Let me illustrate.
I just examined a prime example of what I’m talking about: global poverty. We hear politicians talk about poverty, using statistics to make us feel bad in order to garner our votes. After all, poverty is on the rise…isn’t it?
The truth is—global poverty is actually on the decline, but most people aren’t even aware of it.
Did you know that, over the past thirty years, the percentage of people in the world who live in extreme poverty has decreased by more than half? If you said “no,” you are not alone. According to a recent Barna Group survey, more than 8 in 10 Americans (84 percent) are unaware global poverty has reduced so drastically. On the contrary, two-thirds (67 percent) say they thought poverty was on the rise over the last three decades.
How does such fatalism affect us?
Good leaders know that eventually, fear and guilt fail as motivators. People eventually cry “uncle” and run out of energy. Instead, good leaders provide doses of harsh reality alongside information that inspires their teams. They give progress reports on the results of the team’s efforts, even if it’s relatively small. This buoy’s the spirit of team members and leads to better performance in the long run. This “progress report” has been proven to actually impart a “second wind” to people.
In short, effective leaders communicate two items:
- The Problem: These are the harsh realities we must all face.
The people realize: This cause requires my best effort.
- The Progress: These are the hopeful results we are achieving.
The people realize: This cause is doable! We can win this thing.
Think about the issue of poverty for a moment. What if everyone reporting on the extreme poverty in our world shared the truth: “We’ve cut poverty in half and believe that if everyone did their part, we could finish the job in the next five years. We could end extreme poverty.” How motivating! How inspiring! How compelling! People would begin to believe that what they do actually matters, that the money or time they give doesn’t slip into a black hole where no one even notices.
So evaluate your motivational style. Do you tend to do what most people do? Incite people to act out of fear, negativity or even guilt? Or do you sprinkle healthy progress reports into your communication, knowing people ultimately do what works?
Try it and see if performance increases.
