an expert in your strengths but only good enough in your weaknesses.
You want to be an expert in your strengths, but only good enough in your weaknesses.
Working on improving yourself sends the message across to your team that you are humble enough to acknowledge your limitations yet strongly committed to aiming for excellence (not perfection, but more on that in another article).
2. Be a Coach and Mentor
A good leader is someone who also coaches and mentors their team. Remember, you can strongly influence how the entire team views and executes their work. Always be willing to share your knowledge and skills with your team members and emphasize their self-improvement.
Design training and programs that will enhance your team member’s knowledge and skills so they can become capable partners in achieving your goals for the team.
In the military, we often look for learning opportunities in everyday situations, especially if we see a younger leader doing something worth discussing. Good or bad, some exciting lessons are usually to be learned.
3. Be Specific About Your Mission
Well-defined targets and aspirations will give you the specificity and clarity to keep you going despite obstacles and challenges. As a leader, it is essential to identify these early on so you know exactly what you want to achieve for yourself and the team. It’s much easier to hit the bull’s eye if you know what it looks like.
Every year I write two pages called “min ledarskaps idé”; this is Swedish and translates into “my leadership philosophy.” In this document, I outline the direction of my leadership. Who do I want to become? What’s my assumption when someone makes a mistake (malice or incompetence)? Etc.
Here are some questions you might want to ask yourself:
- What do I want to become as a leader?
- Where EXACTLY do I want my team to be at the end of the year?
- What am I willing to give up to achieve my objectives?
- What impact do I want to have on my business?
Remember to share your goals and vision with the rest of your team. Remember that you cannot do it alone, no matter how passionate, dedicated, and exceptional you are at your job. Each member of your team has to contribute toward achieving the objectives.
Also, complement your words with actions, and allow the sparkle in your eyes to shine whenever you talk about your work. Speak with enthusiasm and execute your tasks with hunger. Most importantly, follow through with all your commitments.
Become an expert in giving compliments and feedback that people appreciate! I have a complete training program on providing feedback people want to follow; you can learn more by booking a free discovery call with me here!
5. Default Attack
Never be afraid to seize opportunities that will allow you to create or control situations. It is much better to be in charge and have the upper hand rather than merely reacting to circumstances.
Your default should be to attack, gain momentum and run the show.
Your default should be to attack, gain momentum and run the show.
Being in control allows you to do the most advantageous things for your team and the entire business. Don’t wait for the change, be the change.
It also shows how much you value your role as a leader.
It also shows how much you value your role as a leader.
Furthermore, take this as an opportunity to showcase your knowledge and skills in effectively leading and managing your team through various scenarios, whether through routine affairs or crises.
Leading during adversity is what we at Sancus Leadership specialize in. When you want to learn how to make effective decisions fast and increase team output, book a free discovery call here! Coming from a military background in Explosive Ordnance Disposal, EOD.
6. Stop Looking For Solutions
Being passionate about your work does not automatically lead to success. Obstacles will stand in your way, and you shouldn’t allow yourself and your team to be demotivated by these. When faced with challenges, it is best to focus on finding opportunities rather than dwelling on the problems or finding solutions.
Finding opportunities when others are looking for solutions is an excellent way to stay ahead of the competition!
Finding opportunities when others are looking for solutions is an excellent way to stay ahead of the competition!
Default to attack, remember 😉
It’s not simply about looking for solutions to get back to normal. Instead, it’s about identifying how we can exploit and gain benefits from the situation so we can do something new!
What opportunities can we glance through the fog of chaos?
7. Be The Change
Passionate leaders are fearless in change. They can manage and lead their team without feeling defeated or demotivated. After all, change is constant and inevitable, so it should be embraced and used as an opportunity!
Solutions and ideas come out of a need to change something; we rarely invent stuff just for the sake of it. A passionate leader also drives change. Sometimes, it is the best solution when setbacks are encountered, and current strategies and tactics no longer work.
Solutions and ideas come out of a need to change something; we rarely invent stuff just for the sake of it.
As a leader, one of your responsibilities is to ensure that your team adopts a positive outlook on change. Here are some tips on how you can effectively drive change and navigate through it for the advancement of the team and the organization:
Overcoming The Hidden Challenge of Implementing Change
Challenging the status quo and formulating better strategies to address difficult situations doesn’t mean you should throw caution to the wind. Having your risk tolerance dialed in and clearly understood by the team; will keep your team from taking unnecessary risks that don’t have good benefits.
Having your risk tolerance dialed in and clearly understood by the team; will keep your team from taking unnecessary risks that don’t have good benefits.
So the first step is to train yourself in risk assessment and risk tolerance (you can contact me here, and ill guide you in the right direction)
But trust me on this one (the military has many “status quo loving” leaders); it’s technically and emotionally tough to be a creative and innovative team! A huge chunk of your time will be spent on overcoming superiors’ objections rather than getting your team to implement the changes.
Depending on your organization’s culture, this can be easier or more difficult; ensure you anticipate and prepare for these conversations.
You must be conscious of the limitations of the changes you want to implement. The transitions and variations you wish to implement and spearhead must be worth the cost (emotional, reputational, etc.). And your decisions and actions, most of the time, need to be based on facts, sound projections, and logic.
Be Disruptive
Passionate leaders are always eager to grab opportunities, take on challenges, and drive change. It takes ingenuity and some radical thinking to do these things, and a good leader can do so without overwhelming fear of disrupting the current state of affairs or being faced with the unknown.
Disrupting is painful but has a net positive outcome in the medium to long term.
