Leaders from all aspects of life are always in the news. There have also been more books written on leadership for the introvert in recent months. When I got this article from Donna Lee, I wondered, “If the qualities are not personality driven, are any of them more preferred by someone’s style?”
What do you think about any differences between temperament styles to becoming an inspirational leader as you read this guest blogger post?
There are three essential traits that top leaders must possess. These important qualities are concentrating on customer needs, being able to collaborate effectively with colleagues, and being inspiring to others. The first two qualities are easy to define and therefore improve on, but being inspiring is more intangible and difficult to replicate or even explain.
The ability to inspire is also the most important, since it helps foster high levels of employee engagement and commitment, separating effective leadership from average supervision.
The purpose of good leadership is to have great teamwork at and between all levels of an organization. Inspirational leaders are needed from the production floor all the way up to the highest levels of management.
The good news is, inspiring leaders have similar methods and theories that can be studied. This means other leaders can learn to become inspirational by being aware, offering constructive feedback and always having a plan of development.
What Makes a Leader Inspiring?
Some things leaders do are very specific, and therefore can be replicated without using more effort than it takes to remember to do them. Such activities include:
- Setting stretch goals and challenging the team to do more than they thought was possible
- Spend time developing with employees to show not only that the employees are valued, but that the leader finds their work important
- Engage in collaborative activities by actively calling meetings with team members for brainstorming and problem-solving sessions
- Encourage innovation by calling attention to and giving credit for great ideas
Other things are much less specific and more difficult to define or replicate. Being able to make emotional connections with employees, for example, is an important skill for inspirational leaders. Inspiring leaders are also able to, and consistently do, establish and communicate a clear vision for the company. They are also perceived as role models throughout the organization.
The more of these activities and qualities a leader can replicate and exhibit, the better and more inspirational that leader can become, which is good for the entire organization.
How Leaders Inspire
Leaders who are inspirational are also enthusiastic and outgoing. They use a variety of techniques to convey a sense of enthusiasm and keep employees engaged, including the following:
- Vision – Create a compelling vision that the rest of the team can become motivated by.
- Enhancement – Create a meeting with team members and collectively set the goal as a team.
- Driving – Give a challenge and set a deadline.
- Principles – Challenging the team to set goals based on the mission of the company.
- Enthusiasm – Having classic “locker room” pep talks that set the tone of the goal.
- Expertise – Interviewing all team members and establishing which skills they are able to contribute.
All these approaches can be used in combination with each other, at different times, as it’s appropriate. Being able to use multiple different approaches effectively makes leaders more inspirational. The more inspirational the leader, the more successful his team and therefore company can be.
Inspiration can be learned
Actively choosing to become an inspiring leader can deliver positive results. In a study of 310 executives who actively sought to improve their capacity for inspiring others, there was marked improvement. On average, they moved from the 42nd percentile to the 70th percentile, which is an impressive and significant gain, which proves the point that leaders consciously using the right approaches can become more inspiring.
Leaders throughout the company can learn to become inspiring. By actively seeking to improve their ability to inspire others, these leaders can help create a more effective working environment with more engaged and committed team members.
Featured images:
License: Creative Commons image source- License: Image author owned
Donna Lee is the co-founder and the lead sales and business development manager at Dear Jane. She often writes and teaches about how to lead in the account management and sales space.
I do believe being inspirational can be learned. I also think it is different for an introvert vs an extravert.
Well there is that expression, leaders are not born. It must follow then they we can learn the skills of leadership. Totally agree on it is different for introvert vs extravert – some of that trait is hard-wired in our brain for goodness sake! Thanks Cheryl.
I believe that many leaders are born but there are a few that do not realize they are leaders until they are taught. 🙂
That’s another possibility too Susan. Being born with the seed of being able to be a leader, but being ready only when the teacher appears.
If they’re not shown how to be a leader it becomes one of those wasted talents.
Cassi this is right on. It is related to what Jeri was saying, further down on comments. A leader you sees in someone else capabilities they don’t think they have, is making somewhere aware of talents that might otherwise go unnoticed. Thanks.
The leaders who inspired me most, in my career, had vision and a very high level of integrity. I saw them live it… it opened my eyes. So I think that leading by example is huge. At least, it impacted me in a positive way.
I would say leading by example IS huge. When you add integrity, ie, that is to me someone is living it, to that it increases the influence. Thanks Jacqueline.
