How Real Leaders Inspire
Posted by admin in Inspiration.Seven Behaviours of Inspiring Leaders
These are commonly found behaviours of leaders who are rated as “inspiring” by their peers and staff. As with many management guidelines, the principles are simple - the difficulty is in the application. So as you read these think about how you might apply them - use the development planner at the end of this Guide. Above all, be yourself. It is not inspirational to see someone behaving in way that is far outside their normal behavioural patterns.
1. Have a positive Vision - and let everyone know what it is. People who are not optimistic about the future find it hard to be inspirational.
To apply this principle:
Express optimism about what you believe can be achieved, but be realistic about this. People who are negative and pessimistic are never inspiring. Focus on what could be not what is unlikely. Use expressions like “I think we could do that,” rather than “we’ll never get that right”. When something has both positive and negative aspects, talk about the things you can do first rather than the things you can’t do.
2. Model excellence and enthusiasm. It is hard to inspire others if you accept mediocrity and are unenthusiastic.
To apply this principle:
Seek out the positive elements of peoples’ work and focus on this rather than on the weaknesses. It is better to say “that part of your report was great (but other parts were not)” than “you need to do more work on these areas (but other parts are good)”. The end result is the same - some work is good and some needs improvement - but the focus is the positive not the negative.
3. Create a high performance work environment - one that delivers today and transforms the future. Read more