Anticipate Obstacles
An effective leader knows that transitions are only sometimes seamless. When implementing change, it is wise to prepare for scenarios you may face. Sometimes, it is necessary to make adjustments along the way. Other times, it may be wiser to abandon the idea altogether.
Leading and managing a team through transitions can be daunting, but if you’re armed with the right tools, you’ll be bolder with your moves. Consider all medium and highly likely scenarios and outcomes early on. This way, you and your team will be better equipped to handle whatever comes your way.
Leading and managing a team through transitions can be daunting, but if you’re armed with the right tools, you’ll be bolder with your moves.
Anticipating obstacles is about predicting the future, which is very difficult to do with high accuracy, especially since our brain likes to make shortcuts and sucks at using statistics for making decisions.
When you want to improve your decision-making skills, I recommend you read the book Thinking Fast and Slow. It taught me so much about my biases and decision-making mistakes! I'm now much better at identifying errors in my thinking.
Celebrate Victories
Implementing any transformation in your organization will bring about a lot of change. Sometimes, the results will be favorable; other times, they won’t. Show passion as a leader by celebrating victories, even small ones.
Remember that, as a leader, all eyes are on you, so it is essential that you always lead by example. Small wins deserve to be celebrated, too, but it is vital to highlight the benefits the business gleaned. This behavior shows your positive attitude toward change. And it influences your team members to accept that change isn’t something to be feared.
As always, be specific; what did someone do that you appreciated? Did they “do a good job” or “turn in a concise, easy-to-read, and on-time” report?
Clarity and precision are key!
8. Invest in Painful Learning
Continuous learning is an excellent way for many leaders to fuel their passion; it works for me and has worked for many of my colleagues. Leading and managing a team means you always have to stay ahead of the game.
You will significantly influence how your members function as a team, so you must find ways to keep your fire burning.
Consider taking classes and furthering your education to add another feather to your cap. You can do so by reading books on various topics involving your business. You can also attend seminars or group discussions to further your knowledge and skills on specific competencies you need to work on more.
I suggest you do something out of your comfort zone that will open you up to experiencing something entirely new!
One example is the Forging Unbreakable Leadership Test, where we spend two days on the mountain and push leaders far beyond their perceived capacity so they can return to their team with a sense of “I can do anything!”
9. Be Self-Aware
Being a passionate leader doesn’t mean you’re all about making initiatives and taking the bull by the horns. Sometimes, you must also be mindful of how your words and actions impact others, particularly your team members.
A conscious leader is someone sensitive to the feelings and opinions of others. Consider your team members’ emotions and how you may affect their morale.
Consider their suggestions and opinions, even though they might contradict your own. A passionate leader can integrate other people’s input into their ideas for the betterment of the business.
10. Do Not Exploit Your Authority and Power
Being a leader only gives you complete authority and power over some aspects of the business. Therefore, you must know how to keep your sense of superiority in check. Remember that you are still part of the team and must ensure that everyone, including yourself, works synergistically for the business’s success.
A passionate leader acknowledges that the business’s success must always come first. You must be able to set aside your personal goals and ambitions if they stand in the way of the common good. An overconfident, narcissistic, selfish demeanor will not only turn people away but also harm the organization.
Include your team in the various stages of managing the business. For instance, ask for their input during the planning stages. Solicit their ideas when formulating marketing strategies. You should also include them during brainstorming sessions in the face of a crisis. Being a good team player will allow you to reap the rewards later.
Here is an insightful video of Jennifer Smith discussing how Passionate Leaders create a positive influence on the people around them and create a ripple effect on society.
| Topics on how to lead with Passion | Description |
| Get Involved | Engage with everyone, exchange ideas, and be a hands-on leader. Show enthusiasm for what you do, and your team will reciprocate. |
| Be a Coach and Mentor | A good leader coaches and mentors their team. Share your knowledge and skills with your team members, design training and programs that enhance their knowledge and skills, and emphasize their self-improvement. |
| Be Specific About Your Mission | As a leader, it’s essential to identify well-defined targets and aspirations early on, so you know exactly what you want to achieve for yourself and the team. Remember to share your goals and vision with the rest of your team, and complement your words with actions. |
| Share Your Vision With Your Team | Remember that you cannot do it alone, no matter how passionate, dedicated, and exceptional you are at your job. |
| Default Attack | Seize opportunities that allow you to create or control situations. It’s much better to be in charge and have the upper hand rather than merely reacting to circumstances. |
| Stop Looking For Solutions | Focus on finding opportunities rather than dwelling on the problems or finding solutions when faced with challenges. |
| Be The Change | Passionate leaders are fearless in change. Drive change when setbacks are encountered and current strategies and tactics no longer work. |
| Invest in Painful Learning | Continuous learning is an excellent way for many leaders to fuel their passion. Find ways to keep your fire burning by taking classes, reading books, attending seminars or group discussions, and furthering your education. |
| Be Self-Aware | Be mindful of how your words and actions impact others, particularly your team members. Consider your team members’ emotions and how you may affect their morale. |
| Do Not Exploit Your Authority and Power | Keep your sense of superiority in check as a leader. Remember that you are still part of the team and must ensure that everyone, including yourself, works synergistically for the business’s success. Set aside your personal goals and ambitions if they stand in the way of the common good. |
Final Thoughts
Leading a team is about more than just ensuring that tasks are accomplished and goals are met. Authentic leadership involves inspiring and motivating your team so that they work together toward a common objective. It calls for encouraging your team members to be creative, proactive, and strategic.
Leading with passion is crucial to the success of any business. When your team members see how energetic and committed you are, they will be roused into following your lead. Passion is contagious, so act as the instigator for your team.
