Article by Mike Krutza
How To Be An Effective Inspirational Leader
You might think that leadership is all about skills, techniques and specific strategies. In some ways, it actually is, but not all the time. What makes a leader a leader is their inherent strength of character, their core values, their charisma and the ability to influence, among others. Leadership comes from a person’s authentic self, and it is the force that brings out leadership courage.
An essential aspect of leadership is to inspire. As a leader, you might be wondering how you can be effective in inspirational leadership. Again, you might be thinking about techniques, but let me tell you a vital secret about inspirational leadership: Be yourself.
You have come to this point of being a leader because of somebody. There must have been a person or select people whom you consider as heroes who inspired you to be a leader. What’s so striking about personal heroes is that they do not have to try so hard to inspire. They were simply being their authentic selves and people sense this trueness. This is what really inspires.
Don’t Put On Borrowed Clothes
Let’s say a person has been inspired by the evangelizing type. Because of the influence of this personal hero, the follower might say “I want to be like him or her”, and apply the same style of inspirational leadership. The fact, however is, this so- called follower would be putting on borrowed clothes. He or she won’t be as effective as their hero because they basically do not have the same set of experiences as the latter. If your personal hero has grey hair and you don’t, it’s unlikely that you’re going to be as effective as him or her in inspirational leadership.
The Authentic Self Has A Louder Voice
Put together 20 leaders in a room and let them work for sometime to find out what they find inspiring in each other. You’ll be amazed by the answers. Some revelations would even be astounding. What someone finds inspirational can be exactly the opposite of what inspires another person. Loud speeches may be inspirational for some, but you’d be surprised that there are people who would find silent sincerity as encouraging. You might wonder how some people would find that reserved quiet woman in the office who listens more than talk inspiring.
You can’t give something you do not have. To be an inspirational leader, you have to be inspired yourself first. You have to have that light from within you before you kindle it in others. To be an inspirational leader, the most effective formula is to be inspired and be your authentic self.
About the Author
By the way, do you want to learn more about leadership in your company? If so, download your FREE ebook here:Guide to Elegant Courage Leadership
Jodi and Mike specialize in executive coaching with individuals and teams. http://lighthouse-leadership.com
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