{"id":12847,"date":"2015-09-25T16:49:56","date_gmt":"2015-09-25T06:49:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/?p=12847"},"modified":"2026-06-14T22:54:54","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T22:54:54","slug":"how-leaders-can-gain-influence-by-boosting-cooperation-not-just-compliance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/how-leaders-can-gain-influence-by-boosting-cooperation-not-just-compliance\/","title":{"rendered":"Great Leaders Succeed By Forging Co-Operation, Not Compliance"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 5<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>\n

Most of us would readily acknowledge that an effective leader is one who leads by inspiration, not by intimidation. Maybe fear worked once upon a time, when employees felt grateful to have jobs and the corporate ladder was seen as the only real path to success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today’s landscape is vastly different. The corporate world faces significant competition to retain talent, both internally and externally.<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Most importantly, employees’ attitudes to work are also changing<\/a>. Professor of Business Kenneth Thomas attributes this to a  switch among us from an extrinsic to an intrinsic reward system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His research reveals that motivations are shifting to be driven by the \u201cpsychological rewards employees get from doing meaningful<\/em> work\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the stick doesn\u2019t hold much weight as a leadership style<\/a>, the carrot is dying too: higher salaries, better perks, stock options and bigger bonuses aren\u2019t necessarily helping leaders win the war for top talent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Thomas notes, employees are increasingly driven by a search for \u201cmeaningful purpose\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People on your team are no longer aspiring to become the next Wolf Of Wall Street<\/em> – chances are, they dream of rising through the ranks at Uber, Netflix or Google – companies which have worked tremendously hard to create a culture of meaningful work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today\u2019s employees want to be inspired. They want to be part of a mission. They want a purpose.<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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You need only look at the statistics to see the opportunity that lies before us: 77% of employees say they would work harder if they were better recognised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, a Gallup study found that an engaged workforce realises 27% higher profits, 50% higher sales, 50% higher customer loyalty levels and 38% above-average productivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The migration of corporate talent to the startup world<\/a> speaks to the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you think about how you can use your authority to foster a sense of unity, cohesion and common purpose among your team, consider taking a closer look at these 3 requirements to help you along this path:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1. Define Your WHY.<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In that now-famous TED Talk about inspirational leadership<\/a>, Simon Sinek espouses the importance of placing your purpose, your mission, at the forefront of everything you do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Sinek, \u201cpeople don\u2019t buy what you do, they buy why you do it\u201d<\/i> \u2013 and all great leaders, from Steve Jobs to Martin Luther King, have been able to inspire people to action because of the clarity of their \u201cwhy\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Related Article: How World-Class Executives Facilitate Employee Engagement<\/a>).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brian Halligan, CEO and Founder of HubSpot, concurs: your \u201ccompelling why<\/i>\u201d should be \u201cbaked into everything you do\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first step, then, to inspirational leadership is to define your why<\/i>. Defining your purpose is a case of really digging deep \u2013 not on what you do or how you do it, but fundamentally understanding what motivates you; what you really believe in and what you get out of bed for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his book Lead with Purpose, internationally esteemed<\/i> leadership consultant John Baldoni outlines the three questions you must ask to define your purpose:<\/p>\n\n\n\n