As leaders, our leadership triggers activate us to take action. The activities, approaches and results you recognize and celebrate speak volumes to your team. You take action. Your action affects what others see you do. What you do indicates what is important to you. What you recognize and celebrate in others illustrates what is important to you. The activities, approaches and results you recognize and celebrate speak volumes to your team.
WHAT IS A LEADERSHIP TRIGGER?
Most of us get that a trigger is the mechanism that actuates the firing sequence of a firearm. As leaders, our triggers are mechanisms that activate us to take action.
TYPES OF LEADERSHIP TRIGGERS
NEGATIVE TRIGGERS
Many leaders have well-defined “negative” triggers. When negatively triggered, we get activated when an undesired outcome occurs, like if someone is late, fails to complete a task, and other scenarios.
HELPFUL TRIGGERS
“Helpful” triggers activate us to recognize and celebrate the effort, progress or results of our team. Helpful triggers recognize those who take the desired action or produce the desired result, rather than focusing on those who did not. When developing leaders, it’s important to identify these triggers so they can be recognized and celebrated.
FOCUS ON POSITIVE LEADERSHIP TRIGGERS
Rather than investing more energy and effort into those who are not producing the desired results or following the right timelines, consider focusing on those who do. If the budgeting process submissions are always late, then praise and recognize those who submit early or on-time.
CHOOSE YOUR TRIGGERS WISELY
Recognition calls focus and attention to either the desired action or the less desirable inaction. Which do you want to focus upon? Those who take the desired action or those who fail to take action? Your recognition and celebration of those who take action creates a culture that focuses on those who create the results.
GREAT LEADERSHIP TRIGGERS FOR RECOGNITION
- Takes initiative or calculated risks
- Helps someone outside their silo
- Illustrates a new skill set or capability
- Does regular work consistently (avoiding escalation) – remember to recognize these people
- Offers creative solutions – by recognizing these people, you will get more of them
- Takes responsibility
- Provides helpful feedback – if someone speaks up on a conference call – thank them
- Offers new ideas
- Displays effort above & beyond the norm
- Displays a willingness to learn
- Achieves a high-quality of work with accuracy
- Leaves their comfort zone
GREAT LEADERSHIP TRIGGERS FOR CELEBRATION
- Hitting milestones
- Camera moments
- Award or progress submissions
- Positive client feedback
- Meeting deadlines, early submissions
- Meeting or exceeding budget
- Process/policy improvements
- Accomplishing an objective
- Delivering value
- Implementing innovations
CHOOSE TRIGGERS THAT ALIGN WITH YOUR TEAM CULTURE
Align what triggers you with the culture and results you desire. If you want action toward a strategic plan or specific goals – recognize and celebrate that action. More of that action will follow.
Some effective leaders choose a trigger for each day of the week for the first 21 days. Leaders build recognition and celebration into their daily practice, always reinforcing the action, effort, and results they desire. To learn more about how to build your team through great leadership, contact the leadership development experts at Learn2.
