DiscoverThe Look & Sound of LeadershipHow to Motivate and Inspire
How to Motivate and Inspire

How to Motivate and Inspire

Update: 2025-11-06
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Description

After a leader turns around the performance of one of his direct reports, he and his coach explore how it happened. And how to make it stick.  


Core ideas in the episode:

  • Workplaces improve when positive feedback is present
  • Our natural human negative bias is a barrier to giving positive feedback.
  • Learn to notice when things go well.
  • Tell people how they are helping solve the puzzle that is work.
  • Research says the most effective feedback ratio is 4-to-1, positive to developmental.


Positive Feedback might sound like this:

  1. Recognize what’s going well – and be specific
  2. Appreciate how it’s helping solve the puzzle
  3. Express your thanks


Developmental Feedback might sound like this:

  1. Describe what happened – and be specific
  2. Explain how it affects the puzzle solving effort
  3. Express your hope for a different outcome


You can Sign-up for more resources and tools in our monthly email. 


If you’re thinking about coaching for yourself, or for someone on your team, let’s talk. tom@essentialcomm.com.


This episode is tagged in three categories in our podcast library:

Managing Yourself

Perception – How You Perceive Others

Relationship Building


Related episodes to listen to are:

146 - Building Empathy

119 - Creating Devoted Followers

212 - How to Coach Your People

255 - How to Deepen Relationships at Work

260 - How to Guarantee Psychological Safety


Thanks, as always, for your reviews!

Until next time, thanks so much for listening.

From The Look & Sound of Leadership team 


 

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How to Motivate and Inspire

How to Motivate and Inspire

Essential Communications - Tom Henschel