Actions of a Leader: 2
Inspire.
High-impact leaders always inspire. I don’t mean that they entertain. I don’t mean that they charm. I don’t mean they are charismatic and amusing. By “inspire” I mean “to influence the urge in others to see and think bigger and more passionately.” When someone is inspired, they forget themselves and their inhibitions. They forget the dark arts of cynicism and criticism. They forget the words “but” and “can’t.”
When I’m gazing at the Grand Canyon, for a moment, I forget about that approaching deadline. Enraptured in a brilliant movie, I am not wondering if I left the oven on. When I’m drawing, or painting, or writing - oh snap! - I forgot to pick up the kids from school!
To be inspired is not to lose oneself. It is to find oneself. When inspired, we lose the cluttered parts of the human experience. We lose pessimism. We stop navel-gazing. We forget sad things, if only for a moment. When inspired, our chins are lifted and gazes drawn to the horizon. We see the sunset rather than the cracks in the sidewalk. As C.S. Lewis put it, we are “like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea.” Lewis concluded, “We are far too easily pleased.”
That’s it! Inspiration refuses the con game of shortsighted pleasures. A leader who inspires wants more for his people. And he acts to lift their heads to see and be more, for a grander and more durable joy.
Sometimes he does this through demands. “Josh, that’s just not good enough. I’m only wounding you because you’re selling yourself short. I believe in you. Try again. This time, with child-like wonder!”
Sometimes he does it through vision. “Imagine a world free from corrupt and corrupting financial drones, constantly pulling the levers for their advantage. I present to you the solution - CyberCoin.” (Oh, we can all dream, no?)
Sometimes she does it through nurture and support. “Hannah, I haven’t told you how much I appreciate you. You’re not just a worker bee, but a friend and valuable teammate. Your contribution to our company culture is noticed, vital, and irreplaceable. I’m grateful we get to do this together.”
If you want people to follow you, you have to inspire them. And ultimately, you have to be inspired if you want to share inspiration. Here are a few ideas to amp up your leadership inspiration:
- Stop orbiting the giant hairball. (Read MacKenzie’s work by that name.) “Orbiting the giant hairball” is a metaphor for maintaining a creative spirit and individuality within rigid and bureaucratic environments. When faced with this, one often hears the advice “be the change you want to see in an organization.” We know this advice comes from a good place. But be careful. You can coax yourself into complacency and non-action with those slogans. Sometimes the soul-sucking culture of inhuman resources has to be cut away like the Gordian Knot. What I’m saying is - there are times when you can’t “be the change.” Instead, you just have to change by leaving. Not all the time. Not even most times. But sometimes. If you’re culture is so toxic and rigid that there is no room for inspiration, it may be time to go.
- Stop sandbagging. Stop setting career and leadership goals that any sophomore in high school could accomplish. Challenge yourself. Stretch. Others around you will notice and follow suit. Wallah! You’re a leader now. Seriously, no one inspires while intentionally lowering the goal posts at the same time. Aim bigger!
- Stimulate the right side of your brain. Corporate leadership doesn’t have to only play in the space of beige and grey sterility. Steve Jobs, anyone? Read and write poetry, short stories, - a novel! Pull out that old instrument. Better yet, learn to play one. Pick up a craft - any creative hobby. Notice how the creative process makes you feel. Happy? Energized?
Don’t be a snake oil salesman or huckster. Be yourself. You don’t have to parrot Elon Musk or Simon Sinek. Just be your version of inspired and inspiring.
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