He paused for a moment and then answered my question. “I want to learn how to be more influential today.” I was in Seoul, Korea for a week of leadership communication training. I had asked all four of the leaders what they wanted to discuss during our time together.

This leader’s request was not so different from what I’ve heard before, but there was a sincerity in his voice that struck me as a longing for truth. I sensed he was ready to change anything for his team if it meant their success.

This was my last day of training in Korea, a half-day conversation with 4 senior leaders. The conversation was great and the discussion was both raw and honest. These were the type of leaders you’d love to have as a boss. I’m always humbled by the opportunity to share what I’ve learned with others, but most of the time I sincerely feel like I learn more from them by just being a part of the conversation!

The Problem

He expanded on his first comment, “People don’t always want to do what we need them to do. I want to learn methods for persuading them to get the job done.” This issue is all too common for leaders. It’s an age-old question for leaders, but before I could offer any help, I had to ask a clarifying question.

Define Your Desired Result

I asked him, “Do you just want them to get it done or do you want them to want to get it done?” He paused for a moment and asked, “What’s the difference? Either way they get it done, right?” There’s a difference because if we want them to want it, it will take a different tool and more time. If we really just need them to get it done, regardless of how they feel about it, we can get it done faster.

So what’s the first step? The first step is to decide which kind of result you really want. Do you want a compliant team? (i.e. they do it, but they don’t really care.) Or, do you want a committed team? (i.e. they do it and they love doing it!)

Many will immediately say, “I want them to want to do it! That would be my target every time!” But think carefully before you answer because that’ll take more work and sometimes, it’s really not necessary. There are times when the team is under pressure to get it done and we don’t have time to worry about people’s feelings. We just need to get it done! While commitment would be great all the time, sometimes it’s just not necessary. In those cases, I’ll settle for compliance.

If you want a Compliant Team…

This is when we just need to get the job done. We don’t have the luxury of time to build commitment. We just need the work to get done! When there is a tight timeline on a project and the leader needs everyone to work late tonight. The team may not like it, but it will get done.

For compliance the leader can leverage what’s called the Strength Power Base. Because of the leader’s org chart title, he / she is given power to direct the team. As long as you want to remain a member of the team, you will comply with the direction from the leader. That’s easy enough. It gets the job done, but doesn’t concern itself with the feelings of the team. It’s fast and effective when we focus on the task.

If you want a Committed Team…

Gaining commitment from the team is going to be a bit trickier and it will take more time. Commitment (action plus strong positive feeling) comes from a team who understands “the why” behind the work. Not only do they understand “the why” of the work, but they believe in “the why!” Another name for “the why” is purpose.

The leader responded to me and said, “So we want them passionate about the work. Right?” While I love seeing passion in people, I told him, “Not necessarily. I think something else trumps passion every time… purpose.” The quizzical expression I received in return told me I should explain further.

I thought I’d give him the sand bag example I originally heard from Andy Stanley. “Let’s assume I asked all 4 of you to go outside where you’ll find several piles of sand, some bags, and shovels. Then I tell you we need to get all that sand into bags by tonight. So get to work!” Assuming I was the boss, I’d probably end up with 4 compliant workers filling bags with sand.

Then I continued, “But what if you loved filling sand bags. You had a passion for filling bags.” (I might seriously wonder if you took one of those shovels to the head, but okay… your passionate about sand bags!?!) “Do you think you’d work harder or better than the rest of the team?” I received the typical response you’d expect. All four leaders nodded their heads in agreement. I agreed as well, but I also said I thought it was a bit ridiculous to think anyone would have a passion for filling bags of sand!

Now let’s look at it another way. Let’s assume I start our conversation by telling you the weather channel has predicted massive flooding in this area tomorrow morning. The orphanage next door has 60 young children living there and that building will be under water by this time tomorrow. I need all 4 of you to go outside and fill the sand bags as quickly as you can. If you get them all filled by tonight, we will save the orphanage! Now, I’d say we’d have four people driven by purpose!

Questions…

• Am I more likely to get all of you working harder with purpose?
• Do you think the purpose-driven person would work even harder than the passionate person?
• Even if someone was allergic to sand, do you think they’d be willing to help save the orphanage?
• Do you see how purpose trumps passion every time?

The Solution

When you have the time to influence or persuade to create committed followers instead of just compliant, you need to tie their work to a greater purpose. I’ll admit, it’s easier to do this with some projects compared to others. But, if you can share the purpose, you will answer the question “why?” they’re doing something. Once they understand and agree with the purpose, you’ll have a more productive team.

Passion is great. I’ll take passionate employees all day long. But if they believe in the purpose, they’ll outperform the rest.

Working on my focus…

Best,