Kurt Blazek

Are you a seasoned leader struggling to keep your team motivated? Perhaps you’ve recently been asked to step into a leadership role for the first time, but you’re wondering whether you have what it takes. The beauty of leadership principles is their relevance at any stage of your development.

Wander the aisles of any bookstore and you’re certain to find an entire section dedicated to leadership. Browse top-rated podcasts; leadership advice is not hard to find. So with so many available opinions on the subject of leadership, is there one concept that can revolutionize your ability to lead your team? Absolutely.

Everyone has heard the phrase, “do what you love and you will never work a day in your life.”  While this may be a great idea in theory, for most people it is not a reality.  Furthermore, doing what you love can turn a once enjoyable hobby into work, which then has a negative impact on quality of life from two separate angles. In his book “The Manager’s Dilemma”

Imagine a staff meeting that employees eagerly attend because they know the meeting will generate stimulating discussions. People will exchange ideas, support each other and build on each other’s suggestions. Everyone feels good when they come out of that staff meeting! Hard to imagine? Aw, c’mon. Dream a little . . .

Imagine working with a team of people eager to develop themselves professionally, who not only want to build their own expertise but who encourage others to learn and advance. Imagine a workplace where people enjoy being surrounded by others engaged, like them, in doing and being their best, where staff members sometimes get so excited about what they are doing that they use a lunch hour or an evening at home to read up on a topic related to their work.

Unfortunately, leadership is not all about influence, perks, and big offices. There is a reason that leaders are paid the big bucks, and that is not simply to lunch on the corporate account and tell others what to do. Instead, leaders have significant responsibilities and are often accountable for substantial operational, technology, budget, and personnel decisions.

As you can imagine, these decisions aren’t typically easy. More likely, they are complicated and multi-faceted with both short and long term implications. Definitely not for the faint of heart. So how do strong leaders make tough decisions?

When your employees are stressed, it’s impossible not to see it. They’re shorter-tempered with one another, more likely to get sick or have health problems, and, as it turns out, are less productive. Stressed employees report that only about 9% of them are engaged at work, which means that the more stress you heap on your employees, the less they’re going to perform for you. If you fear that your employees’ performance is decreasing, make sure that you understand how stress can affect employee engagement.

Stress doesn’t have to be related to money. Certainly, the amount of money that they’re making can have a significant impact on employee stress. If they’re unable to pay their bills, they may find themselves wondering why it’s worth giving their all at their jobs at all!