…you’d better tell them.

If those who follow you, look-up to you, respect you, work for you, listen to you, sacrifice for you, or dedicate their time to you, think they are unimportant–not a crucial part of the movement–than, ultimately, they will dedicate their efforts, energy and resources to another.

There are three types of leaders:

1. Leaders who forget about or choose to completely ignore their followers, taking them for granted.
2. Leaders who acknowledge their followers but never instill or feed any positive value back into their work.
3. Leaders who recognize the importance of those followers who want to partake in valuable work and consistently reassure them that they are; all while challenging them with truly worthwhile opportunities to commit to throughout.

If people think they are unimportant, regardless of how important they may actually be, their dedication toward you will reflect that mindset. Those who think they’re unimportant will work and follow (at least until they leave) as though they genuinely are.

Great leaders are extremely proficient at connecting value with the work, care and commitment of their followers. They understand what it takes to integrate people into a vision, and they’re adept at assigning appropriate responsibilities to those passionate about making that vision a reality. They have a knack for intrinsically motivating the seemingly unimportant to achieve things which they never before believed possible. They know how to impart importance.

If your work force or small group or spouse or teammates or co-workers think they’re unimportant, you’ve already lost them. Don’t let that happen. Whether you lead 1 person or 1 million, impart and associate value with who they are and what they do. If you can identify your most supportive followers, those highly invested in the process, movement, job, or service you’re passionately attempting, than together you can help a lot of people.

Give the proper tools to a group of people that want to make a difference, and they will.

Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google

Outside factors used to work extremely well as incentives for motivation. A paycheck or a company car or an annual raise or a Christmas bonus, all used to be sufficient prodding devices capable of goading workers into meeting deadlines and out-performing their previous personal bests. The so called “guarantee” of a paycheck every other week used to be impetus enough. It was, and in many cases still is, an openly accepted method of inciting workers to do what many bosses, CEOs and managers believe that their workers do best–work.

The motivation, drive, purpose, heart and stimulus underlying why people work and what they work for is in a state of transformation. This work-foundation remodeling presents a unique opportunity for leaders because many of the past, most frequently applied, extrinsic motivators no longer have the same persuasive effects or carry the same weight as they once did.

In many fields today (but not all), American workers are no longer responsible for assembly-line-esq gadget making. Large and small organizations alike ship their gadget making and their nitty-gritty code writing overseas, saving substantial sums of money, time and resources, thus creating a void of traditional work for the gadget makers.

Insert creativity, innovation and wise use of time here.

People don’t want to work just for money any more. Gadget makers were gadget makers because that’s what was required, and those were the jobs available. Gadget making jobs are quickly disappearing while creative jobs, which require great understanding and leadership, are appearing everywhere. The challenging issue is that you can’t compensate a creative job worker the same way you would have compensated a gadget maker; you can’t incentivize their jobs in the same way; and you can’t expect them to stay busy for 8 hours a day either–wasting time doing invaluable busy work.

And you don’t have to.

If you simply allow creative people to do what they do best–create–then you give them the opportunity to draw from their own intrinsic, heart-felt, passionate motivations, and, when that occurs, everyone moves forward together. Progress and innovation and growth occur when people are free to work on what they are passionate about, when they can communicate openly with everyone within an organization, when they are allowed to form their own teams and their own projects based on their own initiative and ideas.

Workers want to work for a cause, for something that adds value to lots of peoples lives. They want to make an impact on the world not just the bottom line.

Hold on to your creatives at all costs. Allow them the opportunity to be innovative, to build teams within the office environment and to break down bureaucratic walls which hinder communication and progress. Learn (quickly!) how best to nurture the intrinsic motivations which those who work for you and with you so long to implement.

Don’t make monkeys out of your creatives.

There are people around you…everywhere!  They stand beside you in the deli line.  They pump their gas right next to where you stand to pump yours.  They sit in the cubicle right next to yours.  Their facebook picture shows up in line with your other 837 favorite friends.  They run on the treadmill, dripping sweat just like you, less than 2 feet from where you stride.  They eat their meals, many times alone, at the table just adjacent to yours.  They stand shoulder to shoulder with you in the elevator.  They cling to their mothers legs as she,not distracted, continues to shop.  They smile and slightly wave, make eye contact, and quickly move on.  They sit in church every Sunday, filling the pews just like you.  They cling to their newspapers at the coffee shop just like you.  They type away on anything and everything just like you.

Do you ignore them? …or… Do you initiate a conversation with them?

Some people hate to be bothered.  Don’t bother with them.  But, there are so many people out there, in the world all around yours and mine, that long for interaction.  Give it to them.  Interact.  Conversate.  Make a positive connection, no matter how small, and you will change that persons day, maybe even their life.  Don’t forget about those around you.  Make a difference by simply letting others know that you notice them, show them that you care.  Start as many conversations today as you can.  Inspire and be inspired.  How will you ever be able to meet the needs (being a visionary) of those around you if you never talk to them, get to know them and eventually learn those needs.  This will change your life.