Page 22 - Perfect Phrases for Motivating and Rewarding

The Wise Motivator

on one level, be supportive of the process with those who have to
carry it out. If you’re opposed to a necessary change and can’t find
anything positive to say about it, the employees will find the process
more difficult, confusing, and disheartening.
The impetus for change may also come from those who report
to you. You may be the one who can implement change or the
only link between your direct reports and decision makers. Change
might also be inspired by client feedback, industry news, or your
own insight. Your next big business idea might come from hearing
someone on the street say, “Hey, I wish someone would make/write/
teach/ create !” The idea is not to wait until business
is faltering or stale, but always to be listening, looking, and open to
the next idea.
If you are a business owner, you receive motivation for change
from many directions as well: variations in markets and demand, cus-
tomer requests, the economy, those who report to you, and your own
innovation, to name a few. Positive change may come from a seem-
ingly negative event. You lose a contract; you lose a star employee;
your staple product becomes obsolete—it feels like your darkest
hour. Then you reevaluate how you lost the contract and find ways
to strengthen your presentation and put yourself in a better posi-
tion with future prospects; a new employee has contacts and skills
that make your business surge; you bring on a new product that is
in greater demand than the old one had been in twenty years. When
you feel blindsided by unexpected change, don’t despair; think—and
get your best people thinking with you.
Change is both inevitable and necessary to the process of moving
forward. Not only do those in leadership roles need the ability to han-
dle changes as they arise, but great leadership will never resist change
simply because it’s “not the way we do things.” If you want to inspire
innovators, innovate. Innovation doesn’t come from rigid notions of
“We should do this; we should do that, and by all means, we shouldn’t
do the other thing.” Relax. Stretch out your shoulds. It’s good for you
and your business to be flexible and open to new ideas.

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