How to Guide People into Putting Max Effort

5 Tips or Tricks to Have People Put in Max Effort

What a great feeling it is to see people take initiative and put forth maximum effort from your own guidance. I went on vacation with my friends to enjoy the wonderful world that is Disney. Before leaving, I had a conversation with my students on the expectations that I had of them while I would be gone, and upon my return today, I was in shock! The substitute said that the students worked on their presentations last class and that some were even recording their videos. I never thought that my students would take the initiative to actually put forth maximum effort and complete a task that was totally independent of me while I was not there. However, they did. I was floored when they came in before class already planning on what they needed and where they were going to go to record their video projects.  I actually wanted to ask my students: 

I was wondering where my students where? Who were these clones? They came in ready to take on the challenge and work throughout the class to complete their project. These are the students that always need guidance to stay focused to do what they were supposed to do. For once, I didn't feel like: 

They were on task, working independently, and actually enjoying what they were doing for the most part. I was so proud. I felt like my students today were: 

So, here are 5 tips and tricks to guide people into putting maximum effort.

1. Relationship: You must build and strengthen relationships with others. I believe that the purpose for our human uniqueness is our relationships. In this article about leadership failures, failures in relationships is the main reason that leaders fail. If you make relationships the number one important thing in your life, then you can lead others to putting forth maximum effort. With my students, I always make sure that the students understand the WHY I teach them. I make them aware that I care about their well being, their success, and about their future. I take time to explain to them that the take away from their assignments are much more than a grade, but a learning process that they can apply into their future endeavors, no matter what that is. Build relationships first, then build empires. 

2. Expectation: Do not belittle anyone's success with any endeavor he/she may do by setting low expectations of him/her. Do not limit your own success by setting low expectations for yourself. Set the bar high, then when you grab it, move it even higher. Do this, not only for yourself, but for everyone around you. Do this for people who look up to you. Before I left on my mini-vacation, I told my students that I expected them to do more than they ever would even if I were there. I told my students that I expected them to raise their maturity level to level: ADULT. I was giving them the freedom, along with the responsibility of what it is to be an independent person. I'm so happy to share that they did not let me down. They surpassed my expectation by putting forth the same amount of effort and work ethic while I was there. Here is an article about setting expectations. 

3. Facilitate: I did not force anything upon my students. I did not tell the students how to make their video or what the answer to their project question was. I told them that they had to apply what they had learned into answering their project question and when the due date was. I gave them suggestions on how they should schedule the planning, recording, and editing portion of their videos, but did not tell them how long they should spend on any one task. I gave my students the freedom to choose how they were going to share what they have learned. I gave my students autonomy in deciding when, where, and how they were going to record, edit, and present their videos. I would ask them questions that would guide them if they became stuck. As teachers of the 21st century student, we must facilitate their learning because content can be found and learned more easily online than consuming any amount of information from a teacher. I feel as a teacher, it's my responsibility to show the students how to learn, how to find information, how to process and apply that information to a problem, and how to problem-solve and think critically along the way. Gone are the days that they regurgitate information. Now are the days that they need to apply and create with information. As a good leader, you want to give someone the autonomy to grow from the experience they are involved in and facilitate that growth, but never to stiffen they journey by commanding and micromanaging their efforts. Here is a great article on being a facilitator in its most general form.  

4. Support: This is probably the easiest way you can guide people into putting maximum effort. Support them. Check-in from time to time. Help them get through the tough moments. Guide them out of a place that they may feel stuck in. This again, ties into building those relationships. If someone feels like you support them, they will do much more than you can ever imagine. One of my students asked me to look over their script before recording, while I was out of town. I responded right away. They know, that even if I'm not presently there, I am here to support their efforts and their learning. As they were recording today, a simple check-in with them kept them going and allowed them to feel confident in proceeding and producing a collaborative project. People who feel supported will produce much more than people who do not. Here is an article from Forbes about ways to lead your team more effectively with a focus on making your team feel safe and supported. 

5. Encourage: Encourage people into putting max effort. Recognize their efforts. Trust in their ability to perform. Be excited about the outcome. These are all ways to encourage and lead people to put forth max effort. I have repeatedly told my students how excited I am to see their finished videos. That encourages them to do the best they can. I have reinforced my confidence in their knowledge about the topic to present good reasoning within their videos. Encouragement goes a long way, when someone is not in the proper mindset to continue doing the best they can. Be the voice of encouragement for people when their own voice is questioning their ability to finish. Not only will encouraging help your team put forth maximum effort, but it allows you to enhance that relationship you are building with that person, and around back to number 1 we go. 

With all this, my question to you is: How Will You Share Love Today?

Please subscribe to my blog if you like this message, and let me know what you think about guiding others in the comments below. 

Always in Service,

Dania Borrero