There will be times when leaders will have to go to the extreme to jumpstart a weary group of employees. Values, principles and beliefs related to the company’s culture are secondary to the grind of daily work and seriously need to be rejuvenated. What is a leader to do in times like these? Sacrifice for your employees.
Psychologically, when people see someone perform acts of sacrifice, it can have a powerful emotional influence. Besides making employees feel guilt, sacrifice sends a message that leadership is committed to their mission. Their passion is on display for all to see. It also transmits the message that even though they are in leadership positions, they are servants to their staff and organization.
What should a leader sacrifice to motivate their employees? One thing that is important to everyone and seems like no one ever has enough of is time. How does a leader sacrifice time? Spending more time with residents, family members, employees and vendors is a good place to start. Giving others more of the leader’s time, forming deeper relationships, being honest and genuine, and engaging in clear communication can be a sacrifice of time.
Sacrificing one’s ego will send a signal to employees that the leader is very serious about his or her mission and the quality of their workplace. Leading is not about the leader. It’s about those who will be encouraged, motivated and engaged to be the best they can be. By letting go of one’s ego, a leader becomes more trusted. Relationships can be greatly improved when the leader sacrifices his or her ego.
One last area that can be sacrificed is letting go of one’s normal priorities like daily operations, budgets, and schedules and replacing them with “people priorities”. Sit down and have lunch with new employees and get to know them. Have the team take part in the community, help out local charities and fund-raisers. Engage more with people over tasks. Don’t forget to have fun!
Sometimes a leader needs to make sacrifices that will pump up their employees. Workplace culture can become stale. Staff can experience fatigue and burnout. When a leader sacrifices time, ego, and routines and replaces them with people-first priorities, employees will not only notice, but feel compelled to be their best for their sacrificing leader.