Can You Inspire Those Around You?

As a modern manager, your ability to inspire those around you and improve their results will set you apart. It will accelerate your career perhaps more than any other factor. Recognising that your most precious possession is the people who work for you, and having the ability to draw out the very best in their performance, is a must-have skill. But how do you go about inspiring others?

Here are 14 easy-to-use tips from our leadership and management training courses:

1. Inspiration is not about some ‘charisma gene’. It’s about helping people to achieve their goals. Find out what the other person wants, then help them to get it.
2. The opposite of a leader is not a follower, it’s a pessimist.
3. Energy motivates. Listless leaders lead listless teams.
4. Success isn’t taught. It’s caught. If you don’t have huge reserves of excitement about your company and what you sell, then you won’t create those feelings in your people.
5. Delegate. When you let go, they grow. Know that when you see potential in others, they begin to look for it in themselves.
6. Effective leaders know how important appreciation and recognition is in building a motivated team.

“At the heart of everything we do is Inspirational Leadership – getting the individual to be the best they can be in pursuit of our shared dream.”

Kevin Roberts, former Global CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi

7. Use ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ more. It makes people feel valued. Read this Huffpost article to learn more about the importance of using please and thank you.
8. In challenging times, see things as they are. Not worse. Find something to move towards. Without a vision, people perish.
9. When people interact with you, do they come away feeling as if they’re getting better at what they do?

‘You shouldn’t be looking for people slipping up, you should be looking for all the good things people do and praising those’

Richard Branson

10. Ask employees ‘What are you great at? What do you want to be famous for here? At McKinsey, they ask ‘What’s your SPIKE? What one thing are you great at?’
11. Would you follow someone if nothing is ever good enough? Find opportunities to tell people they’ve done well. Be genuine.
12. Praise in public. Correct in private.
13. Expect the best. Good teams want to be held to high standards.
14. Understand that respect is not something you earn, it’s something you give. Recognise the leader’s job is to make heroes, not be one.

Apply these tips and you’ll notice yourself behaving differently with your people at every touchpoint. Results will strengthen, attrition will drop and your career will accelerate.

‘When someone does something good, applaud. You will make two people happy’

Samuel Goldwyn

Read more about LDL leadership & management training courses.