- Have you ever listened to someone speaking

where you felt a certain type of energy?

Maybe your heartbeat faster,

you felt chills tingling down your spine

or goosebumps down your arms.

There was something rising inside of you,

sort of pushing to get out,

causing you to respond.

Maybe you shouted out loud, clapped your hands,

threw your arms in the air,

jumped out of your seat ready to leap into action.

I want to help you generate that feeling

when you're communicating inside your organization.

It really comes down to this.

Inspire frequently and motivate occasionally.

Many use the words inspiration

and motivation interchangeably,

but there's a subtle, yet important distinction.

When you're inspired,

you're naturally drawn to do whatever feels best.

Fulfillment is the end result.

Inspiration is when it comes from deep

within your gut down into your bones.

When you are truly inspired,

your energy flows almost effortlessly.

You have to hold yourself back from starting right now.

Motivation, on the other hand,

is when you're being pushed to achieving a goal.

Whether it's your own ego pushing you or an external force,

such as a boss, a contest or even music.

When being motivated,

it's pushing you to do something

you may or may not care about.

Most leaders believe they need to frequently motivate others

into a course of action, but in doing so,

they often undermine that person's intrinsic desire.

And when they use rewards to motivate,

that's when they can actually be de-motivating.

My Vice-President believed he needed

to frequently motivate our sales team.

He used contests as his main tool,

which forced the sales team to compete against one another.

These contests rarely worked

and eventually became a tactic that the team despised.

What he failed to realize was that these individuals

were more interested in collaborating as a team

to drive greater sales within each of their businesses

and compete against their previous personal best

and themselves.

Instead, to be a better communicator, inspire frequently.

To do this, start by coming to the conversation

with energy and enthusiasm.

Show through your emotion how inspired you are.

Your team wants to feel you.

Then, share the why behind the request.

This gives a sense of purpose to what you're asking of them.

Create a mission to bring the team together,

fighting for a common cause.

Team missions can be a simple sentence,

but they most often contain

the who, what, why and how you're working together.

For example, Ikea's mission is

to create a better everyday life for the many people.

And Nordstrom's is to give customers

the most compelling shopping experience possible.

You may even share stories of success

from others inside and outside of your company

to continue building the inspiration.

Research found that people found stories of change inspiring

because these stories highlight someone's effort.

Typically, when people view someone else who is successful,

the effort is invisible,

but it's the effort that's inspiring,

so share their stories.

Now for the occasional times

when you must use motivation, be prepared.

Mot everyone is motivated in the same way.

I found that some of my team members

were motivated by money,

others by putting them on collaborative projects,

offering flexibility or receiving days off.

So today, schedule a meeting with each of your team members

and ask what motivates you?

Don't forget.

People may not always remember what you say,

but they'll remember how you made them feel.

Mastering the art of inspiring your team

is an essential part of building your reputation

and your skills as an effective leader.

(bright music)