Great post, Patricia – thanks for hosting this guest post by Donna, will give it some social media love, too 😉
I was just going to say leading by example is another thing inspiring leaders do, but i see Jacqueline here right before me has said that 🙂 So let me add another thing – positive and can-do attitude is also a hallmark of inspiring leaders. Not sure if there is a difference between intro and extroverts but putting a positive spin on any and every situation does help a leader to inspire. 😉
Valuable insight distinguishing the positive attitude as being inspirational. And surprisingly, some research does espouse that extroverts are generally happier so my guess, it affects the attitude. Thanks.
Leaders can definitely be made. More than one student has told me I was an inspiring teacher, but my teaching style and personality are not in your face. For me, a key part of getting inspiration and giving inspiration is the ability to see in someone else capabilities they are not sure they have or can improve upon. A person doesn’t have to be outgoing to foster such recognition.
You are on to something Jeri; being able to see in someone else capabilities they don’t think they have. That is both a leadership trait, and if you can do that, there is that ability to learn to lead. BRILLIANT. Thanks.
I can only go by what I have been told. I have been told I am a good leader because I show respect and concern. I am not saying I am incredible but have been told I am credible. I try to come across with a positive attitude to inspire my employees to want to work with me.
Arleen how wonderful to get specific feedback to inform you specifically what people see as your best leadership traits. Seems like your positive attitude seeps into how you lead. Thanks.
I worked for the CEO of a bank and I once asked him what was the most important characteristic of a leader and for him it was “compassion.” I took that to mean demonstrating that you understand and feel what someone needs and being able to connect emotionally. It’s really understanding the human condition that will lead to better decision making and inclusiveness.
Wow. Jeanette – your interpretation of leadership characteristics is so wonderfully broad. I would think it could give anyone the confidence that they COULD be a leader. Thanks.
I love the idea that inspiration can be learned! Some of us have a natural energy and passion that just emanates no matter what, but others – and in certain situations – we have to work at it. I also think some of these items – creating a vision, collaborating, acknowledging ideas – can apply to any kind of teamwork, whether you’re the leader or not!
Yes Krystyna! It is both exciting and encouraging to know that some are born and others can learn to be an inspiring leader. Thanks.
I think one of he biggest things for an effective and inspirational leader is being able to make emotional connections with employees. It is so very important and undervalued in the workplace.
Thanks for tha valuable observation Becc. I wonder what causes the disconnect?
I really enjoyed this guest post a great deal. I work remotely as a digital publisher and finding ways to inspire readers to participate is one of my main interests. The four activities were particularly helpful, as it’s sometimes difficult to know what to do, especially when the people you are hoping to inspire are not physically there!
In my case, I have found sharing the inner workings of what’s happening behind the scenes is encouraging to many. Even if it’s just a short update about why something isn’t working.
Natasha sounds like you discovered something valuable even though it’s not all face to face. Wow. Saying that now I realize how awesome it is being that we can lose so much in the emotional connection that Becc referred to. Thanks SO much.
One of my personal goals is to be an inspirational leader. The first place I am starting is in my own home. Even if I am not a manager or someone in authority at work I want to inspire people to do their best and find the silver lining. I want to be a person that others see as a leader while I inspire people. I have worked with managers and executives that have no emotional connection to the people who are in the trenches everyday and it is sad. I have also worked for someone who thought being a leader was yelling and cussing at their employees. He literally wanted people to be scared of him and that made a lot of people leave the company.
Niekka, if we can’t lead, love and motivate ourselves, we can hardly gift others with inspirational leadership. Sounds like you ARE doing just that. Thanks.
Finding out what makes people excited professionally and linking that to organizational objectives has always worked for me, but that of course presumes that people are in the positions they should be in based on their skill-set and natural callings. Sometimes being inspiring can mean showing people other work options. More than anything, that vision piece matters. Having someone who knows how to make an organization more productive is great, having someone who knows what to do with all that productivity is better.
I like how you said, finding out what makes people excited professionally. That is so key instead of being a mind reader, which rarely works! Thanks Debra.
While some people believes that great leaders are born with leadership quality in them, I believe in this and at the same time, believe that you can also become a great leader by learning and following in the footsteps of known and inspiring leaders.
There is a saying: ‘there is leadership in followship,’, this simply means in becoming a great leader, simply study and follow their way of life, culture, and learn from them.
To me, great leaders are the ones that can inspire your latent ability to come to reality.
Good post, bookmarked it for more occasional read.
Thanks for sharing that quotation or saying Dare. I had not heard it. There is likely a bit of learned and innate qualities in the best of our leaders.
I agree that inspiration, and leadership, can be learned skills. Even if a person is not a born leader, greatness can be thrust upon them.
Hi Jen. Leadership for sure is learned. I think we all have inspiration within us – we either bring it to the surface or a leader can help us to bring it out. Thanks!