Great Motivation Secrets of Great Leaders

Great Motivation Secrets of Great Leaders

There are a number of different ways to motivate others. Great Motivation Secrets of Great Leaders by John Baldoni discusses ways in which leaders can create conditions for motivation. This book uses a diverse collection of leadership stories and management principles to demonstrate how to successfully motivate others. This book focuses on “what leaders can do to create conditions in which people will motivate themselves: set the right example, communicate clearly, challenge judiciously, empower appropriately, coach frequently, recognize the meaning, and sacrifice for the total good” (Baldoni 208).

“Energize is what leaders do when they set the right example, communicate clearly, and challenge appropriately” (Baldoni 6). Motivation begins with setting the right example. Leaders reflect the vision and culture of an organization. A leader’s actions speak louder then his/her words. The example that the leader sets will be the one that others will follow.

Colonel David Hackworth is someone who epitomizes setting the right example. Colonel Hackworth is the most highly decorated soldier in United States history. “He won some 80 medals in his career, including two Distinguished Service Crosses, 10 Silver Stars and eight Purple Hearts (Associated Press 1). At the age of 15, Hackworth lied about his age to enlist in the army. He was enlisted and sent to Italy during World War II. Here he learned about war and strategy. After WWII, he stayed in the army and moved up through the ranks. Colonel Hackworth served six years in Vietnam commanding a battalion that was nicknamed “hopeless” prior to his arrival. Prior to Hackworth’s arrival, the battalion’s firebase was located on flat open ground, there were high causalities, and no military order. Hackworth’s primary concern was to take care of the troops so they could get home safely. He turned this battalion around by persisting on rigorous discipline, training, and tactics.

Hackworth understood that these soldiers needed to undergo rigorous training. This rigorous training on the field made it less likely that accidents would occur when the attacks were real. “Do it right in training and you’ll do it right when the incoming slugs flash by” (Baldoni 40). While these troops were training on the field, Colonel Hackworth was right there with them. Hackworth believed that his soldiers needed to know that his only concern was their wellbeing. “You go and you lead and let each soldier know that your basic concern is that soldier. You are the first one up, the last one in bed, and the last one in the chow line. Once [soldiers] realized that [my] only concern was their welfare, and of course the accomplishment of the mission, it was a piece of cake” (Baldoni 39).

Hackworth also understood that unit cohesion was essential to everyone’s survival. He knew that soldiers fight for their fellow soldiers. In order to create cohesion in the unit, Hackworth eliminated barriers between the top and the bottom. In Steel My Soldiers Hearts he explains how trench foot was a huge threat to all the soldiers because of the wet and muddy conditions. When the troops came in from the field he would personally check their feet. “When a leader gets down on his knees and looks and touches his men’s feet, it delivers a clear message: that the commander cares” (Baldoni 41). The “Second oldest lesson in command: If you take care of your soldiers, they will take care of you. The oldest lesson is: Take care of you Soldiers” (Baldoni 40)

The ability to communicate clearly is also vital to motivation. Communication involves expressing the company or organizations vision and listening to what others have to say. Communication is used so that people understand what is it that they are supposed to do and it helps build relationships. “Communication is an expression of a leader’s sincerity and conviction” (Baldoni 51).

Frances Hesselbein truly understands how great communication can effect an organization. Hesselbein was the CEO of Girls Scouts of America from 1976-1990. She was very successful at implementing a circular management style. In “The Art of Listening”, Frances Hesselbein stresses that listening is essential to leadership. She discusses the valuable lessons she learned about listening from her grandmother. Her grandmother always gave all of her grandchildren her utmost attention when the children were talking. Hesselbein’s grandmother also encouraged her to memorize a quote that had been written on the top of a blackboard in a small school house that she had attended in Johnstown, PA. “If wisdoms ways you would wisely seek, these five things observe with care: of whom you speak, to whom you speak, how, when, and where” (Hesselbein)

In this article, Hesselbein also describes listening as an art because