“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou
Three people may compliment you about the same thing; it’s the compliment that comes from the one with the most influence in your life that you’ll value the most. I think of the teachers I had as early as elementary school, and how they influenced my desire to learn.
As I look around today, I note that the most effective leaders are those who love what they do and those who they do it with and do it for, love-driven leaders possess similar traits as the influential teachers of our youth. They encourage, inspire, and challenge those in their care.
Psychologists Les Perrott remarked, “Some people possess an invisible quality that draws others to them like a magnet. They’re more than just likable. Their charisma defines everything they do and every encounter they have. Accordingly, they build better teams, win more respect, and achieve bigger results. Are they merely lucky in life, blessed with personality traits that spell success without effort? Not on your life!”
The Importance of Being Made to Feel Important
I have been positively influenced by mentors, managers, coaches, and leaders who made a lasting impression on my life. Both teachers and leaders who had the most influence with me are those who cared the most, and strongly believed in me. It’s the people who believe in you and know how to get the most out of you that make you feel most important, those are love-driven leaders.
Award-winning poet Maya Angelou said, “This is the value of the teacher, who looks at a face and says there’s something behind that and I want to reach that person, I want to influence that person, I want to encourage that person, I want to enrich, I want to call out that person who is behind that face, behind that color, behind that language, behind that tradition, behind that culture. I believe you can do it. I know what was done for me.”
Leaders, like teachers, with good skill sets in areas of mentoring or coaching as well as high qualities of teamwork, care deeply for their team members and personnel throughout their organizations. Leaders with these qualities help establish and enhance an environment of achievement and collaboration.
4 Basic Values that Motivate Love-Driven Leaders
“No matter how busy you are, you must take the time to make the other person feel important.” – Mary Kay Ash
1) Love is Always a Win-Win Love-driven leaders are emotionally intelligent leaders; they’re motivating and energizing. Keenly in touch with their feelings, desires and motives equip them with empathic intuitiveness that touches hearts almost immediately.
Being love-driven makes you others-oriented; you’re more inclined to work toward making others better than they are. Genuine love for self and others releases confidence, purpose, optimism and a sense of belonging in people.
2) Everyone is a Valuable Person Think about it; everyone is valuable to someone. Have you ever looked through someone while they’re speaking to you? You know what that’s like, if while speaking to someone you notice that glazed over look in their eyes. This year be intentionally “all in” when listening to people; it’s validating and affirming.
3) Being a People Developer John Wooden would say, “Don’t tell me what you’re going to do—show me.” Make a point of not ending your day until you’ve intentionally complimented, encouraged, instructed, or helped someone go the extra mile.
4) Developing the Significance Mindset Never let an opportunity to get to know someone, go by without appreciating them for who they are. If you want to multiply adding value to others, teach people the lifestyle of developing intentional encouragers. You’ll be thought of for years to come.
“We treat our people like royalty. If you honor and serve the people who work for you, they will honor and serve you.” – Mary Kay Ash