Winston Churchill often said, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
Encouragement defined, “is the action of giving someone support, confidence, or hope.”
The greatest leaders in history have one thing in common: the ability to make people feel valuable and appreciated through genuine care and encouragement. This intentionally developed skill to make people feel this way amidst adversity is the differentiator between leaders and teams who succeed, and those who fall apart and fail.
To be a strong leader you must make time to provide genuine encouragement to your team and engage in everyday conversation.
3 Benefits of Genuine Encouragement
1. Motivates
A leader who creates a culture of genuine encouragement and care will motivate a person or team of people to do excellent work for an extended period. A team member might not do a task right the first time, but a leader’s encouragement through experiencing failure will make the difference between a person choosing to stay or to leave the team.
2. Increases Productivity
Positive words create positive results. People perform more efficiently and effectively when they feel motivated and inspired. A leader who encourages individuals on their team through engaging in everyday conversation and calling out the valuable work that he or she is doing will go a long way.
3. Boosts Morale and Engagement
Encouragement creates a life-giving and uplifting environment. This in turn will boost people’s confidence, engagement, and overall morale. Cultivating this kind of environment is key to retaining top talent. It empowers people to do their best work and gives them courage to take risks and get back up even when they fail miserably.
“According to Gallup’s analysis, only one in three workers in the U.S. strongly agree that they received recognition or praise for doing good work in the past seven days.”
Have you encouraged someone on your team this week? How can you encourage them on a regular basis, even in a small way?