What does inspirational business leadership look like for business leadership and in your organization? Let me ask: what impact do inspiring leaders have on performance, both organizationally and at an individual level?
Consider this: while an employee’s mindset is important to their overall performance, without support from their leadership, even the most committed and motivated employee may not reach their potential. Studies now find that this became very clear during the pandemic. When uncertainty and anxiety are high, employees must have clear expectations and emotional support.
Unfortunately, some leaders have risen to the top through marketing or hype. They sway others to do as they ask (or command) without genuine concern for their well-being. As a result, there is a high degree of distrust and reluctance.
Conversely, inspiring leaders take action because of their care and concern for others. You see, inspirational business leadership is not about being in charge; it’s about caring for those in our charge. While rank or title may indicate leadership authority, they are not indicators of leadership ability.
Inspirational Leadership Can Be Developed
Inspiring leaders are often described by their innate traits, strengths, or titles. Fundamentally, inspirational business leadership is the ability to influence and/or motivate others positively. In today’s world, inspirational leadership is about connection: connecting with those you lead in ways that are meaningful to them.
The relationships you create determine your abilities as an influencer. If you build trust and practice empathy in your relationships, you’ll create higher-quality connections. This may sound simple, but it poses challenges requiring nuance and practice.
Fortunately, we can develop inspirational leadership. At the core is our ability to see those around us.
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Why We Need Inspirational Business Leadership
In a 2017 survey recently published in Harvard Business Review, 85% of 14,500 workers across various industries said they were not working at full potential. External incentives or benefits alone are not enough to motivate workers. Great leaders inspire their people with why they do what they do instead of the what and how.
When employees believe their work matters and have a purpose that aligns with the organization’s and their leader’s mission, they are more creative and productive. They care because their leaders skillfully communicate genuine care.
Engage the Heart and Mind
Leaders who engage the heart and mind are great examples of this in action. Consider the entire speech of Martin Luther King Jr., delivered on August 28, 1963. He didn’t begin with “I have a plan,” nor did he open with the changes that needed to be made. He began by explaining why everyone needs to bond for a better future.
When we begin communication with why, we engage the part of the brain most responsible for decision-making. This part registers subconscious thoughts, lacks language, uses gut intuition, and is heavily influenced by feelings and drives for survival. When leaders share a greater cause and higher purpose, listeners sift, sort, and decide how much to trust and commit. Then, leaders can focus on the how and what.
How Leaders Inspire (or Not)
The pandemic’s pressures have affected our communication. We’ve reverted to less effective old-school communication styles: defining the problem, analyzing it, and recommending a solution.
This approach does not work if you want to inspire and motivate others. Worse, it can create more problems. Employees who disagree, have other ideas, or have ingrained habits won’t respond well to a perceived command and control order or a lecture on beliefs.
Communication That Inspires
Leaders inspire their audience when they pay careful attention to communication details and understand the importance of:
- Word choice
- Patterns of words
- Order of patterns
In addition to words, the language of business leadership is most effective when you:
- Can share intelligent stories and narratives
- Display appropriate, congruent body language
- Demonstrate an understanding of the audience’s story and context
What Your Audience Wants to Hear
Most of our communication is done electronically (email, phone, video conference, etc.), and people aren’t necessarily listening. Inspiring leaders understand this and use four methods to grab focused attention.
- Sharing a personal story or message sharing “why”
- Triggering emotion sharing “how”
- Presenting trustworthy data or reliable sources sharing “what”
- Using concise language without relying on jargon (i.e., industry-specific terms, abbreviations, etc.)
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The Role of Positive and Negative Messaging
Personal stories that trigger emotion are more than twice as likely to resonate with your audience. Negative messages are also more effective when they illustrate the seriousness of a problem, the trajectory, and how it was and can be overcome. However, negative messages can de-motivate people.
Positive messaging creates a desire for change and sparks imagination. Clear examples of how others are making a difference appeal to the heart and the mind, enabling your audience to see the possibilities and draw their own conclusions.
What Your Audience Needs to Hear
Inspirational leadership relies on the establishment of an emotional connection, as well as sound reasoning.
The Importance of Connection:
At its core, inspirational leadership is about connecting with those you lead meaningfully. The relationships you create determine your abilities as a motivator. For example, if you are empathic and establish trust in your relationships, you’ll create higher-quality connections.
Encourage individuals to speak truth to power. Create an environment with a safe space to share ideas, including disagreement and dissent. This enables greater collaboration and innovation.
The Importance of Compelling, Sound Reasoning:
Any desire or willingness to change will wane unless it’s reinforced by compelling, sound reasons. Appeal to your audience in story forms that communicate:
- Why: why the change is needed
- What: what the change is, and how will it impact them
- How: the change will be implemented
- Why this change will work: the sound reasoning
Inspirational leadership creates scaffolding, a catalyst for a creative process that enables an audience to see the world for themselves, view their relationships in a new way, and make progress in reaching their full potential.
Creator of the KASHBOX: Knowledge, Attitude, Skills, Habits
Helping You Realize Your Potential
I help people discover their potential, expand and develop the skills and attitudes necessary to achieve a higher degree of personal and professional success and create a plan that enables them to balance the profit motives of their business with the personal motives of their lives.
