How To Be An Inspirational Leader

Whether you aspire to be an inspiration to a congregation, a business or your kids you should know that there are some common practices that inspirational leaders adhere to no matter who or what they want to inspire.

If you think that free coffee and donuts in the break room is going to inspire your employees to come to work – or that telling kids how you walked a mile to school, barefoot in the snow is going to inspire your kids to do well in school, you need to rethink your courses of action.

An inspirational leader removes barriers for getting work done and then joins in the work itself and gets the job done. Some qualities that inspirational leaders bring to the table are:

·         Enthusiasm – When you express passion for what you’re doing, others become ignited from your passion like one candle lighting another. You may not be enthused about a course of action your company is taking, but you can have enthusiasm about getting everyone onboard to make it happen.

·         Tell Stories – You may notice that whenever a president gives the “State of the Union” address, he tells inspirational stories of others. Some may make you cry, but all will elicit some type of emotion. When you tell personal stories about your company or how people are helped by what you’re involved in, others will be inspired.

·         Communicate a Vision – A lower-level employee may not become inspired about a plan for your company that’s going to make the executives lots of money in their stock portfolios – but they will become inspired when you can communicate a vision of what it will do for them.

·         Honesty – No matter what the challenge, an inspirational leader will face it with honesty. If you’ve made a mistake that’s affecting your business or your family, you should be honest and forthright – and have a plan to overcome any adversity.

·         Respect – When you earn respect from others you’re on your way to becoming a leader who inspires. Ethics and integrity garner respect and how you conduct yourself during hardships is also a key quality in leaders who inspire.

Ask yourself what inspires you to new heights or to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. When you find the answer, you can experience peak performance because you’ll know what it takes to get you there.

When you know what inspires others, you can be the leader who takes others to greater heights than they ever imagined. Listen to others, know what inspires them and you can become the inspirational leader you want to be.