Courageous Leader BLUEprint™ – 15th edition
Welcome back leaders!
This is the fifteenth edition of our Courageous Leader BLUEprint™ newsletter.
Every three weeks, you’ll get quick, thoughtful leadership insights without the fluff.
Read time: less than 3 minutes
Our topic today is inspiration.
Inspiring is how leaders empower others by connecting them to a purpose that matters.
While it is true that people work to fulfill basic financial needs, most people have a deeper need connected to their work.
They want their work to have meaning, purpose, and impact.
Inspiration is the courage to connect people to the “why”
When most people think of inspiration, they think of some type of speech – perhaps given by an inspirational leader.
This can be the case, but oftentimes leaders fail to combine inspiration with genuine connection.
While speeches can inspire, they tend to fall flat when they aren’t connected to real people and real purpose.
People need to feel connected to the vision. And they need to feel connected to their leader.
Inspiration does not mean:
Hype
Emotional manipulation
Pretending everything is fine
Empty praise
Inspiration is more than helping people feel something
It’s about helping people see something
Inspiration does mean:
Connecting tasks to purpose
Telling stories that highlight the vision
Sharing the “why” behind decisions
Celebrating progress, not just outcomes
Recognizing effort in ways that are meaningful to your people
Inviting people into the mission
Inspiration takes courage because it requires vulnerability.
You cannot inspire people from a distance.
You must let them see what matters to you and the organization while also understanding what matters to them.
When leaders forget the why – or forget to share the why
Everyone else eventually forgets it, too
Here are some practical tips to inspire your team members:
Begin the next meeting with a story about how their work made an impact
Share customer feedback with your team
Explain why a decision matters rather than just giving directions
Ask team members what makes their work meaningful
Pay attention when your team members grow, and tell them
This week’s courageous choice:
In one conversation, discuss how someone’s task makes an impact for the organization and/or the customer.