Sustain commitment. Even when times are tough, passionate leaders continue to enthusiastically engage in the work at hand. They keep their people focused on the right stuff and adjust to changing conditions without compromising their values. Passionate leaders never waver in their optimism and belief in the organization, its goals and its people.

Ignite passion in others. Just being around a passionate leader helps people discover what really makes them tick – their purpose and passion at work. The passionate leader doesn’t just assume that this inspiration will happen on its own; she orchestrates it through getting to know her colleagues and tapping into what really drives them to be their best.

Have a burning desire to make a difference. Passionate leaders have a fervent need to make a difference in the world. They aspire for more than the next promotion or acquisition. Their focus is on the organization, its people and its impact. They have an irrepressible desire to enrich people’s lives and recognize that the best way to make a difference is to continually feed the strengths of the organization’s people.

Roll up their sleeves. Passionate leaders don’t step in to rescue people, only getting into the trenches when they must. They get out of their offices, listen to and talk with others, so they know enough about what’s going on to be the catalyst for others to achieve greatness.

Take care of themselves. Passionate leaders know that a fire can burn bright and then extinguish without attention. They have the stamina to energetically address challenges because they know when to step away and refuel.

W. H. Auden said, “No person can be a great leader unless he takes genuine joy in the success of those under him.” The passionate leader takes joy in many aspects of work – and knows how to both focus and share that enthusiasm for the best results.

Speak directly. Like Voice of America, the U.S. government-funded radio broadcasts during the Cold War, you need a direct way of communicating with the organization’s people. Not all messages need to come directly from the top leaders, however mission-critical communications must. Use email or telecommunication to make it more feasible.

Make your message clear. Think about the one or two take-aways you want people to remember. Then plan carefully to ensure that your message is unmistakable. Use plain language, and keep it brief. If people need to take action, make the next steps unambiguous.

Challenge disinformation. You may not encounter an active counterinsurgency, but rumors and misinformation are probably inevitable. Don’t wait for rumors to die out on their own. Address  inaccuracies and falsehoods that surface, so that people don’t get distracted or confused.

No platitudes. In the end, hearts and minds are won by what you do, not what you say.  Listen. Provide a balance of challenge and support. Share decision-making. Encourage innovation. All of these efforts make a real difference in people’s work lives and build loyalty, engagement and satisfaction.

Don’t rely on charisma. Personal charm is important, but not sufficient. Humility, integrity and honesty are the foundational keys to keeping people on board for the long haul.

You may not be waging a war, but you do need to attend to the hearts and minds of the organization’s people. The payoff? Folks who not only are dedicated to their work, they also have enthusiasm and zeal for the work that is unmatched by your competition. That’s a battle well worth winning.

Weeks Peaks is the creation of Karen, our fabulous business manager. Each Friday before she leaves for the weekend, she sends out an email that contains bullet points of news – rave reviews from a client, personal milestones, funny stories – anything that is significant in the life of our Humanergy “family.”

Weeks Peaks aren’t hard to put together. Because Karen’s the hub of our office, she is privy to the news of each day. When something notable occurs, she types that into her staged Weeks Peaks draft in Outlook. That makes constructing the email easy, since she doesn’t have to remember the highlights from the week. Most Weeks Peaks are about 7 bullet points – so no major creative writing is required.

For many of us, opening our email at 6:00 p.m. on a Friday is the highlight of the week. We look forward to it, even create rituals around it. We leave the family in the other room, sip a comforting beverage of our choice and settle in to revel in the stories of the week. We stay connected, learn more about each other and feel part of something meaningful, even if we’ve spent the whole week with clients away from the office.

How can you find ways to share and celebrate regularly, without making it an onerous task?

Ahhh….can’t wait for Friday!

These words may sound a bit harsh. But they reflect the attitudes of some leaders who wonder why they have to nurture (coddle) their people. After all, isn’t their bi-weekly paycheck enough?

Sorry, it’s not. Your people may not tell you this, but they do like to hear when they’ve performed well. In fact, research shows that recognition for good work releases dopamine, a brain chemical connected with positive emotions like satisfaction and enjoyment. Employees who receive regular praise have higher productivity and lower turnover, and they make fewer mistakes.

How can you feed employees by recognizing what’s going well, even if you’re not naturally a warm and fuzzy type?

First identify key drivers of success. What specific thinking and behavior will lead to the desired outcomes? Those are what you should be looking for and applauding.

Keep it real. Don’t invent something or recognize an inconsequential act. Employees know the difference between meaningful commendation and faint praise. Likewise, don’t ease up on standards or lower expectations.

Be specific. While a good job comment might be welcomed, saying the report was detailed and contained exactly what we needed is more instructive. Make sure to recognize not only effort but results.

Track when you do it. Gallup research indicates that each employee should be praised at least every 7 days to maintain optimum levels of engagement. If you have lots of direct reports, you’re probably ready to give up right now. Don’t. A weekly email outlining what’s gone well with the team is better than nothing. Efforts toward a routine acknowledgment of achievement will pay off in the long run.

Combine praise with support to grow. The highest praise may be more responsibility. But don’t just thrust your up-and-comer into a new role. Provide coaching, mentorship, training and other support to ensure that she thrives.

Feeding with praise does not require flowery speeches or candy and flowers. Regular, heartfelt statements work. Catherine the Great once said, I praise loudly, I blame softly. Maybe that’s part of why she was Great.

Give people interesting work. People want to keep them growing and learning. Provide enough autonomy so that people can express their unique contributions while they also address the organization’s needs.

Redouble your efforts to communicate. Give people frequent status updates during a crisis. Allow them to ask questions and then answer them to the best of your ability. Open communication derails rumors, gossip and misinformation.

Share both reality and hope. An earlier blog post featured the Stockdale Paradox – a mixture of 1) faith that you’ll prevail AND 2) discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality. Share both the grim realities and the reasons you’re going to not only survive, but thrive.

Be around and really listen. With so many important ideas to share, it might be easy to stop listening. Get out of your office and find out what’s on people’s minds. Then you’ll know what/how to communicate.

Make light of things. In fact, be a bit silly. Start a “joke of the week” contest. Tell your team it’s “bring a banana to work day.” You surprise them with ice cream and other toppings for banana splits. Levity defuses tension and builds camaraderie, but keep the jokes clean and poke fun at yourself, not others.

Things may seem gloomy now, but you can provide a light in the darkness to calm the people around you. In the process, you may also find that the steps you take to keep people engaged and motivated in crisis are the very things you should have been doing all along.