•  Some people don’t know what their end goal is. They are not even able to visualize the inspired zone.

• Some people don’t know what steps to take to get to their end goal. So they don’t take action and start because they haven’t figured out the whole plan.

• Some people aren’t willing to pay the price and put in the hard work.

• Some people have tried and failed before so they are not willing to try again. Their vehicle is parked in a school zone. 

Unfortunately most people are uninspired about both their work and their lives. In a perfect world we all drive the car that is our life. This entails developing goals, developing a plan of attack, taking action to move forward on our plan, and reviewing and revising the plan along the way. As leaders of the company if we solely rely on people to take the complete initiative to inspire themselves we probably will end up in our organization on the wrong side of the 20:1 equation. The question is how do we get our people out of their boredom and being stuck in the “school zone” and getting racing down the highway of success? Here are some ideas and thoughts to consider:

• Ask them individually what they would like to learn more about in the organization. Consider if there are any opportunities to provide them with that experience.

• Develop cross- functional teams, where appropriate, to attack projects to develop a broader range of skills and possibly interests in people. 

• Provide people with challenging work assignments that are slightly beyond their current capabilities. When we stretch others to new heights we can often be surprised with the results and increased enthusiasm. 

• Developed a formalized goal-setting program with assignments and completion dates. With deadlines the chances of pushing people down the road to success increases greatly.

• Provide a “learning environment” with motivational book and tapes. 

• Create an internal mentoring and coaching network that would meet monthly to formalize individuals encouraging each other’s development. 

While this is by no means considered to be an exhaustive list it might be a place to start to get people headed in the right direction. The lesson to be learned is that as leaders we might need to jump-start our people’s batteries in order to get them headed down the highway to success!

If you would like to have Mike speak to your group consider the following programs:
Constructing the Framework of Success
Motivation - Begins with Me; Grows with We
Running the Race of Life with Purpose

If you want to get Mike's insights on this topic in one on one sessions click here.

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Mike Foti is Chief Executive Officer of Cleveland Glass Block (a Northcoast 99 recipient for best employers in Northeast Ohio and a Community Pillar Award winner for community service) and President of Leadership Builders. Mike is a national speaker, writer, and consultant who helps individuals and companies get results through people. To ask Mike how he might help you, or to receive his free tips and leadership articles, call 216-531-6085 or visit his web site at www.leadershipbuilders.com.