How to Lead and Motivate Your Senior Management Team

by. Jason Boles

I remember, not long ago, getting a frantic call for help from one of my client CEOs: “Jason, I need you to come out and talk to my managers; they just don’t get it!”

Stumped, I politely asked, “What exactly don’t they get?”

He didn’t have a specific answer. After grilling him with the necessary questions, I learned that his frustration was misdirected. His people were fine. The real issue was the fact that he wasn’t engaging his senior team. It wasn’t that his people couldn’t get it; it was that they weren’t getting it—from him. You see, this particular CEO excelled at vision but lacked at properly articulating it. He assumed his managers would automatically see and share his vision, and therefore be automatically motivated to achieve it. Because his assumption was wrong, he was left thinking that his senior management team was disengaged and unmotivated.

Leaders Need Leadership

Effective leadership continues to be a vital component of long-term success. While effective leadership at all levels is important, senior leadership directly impacts the performance of your organization. All too often, CEOs manage their direct reports like they’re CEOs themselves. They allow them too much autonomy and, in some cases, employ a hands-off approach to managing them. While I agree that a higher-level manager deserves (and should need) a less hands-on approach, I do subscribe to the belief that they still need to be led. Simply put, senior managers are employees. While they have grown in their careers, they haven’t outgrown the need to be led, managed and motivated. They have the same basic needs as any team member. Lack of motivation at this level can hurt—or even kill—your business. How they “feel” is how they will lead.

They look to you for leadership. They want feedback, validation, and direction. This is your team. They represent you and your ability to lead. Ownership of their satisfaction and performance begins and ends with you.

Assessing Your Team

Let’s start by assessing your team. How well do they work together? Are they working together, or are they working in silos? Are all players “buying in,” and are they committed?

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