Staying motivated can be a challenge. Find out why successful leaders are motivated leaders. Learn what questions they ask themselves to maintain focus. 

5 Questions Motivated Leaders Need to Ask Themselves

Overview: Motivated leaders know the value they create for their organizations and employees. They understand how they can make a difference. To refresh and refocus your motivation, coach yourself by asking questions like: 

• What motivates you? 
• How are you making a difference? 
• How do you communicate your goals? 
• How can you contribute to a positive organizational culture? 
• How can you improve as a leader? 

Leadership coaching is about asking open, relevant questions. The answers can lead to revelations and progress. Motivated leaders with a coaching mindset understand the value of asking questions. They also know they should ask themselves questions now and then to approach their work with a plan and purpose. 

Asking yourself relevant questions is the equivalent of coaching yourself. Questions clarify your purpose, values, and other details of your leadership journey. 

What questions do motivated leaders ask themselves? How do these questions help them improve their leadership for the benefit of their organization? 

1. What Motivates You as a Leader?

This one might seem simple, but it’s probably the most powerful question you can ask yourself. Your daily energy and motivation are what keep you going. The value you create as a leader is a central piece of what makes you tick. 

From the perspective of intelligent leadership, the value a leader brings to the table is not getting people to do their jobs. That’s what managers do. 

Leaders inspire those under their leadership to achieve their potential. If you know that you help your reports do better and evolve, you know you deliver true value as a leader. That should provide enough motivation to keep you going. 

2. How Are You Making a Difference? 

If you understand the value you create as a leader and your motivation, you know whether or not you make a difference. Knowing you have a positive impact is the best motivator for employees and leaders alike. 

As a leader, it is easy to convince yourself that the difference you make is in the results your reports achieve. You have to understand, however, that you make a difference by creating the conditions that give your reports confidence and inspiration to achieve greatness. 

3. Do You Know Your Goals, and How Are You Communicating Them?

In the grind of day-to-day work, we may lose sight of our goals. As a leader, you have to coordinate the activity of several employees or teams to achieve a goal in alignment with your values and vision. 

When your goals aren’t clear, you can’t possibly communicate them to your reports. Without direction, how can you inspire someone to fulfill their potential? Without clarity, how can you deliver value as a leader? 

Leadership coaching professionals never fail to spell out the importance of defining and communicating goals. They know that without direction, there can be no progress.

Without direction, there is no motivation. 

Take the time to define your goals and communicate them to your reports clearly and often. Knowing where they’re going allows employees to understand how their work contributes to the objectives of the company. 

4. How Would You Define the Culture of Your Organization? 

The culture of the organization you lead doesn’t just happen. You have to cultivate it. You are the conductor of the orchestra. Your state of mind reverberates throughout the organization. 

If you allow the organizational culture to take its course, it will derail and devolve into a toxic environment that will sabotage your results. 

Push for a coaching-focused environment in alignment with your organizational values and with clear goals. Nip toxicity in the bud. Develop a rewarding culture with fair management incentives to keep your high potentials engaged. Practice accountability without blame. 

5. Where and How Can You Improve as a Leader? 

Continuous improvement is one of the cornerstones of intelligent leadership. By answering this question, you identify areas where you can improve. If you find yourself unable to answer this, consider hiring an executive coach. Coaching can help you strike the kind of balance between your strengths and weaknesses that allows you to improve without overusing your strengths and turning them into weaknesses. 

As an intelligent leader, you are not only responsible for your success. The true value that you can deliver is making it possible for others to become successful. Servant leaders understand that by creating opportunities for their reports, they propel their organizations to sustainable, long-term success. 

To learn more about how you can join the IL Movement as a coach, or how you can benefit from bringing IL Solutions to your organization, contact us today.