January 2013
Experts on leadership have said that one of the characteristics that sets authentic leaders apart is having authentic followers, people who follow them not because of the job title but because these leaders inspire and motivate them. For an organization, whether it’s for-profit, nonprofit or in the public sector, having motivated staff, both paid and volunteer, is key to success.
Local leaders motivate their staff in different ways, but some things many have in common include using open communication, building a strong culture and rolling up their sleeves to be part of the team.
Sunshine Nance of Boxlight says while motivating and inspiring are often used interchangeably, there’s a difference between the two.
“Motivating is getting everybody focused on a task, outlining goals and giving them the power and autonomy to succeed in their jobs. Inspiring is giving them the passion to want to succeed in their job. It seems more personal, something that comes from the heart,” said Nance, marketing and communications director and owner/manager with her husband, Hank.
The company, headquartered in Belfair, has 135 local employees and 17 in Mexico.
“Showing people that you care is really important,” Nance said. “To motivate, the biggest thing is to treat people with respect and give them the power to make decisions related to their jobs, showing interest in them as people and doing extra things.”
She said employees at Boxlight are motivated to begin with because of a culture of accountability. “It’s about taking care of the people who work for you, keeping them happy and giving them accountability,” she said.
Organizational culture is also a strong belief for Scott McFarlane, founder and CEO of Avalara. The company, which designs sales-tax automation software, has 330 employees worldwide, including 200 at its Bainbridge Island headquarters.
“My personal focus is, yes, on inspiring and motivating but in my humble opinion, culture has a lot to do with that — you can’t motivate and inspire without actions, and I believe culture allows businesses to make good on the promises made in all the talks about motivation,” McFarlane said.
The employees, who call themselves Avalarians, are expected to give a great deal, because for a startup that’s a necessity, he said. But in return, they’re rewarded with a fun environment — including weekly summertime barbecues where families are invited, a tiki lounge that has massage chairs, spinning classes — even an electric cart that can be used to pick up people at the ferry when it rains, for example.
“The best cultures are the ones that are not contrite, that flow out of the essence of the business,” McFarlane said. “Real true actions delineate what your culture is, what you really care about and what motivates people.” He adds that one way he motivates his people is by showing that sales-tax software can have a big impact on a business and that Avalara has the potential to make a big difference.
“It’s important to paint that picture by describing the opportunity. We can show it’s not only a business idea but a big idea that someone can do, and why shouldn’t it be us — if we spend a little extra time and care, we can be the ones at the top,” he said.
Showing people the end possibilities can be an empowering tool, agrees Doña Keating of Professional Options, based on Bainbridge Island. Keating is a leadership strategist and management consultant who has worked with local and international organizations.
“I motivate by helping (people) see the possibility in the end game. I think that people who are looking for my brand of leadership are very excited about accomplishment; they like to see the process of visioning and achievement married. So I help them to vision the possibilities,” she said.
Keating said taking the team through the steps is empowering to them because it shows they can achieve their objective; but just as important is for everyone to understand the role each person plays.
“I balance servant leadership with powerful leadership,” she said. “Servant leadership to me is about caring, teamwork, involving your people and not just seeing them as followers. Certainly they are going to follow you at some level but really it’s about understanding who’s at the table and seeing them as equals, or at least partners in the endeavor that you’re undertaking.”
Using that partnership strategy has worked for Angela Sell, immediate past president of the Silverdale Chamber of Commerce. Sell, who is a financial adviser with Edward Jones, has been involved with many nonprofit boards and projects, including the YWCA advisory committee and the Central Kitsap food bank.
“As a leader, you know when to lead and when to follow — when you let go, you’re allowing others to lead and in turn motivate,” she said. “You become one unit and you need to know when to back off and when to do the work.”
She said showing your passion as a leader is a powerful motivator and notes that it’s important for leaders to be mentors.
“I’m a good example. I started out not knowing anything about anything,” she said. “I had mentors and I got better and built confidence. The only way to get that is by having someone behind you.”
Sell likes to get down into the trenches and believes in not asking people to do something she’s not willing to do herself.
That’s a philosophy shared by Peninsula High School Principal Tim Winter, who said it’s important to lead by example, rolling up your sleeves to do what needs to be done — sometimes that can be things like picking up garbage.
He likes to use the analogy that when people know you’ll run through a brick wall for them, they would do the same for you.
“I don’t think leadership is something you act, it’s got to be authentic and real,” said Winter, who uses many of the same leadership principles he applied as a coach. “It has to be to 24 hours a day.”
As a leader, he gets inspired himself when he sees people “doing awesome things,” whether that’s staff or students. And whether it’s working with the teens or the adults, he says motivating is about relationships. In the case of staff, that means taking the time to get to know them not only as professionals but also their personal lives and interests.
“It’s about respecting, trusting and helping people do their best,” Winter said. “You need to build confidence in both staff and students, and give them autonomy to be themselves.”
Amy Igloi, owner of Amy’s on the Bay restaurant in Port Orchard, also believes in taking time to get to know her employees. She makes it a point to check in with each person and acknowledge if they have personal issues going on in their lives, which makes it easier for them to “check it out at the door.”
“I look at my employees from the whole person perspective,” said Igloi, who has 17 on her staff. “We have a strong culture and that makes my job easier.”
Part of their culture is to take care of each other and build strong relationships. “Our motto is to go above and beyond even for each other, not just our customers,” she said. “My way of going above and beyond is by taking time to talk to them when they have personal issues.”
She also encourages her staff to pursue things they’re passionate about, interests outside of work that help them grow, like education. She acknowledges that allows employees to move on and could mean extra cost for hiring and training new ones, but she believes in not holding people back.
“I see them choosing to work for me as a privilege,” she said.
Privilege is also a word Clif McKenzie used to describe his view of leadership. McKenzie, co-owner and president of Poulsbo-based Watson Furniture, said it’s an honor and a big responsibility to have people trust in him. That trust requires open communication and Watson shares everything from financial results and challenges to plans and opportunities with employees.
“I share my vision, first and foremost… I think people follow because they like your plan, because they have some trust in you, and it’s hard to have trust when you don’t know what you’re trusting in. We have to be willing to share as much as we can and trust that people will use that information to help themselves,” he said.
He believes leadership involves emotions because it’s all about people. “I think it involves earning people’s respect so that they do things for you because they want to not because they have to,” he said. “You can’t lead without the emotional side of things, without earning respect, leading by example and willing to fully accept responsibility (for your decisions).”
One thing that doesn’t help motivate people is bosses with big egos, said Jon Rose, president of Olympic Property Group, which has about 20 employees. He said too many times in leadership settings, especially in elected-office settings, the boss gets in the way.
“We focus on teamwork, competition and creativity,” he said. “There’s teamwork and if there’s an issue, we’ll talk about it as a group and I will challenge the group to throw out ideas. The focus is on coming up with the best ideas, not the boss’ ego.”
The collaborative effort also requires a safety zone so people know they are free to have ideas, and his role is then to inspire employees to be better than they think they are. Rose said that often people get stifled by their insecurities.
“When people adjust their behavior and goals, they adjust them to the level of expectations and insecurity. I try to find ways to help people leave their comfort zone behind,” he said. “You need to keep people looking upwards and hold something up high for them (like the prize of achievement) to look upwards and not at each other, because employees like to compare themselves to others,” he said.
He sees OPG as an idea factory and he’ll often invite employees to “jam” with him over ideas. “Most ideas don’t work but if you don’t try anything, you won’t differentiate yourself,” he said, adding that the strategy is to try inexpensive, low-cost ideas, because they can have great results. “Expect people to be successful and allow them to make mistakes.”
