The Four Pillars of Encouraging Leadership

“Humans need encouragement as much as plants need water. We constantly encourage or discourage those around us and thereby contribute materially to their greater or lesser ability to function.” Rudolf Dreikurs

To encourage is to be a leader who makes a difference by manifesting a positive belief in others. 

The value of encouragement is often taken for granted or sometimes missed because it tends to be communicated in private rather than public. 

The encouraging leader builds people up. They focus on the resources that can bring contribution to their organizations. Encouraging leaders remove the blocks to develop their teams and make everyone a winner.

Here are some great ways to help leaders become more encouraging:

Identify positive potential in every person and every situation

To be more encouraging, we have to see the potential in others. Everyone has something unique about them that we need to discover on a daily basis. It requires an effort and interest on our part as leaders as we begin the journey of learning more about our team's potential. 

It begins with a mind-set that says “I want to learn more about this person.” Encouraging leaders have a positive outlook toward life and what other people bring to life.

Communicate recognition, progress and contributions

One of the great ways to uplift the morale in any organization is to communicate how much we value other people’s contributions. We must also continuously recognize any progress and development toward the company mission. 

If we take the time to communicate and recognize our teams, we communicate how much we care. We communicate how much they mean to us because we can not succeed without them.

Communicate in a language of collaboration and cooperation

Leadership today is about how we share power together with others. How do we share it responsibly? We facilitate open, honest communication to create better collaboration and cooperation. 

Encouraging leaders understand the power of We. It is the power of a team. Leadership by encouragement happens when people want to share ideas together and build relationships with another.

Encouraging leaders are committed to coaching and 360 degree feedback

Part of building people up is on-going dedication to be a teacher, a guide to our teams. We set valuable time to develop and mentor through our commitment to their success. 

This is a great way to add value to your team as you can show how much you want your team to flourish. In addition, encouraging leaders welcome feedback from everyone on their team to help build trust and encourage open feedback all the way around