Leadership and Motivation Always Go Hand in Hand - Essay Example

Traditionally, the carrot and stick analogy has been used to motivate the masses. To some extent, this works but not always. People who are motivated by something that is more far-reaching than money, pain, or fame often will come up with creations and results that are very inspiring.

From the puzzle of motivation, I believe the most important factors to focus on are autonomy, purpose, and mastery. Having the freedom to do what you want and when you want is very liberating. Pablo Picasso, one of the greatest artists was never tied up to a schedule or a need to conform to societal norms. He had complete autonomy and only worked when he wanted. Almost half of goggles technological products originate from people being allowed to work on projects they like. When people have autonomy, they become creative.

Having a purpose for life can serve as one of the biggest driving forces for any society. When a person believes that what they are working on is part of something bigger, they often will strive for excellence, average or good is no longer enough. Some of the world’s greatest inventions have come from people who loved their work. It was never about the money for them, the joy of succeeding at an objective they believe in was what motivated them to succeed.

Mastery is a result of practice and experience. A person who has mastered any skill often seems to do it seamlessly; it is almost automatic. From experience, this person knows what works and what does not; they have spent countless hours in a field where they often know the results even before the game starts. When they are at their trade, it almost seems effortless. Any person who has sacrificed years, money, and sweat to be skilled in any field often are very motivated and passionate about it.

My purpose in life is to become a school principal; I feel that this is a field that will bring purpose to my life. To achieve this, I need to have mastery and autonomy to do things the way I feel they should be done. I intend to spend a lot of time with people who have been in this field for a long time; through them, I will get to learn and become as good. Since school principals are primarily leaders, I intend to focus on sharpening my leadership skill through practice and experimentation. Finding a mentor to guide me and give advice is also necessary. Reading widely about past leaders and their style of leading will help me grow. With such skills, I will be able to achieve my purpose.

Leadership is a very complex entity; many seemingly good leaders make mistakes out of arrogance, naivety, and ignorance. I have seen this happen severally, I will highlight a few of these instances. My team captain is arrogant and cannot self-reflect on what their action do to the entire team. He is also not fluid; with changing circumstances a good leader must be able to change; he lacks this quality and may stick to a strategy even when circumstances have changed until it’s too late. It is also very difficult to convince them otherwise, once they have made up their mind, they will not listen to any opinions. I have also seen one big fault in my parents’ leadership. Often, they do not reflect on what their actions do to my siblings and me. Certain remarks or actions they take affect us negatively. If they could reflect and think about what their actions do, most likely, they would become better leaders.

As a leader, motivating the people you are leading is paramount. To do this they must trust you and your ability to lead. The leader must seem to serve his followers. Putting themselves fast and making everything to be about themselves is a big flaw in any leader. A leader who betrays the trust his followers have in him often will score poorly. Another thing a leader must strive to fight is arrogance and the belief that they know it all. Arrogance often will lead to several leadership blunders.

Acting too fast without consulting; lacking self-reflectivity on their action; not being able to exploit the power of uncertainty are just some of the mistakes that are born of single-mindedness. As a leader, I think creating a sense of purpose among your followers and giving them autonomy will steer them. If you can give people the freedom to work the way they want as long as the goals are streamlined, you will always succeed as a leader. Read More