5 Tips on Inspiring Change and Growth

5 Tips on Inspiring Change and Growth

When I get prompted to write about certain subjects, I often think, “Who am I to give people 5 tips on inspiring change and growth?” I think there are far more qualified individuals out there who can write more inspiring messages than I can. The thing is that I have experienced many opportunities to learn as a young leader, and I would like to share some of my “wisdom” with you. As a young captain, I was chosen for the SA Under 19 World Cup in 1994 in France. This was one of the first diverse South African rugby teams to tour overseas after Nelson Mandela was freed from prison.

The old national anthem, “Die Stem,” was banned and “Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika” had not been formalised. This meant that we did not have an anthem and we had a minute’s silence when the other teams sang their national anthems. The most important thing was for me to be authentic and to make sure that we worked together as a team. Even though New Zealand was not at the tournament, we managed to win against the odds. In difficult times, it becomes more important for leaders to lead by example and talk less. So here we go. Point number one:

5 TIPS ON CHANGE AND GROWTH

  1. Talk less and lead by example. Show through your actions how practicing what you preach can inspire people.
  2. Change isn’t easy and therefore it is important to communicate clearly and when needed, provide the necessary support.
  3. Being an inspiration to your team takes its toll as you must perform consistently at a very high level in every single game. You have to be relentless in your execution and still have the ability to be “soft” when people make mistakes.
  4. Celebrate the small wins. As a leader, you must guard against constant criticism. Rather, celebrate the small wins and the progress that has been made instead of always trying to be better and criticise the team.
  5. It is our responsibility as leaders to make sure that we use the correct wording, and your speeches must resonate with most of the people in our company.

In the end, it is very easy to talk and criticise from the touchline, but if you are not in the arena yourself, then you should probably not voice your opinion. Any outside criticism is not good for the team, and yet there are so many coaches, parents, teachers, and the general public that can’t help but criticise. Don’t be the armchair critic; rather be the one in the arena that tries and fails but never gives up and, at worst, makes a difference in people’s lives.

GET IN TOUCH

If you would like to get in touch with me about my key note presentation, Debunking Motivation, please send an email to corne@cornekrige.com. Visit my website to review my speaker sheet for more info. I also share my story on my social media pages on Facebook and LinkedIn.

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