Being an Inspirational leader

What truly sets them apart?

--

We have all met and worked with many great leaders, but I guess we will only call a few of them inspirational. There is something about a few people that we find truly inspirational. But why is being inspirational important? Two key reasons. Inspirational leaders get more out of their teams. Second, in a future where there is a lot of change and disruption, inspired and self-driven teams will win the day, and you need inspirational leaders.

When you meet some great personalities, like Nandan Nilekani, Kiran Majumdar Shaw, Dilip Shanghvi, or Sunil Mittal, to name a few, you are inspired. Their stupendous achievement of having created something out of this world clearly puts you in awe. Subsequently, in your interactions, they reinforce the ‘inspirational’ bit by their behaviours, their perspective, their clarity, and energy.

However, not all leaders who are a class apart have this badge of great accomplishment like the ones mentioned above. Many of us have led teams and organisations, but what truly sets apart the inspirational leader from the others? That was a question in my mind. And can anyone aspire to be an inspirational leader- if so, what can they do to be inspirational?

As I was thinking about it, I came across a very nice article in the HBR by Adam D Galinsky. He points out that leaders move along a continuum from inspiring to infuriating, depending upon how they play three key roles- Visionary (giving meaning and purpose), Exemplar (authentically passionate, with conviction), and Mentor (elevating people to be at their best). It is a great read and gives tips on how one can become an inspirational leader.

Having looked at some further literature and gone through my experiences of inspirational leaders, I have tried to distil the characteristics that make leaders more inspirational than infuriating! Here are my three differentiators:

1.  Ability to communicate a bold, optimistic, inspiring vision which is based on clear and simple insights.

They are able to see the big picture and connect the dots and come up with clear insights. Any issue or challenge you take to them is discussed, and they are able to identify the underlying key issues and clarify action in simple terms. They will always think big. I remember when I was a young training manager, and went with a proposal to our then ‘Personnel Director’ who turned it around and said why don’t we aim bigger. A colleague of mine in the last organisation who went on to become a global CEO would always take an idea and position it as a transformational initiative- elevating it, giving it that big bold inspirational feel.

2.  Energy and positivity are the hallmarks of inspirational leaders. 

Any conversation with them, you will go back with a little more spring in your step. They will be realistic, but yet bring positive energy to the interactions. They bring their passion and growth mindset to the fore. They believe in the ‘glass as half full’ philosophy. The idea is not to be superficial and skim over an issue, but to understand it well, and then reframe it in positive, inspiring ways. If there are things that didn’t work, they will use them as learnings, and get the team to move forward with a renewed plan. At the heart of all this is their conviction and passion, that brings forth a positive mindset.

3.  Celebrating and developing people sets the inspirational leaders apart.

As someone said, people will remember how you made them feel. Giving opportunities to promising talent, connecting with people at a personal level (even trying to remember and call someone by their name will make a big difference to people) and just valuing people, and having a positive regard for people. The most inspirational leaders that I have worked with have all been great mentors and developers of talent- they also spend lot of time teaching and training. That’s what makes them inspirational.

There is one other reason someone is inspirational – they are off the chart on some characteristics or capabilities- which makes them inspirational. For instance, a leader I worked with was a master of any crisis and brought his calm presence and influencing skills to manage it. There was another leader who had phenomenal insights into consumers and brands- truly an expert, and any interaction with him would make people go gaga, and be awestruck with his deep understanding. But these are truly exceptionally gifted people.

Not all of us may be gifted, but we can all work to be inspirational leaders. Look at some role models around you, and see what you can learn from them. You may not be the best in all three areas listed above, but you need to build an ‘edge’ in at least a couple of those areas. Inspire people to think big, bold, and give them clarity in simple words. Bring positive energy to your interactions- aim for people to go back with a spring in their step after meeting you. And lastly, celebrate, elevate, mentor, and develop your people.

Let’s begin with the story of my first mentor in the Corporate world.

Trust us to get your leaders to be at their best!

Connect with us

Know your mentor