A few weeks ago I posed a simple question to my LinkedIn connections and followers: “In a word or two… what does Inspirational Leadership mean to you?” 17 people took a few moments to respond, and each response was excellent! Here they are: Kind Trust, caring, encouraging Uplifting, inspirational Visionary, mentor Listening and empowering Practicing …
“Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.” – Jack Welch In this day and age, I think very few leaders want their employees to perform their duties like mindless drones as opposed to the thoughtful, innovative people that they are. …
Leading by example may seem like an overly simple (and endlessly repeated) concept. So much so that you likely haven’t spent much time thinking about it in recent years because you already know that leading by example is important. But I hope you don’t dismiss this age-old principle as overrated or too obvious to even …
Retired attorney and ethics professor Michael Josephson once wrote: “Great leaders are principled; they are not merely effective, they are ethical. They adhere to moral principles in forming their objectives and using the methods of influence. They engender trust and credibility because of their integrity and loyalty and because they care about their followers and …
You probably don’t have your personal values written out and posted on the wall somewhere. You likely haven’t even thought through and named each of the values you strive to embody. But whether articulated or not, everyone lives by a set of values, and organizations should too. Some may argue that “corporate values” just end …
Last week we talked about the importance of articulating your vision to those you lead by painting a vivid picture of the future. Just as important: sharing your own excitement and passion for that vision. It should go without saying that in order for leaders to inspire others with their vision for the future, they …
My wife is an extremely gifted interior designer, and she loves what she does. She regularly envisions gorgeous kitchen renovations, stunning bathroom makeovers, and incredible contemporary updates for homes and businesses. But in order to bring those visions to reality, she must first get her clients to see what she sees. Without first painting a …
As former University of Notre Dame president Theodore Hesburgh once said, “The very essence of leadership is that you have to have vision. You can’t blow an uncertain trumpet.” Simply put, leaders must have an idea of what future they are leading toward if they are to have any hope of getting anyone to follow! …
A few weeks ago I wrote about one of my colleagues and a unique experience she had when a group of her peers spent a few very intentional minutes sincerely praising and recognizing her for the wonderful person she is. This is a beautiful example of the value of appreciation and recognition. In chapter 11 …
When writing my latest book, Be An Inspirational Leader: Engage, Inspire, Empower, I knew I wanted to include a section about raising up other leaders. Initially I titled that section “Implement a Leader-Development Strategy.” But as I thought about and worked on that particular chapter and really dug into the research, I realized that implementing …
When investing in those you lead, don’t just offer general job training and educational programs to your people as a whole; go beyond group solutions to really focus on specific needs, customizing growth opportunities according to individual roles, interests, and strengths. Strive to recognize potential in those you lead and push them to achieve it …
Leadership coach Peter Baeklund once heard this exchange between an organization’s CFO and CEO: CFO: “What happens if we invest in developing our people and then they leave us?” CEO: “What happens if we don’t, and they stay?” While the CFO was understandably concerned with the organization’s expenditures and bottom line, the CEO wisely understood …
One of my team members left this week with her family to begin formal training to become foreign missionaries. They will be moving to another country in just a few months time. This young woman, Emily Sirkel, has worked with me for the past five and a half years, and it has been a privilege and an honor to have her …
Last week we talked about building connections and cultivating authentic relationships. This week I want to share 5 ways in which leaders can promote connection throughout their organization—fostering a healthy, connected workplace culture: Be proactive when hiring. When interviewing potential new team members, make sure to focus on culture-fit as much as or even more …
The most inspirational leaders excel in building connections. By “building connections” I don’t mean merely corporate networking and exchanging business cards. While every leader typically engages in that kind of networking to some degree, inspirational leaders go beyond networking to build genuine relationships with those they lead and influence. I briefly touched on the importance …
Decades have passed since I first became a leader. Over the years, many things have changed. From years before fax machines and pagers, to present-day computers and smart phones, technology is advancing quickly, and our world is being transformed. Technology isn’t the only thing changing; but no matter the changes, they demand flexibility. Countless examples …
My friend Dr. Keith Lepak, a board certified emergency room physician, explained how in the medical field the most urgent and stressful events doctors and nurses must respond to are the hospital emergency codes, such as “Code Blue,” which generally indicates respiratory or cardiac arrest. Keith said, “There’s an old saying: ‘during a code check …
We are all leaders in some area of our lives, and every leader everywhere deals with conflict. A critical component of responsive and effective leadership is to actively prevent and resolve conflict. One key way you as a leader can prevent conflict should be obvious: do your part to not cause it! First, recognize the significance …
Every day we are faced with new challenges, questions, problems, and needs. And attached to nearly every one of those issues are people who are waiting on a response. Each of us—and particularly those in leadership roles—must daily prioritize, delegate, and problem solve,, all while balancing the expectations and desires of the people whom those …
Whether it’s due to physical distractions caused by people, technology, or environment, or due to a mind full of priorities and concerns, many people—and leaders in particular—struggle with being fully present and focused on individual conversations and tasks.
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