For a whole bunch of different reasons, the concepts of motivation and leadership have been on my mind lately. And to date, my favorite discussions about it come from my hero Zig Ziglar, who delineates between motivation, manipulation and leadership. Here?s the way he describes them:
* Motivation, he says, is when you are able to convince someone to do something that is good for that person.
* Manipulation, he continues, is when you are able to convince someone to do something that isFor a whole bunch of different reasons, the concepts of motivation and leadership have been on my mind lately. And to date, my favorite discussions about it come from my hero Zig Ziglar, who delineates between motivation, manipulation and leadership. Here?s the way he describes them:
* Motivation, he says, is when you are able to convince someone to do something that is good for that person.
* Manipulation, he continues, is when you are able to convince someone to do something that is good for [i]you[/i].
* And leadership, he concludes, is when you are able to convince someone to do something that is good for both of you.
[i]Man[/i], I love that explanation.
I think back to about 8 years ago, when I was still in rough shape financially. My salary was barely keeping me above water as my school loans and credit card debt were doing their best to weigh me down. And for reasons I can?t remember right now, I had an especially bad month?I think it was tax time, and I owed. As if I wasn?t struggling enough.
So I guy I worked with, Brad, helped me out. He said, ?Hey, man, I?ve been there myself. Let me float you a loan, and maybe I can help you get a little more organized with your bills. Three years ago I was in the same place, and somebody helped me out.?
Initially I was taken aback, because it was an unexpected gesture on Brad?s part. Plus, it had to do with money, and we all know how tricky that can get between friends?and co-workers. But I accepted his gesture?it was a few hundred dollars?and it helped me get over the hump. Plus, he helped me rethink that way I was looking at my bills and such, which indeed got me more focused on my finances, which, at the time, I wasn?t being nearly as responsible about as I should have been. I was paying my bills?don?t get me wrong?but I didn?t have a very good long-term plan, and it was starting to catch up with me.
Indeed, Brad?s gesture was a benefit to me. He helped me get over a troubled financial patch. But his gesture?the simple offer?and the very real combination of cash and planning, helped me focus, relieved some of my stress, and motivated me to be more active in regard to my personal affairs.
And that helped me focus at work. Which was a benefit to Brad, as we worked on the same publication. Whether he realized it or not, Brad offered some leadership. We both benefited from his intervention.
Within a few months I paid Brad back?which he actually declined; keep it, he said?but on a bigger level it helped reinforce the idea for me that people can look out for each other in different ways. Indeed, there have been numerous other examples of leadership in my life?many examples, in fact?but for reasons I?m not even sure about at the moment, I find myself thinking about that gesture now, even though Brad and I drifted apart in the years that followed.
My point in all this?whenever possible, look for ways in which you can make a positive contribution in someone else?s life. It doesn?t have to be a big or grand gesture?in fact, for the most part, it shouldn?t be?but intervening on someone?s behalf in a positive fashion has a funny way of spilling over into all aspects of how you look at the world.
You feel good about yourself, someone else feels a sense of gratitude, and the sense of leadership?of service?is passed on down the line, touching people all across the globe in all sorts of ways. You just never know how many people?even generations later?will benefit from your acts of kindness and generosity. That is, until you give of yourself, and let the dominoes ripple forward.
Motivation and leadership.
Two words?and deeds?I?ve come to love, and can?t imagine living without.
