Have you lost sight of your inspiration?
In the hustle and bustle of our daily lives and the VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) world we live in, it can be easy to lose sight of our inspiration. After bumping into my book in a London Waterstone’s book shop and being re-inspired by its purpose and research, I’ve been reflecting this month on my mission and how I can better utilise my energy and that of my team to develop our levels of inspiration to the greatest positive effect.
As you may know, I’ve been on a personal quest around the world, to unpick the magic behaviours that the greatest leaders draw on to bring the best out of themselves, the leaders and teams around them for the past 20 years. These are the behaviours that foster wellbeing, resilience and safety in cultures that allow strategy, innovation, creativity and results to excel. As a Leadership Psychologist, coach, and consultant I’ve distilled those magic ingredients through research into the ALIGHT model comprising of six key resources, of which INSPIRATION is one.
Time and time again, I have been fortunate and privileged enough to meet, interview, and work with leaders who are able to deeply inspire themselves and those around them; and to help others to do so too. And these inspirational qualities are not just a shiny veneer - they are deliberately and often time-consumingly and painstakingly developed by leaders. The good news is that for all of us leaders who feel we may at times lack it, Inspiration is very developable too.
So what are the practical ways that my research and work shows us that leaders turn their inspiration into a force for good, that we too can all learn from?
They develop clear self-efficacy, the strong belief in themselves that they can achieve their goals. They figure out their own formula for developing their self belief and they work on it continuously - and this doesn’t mean they are always fully confident but they learn what helps them to be so and develop these practices for themselves. For example, I work on my own self belief daily by remembering my achievements, my strengths and values, and always looking to add value to every interaction through these facets of myself.
They are hopeful and optimistic which provide the energy and perspective to keep going when things don’t go according to plan. For example, I think about how could I see this situation as glass half full rather than half empty, and what is one step I could take to further reaching that state?
Finally, they create energising networks around them which are contagious and contribute to satisfaction, engagement, and meaning in the workplace. For example, I bring my sense of enthusiasm to everything I do.
So, as you look ahead to November, what’s one thing you could start or stop doing that would help you move towards a more energised and inspirational you?
Re-engaging with your inspiration
Below you’ll find some practical tips you can start implementing today to develop your own inspiration or that of a team you work with; an example of inspirational leadership in action; and how we might be able to work together to help drive you towards achieving your goals if that’s helpful for you right now.
Self-reflection ideas
Take some time to consider the following;
Consider a current challenging situation. What is the very best possible outcome that you could imagine of this challenge? What are one or two practical steps you could put in place to help you hope to achieve this?
What ways do you currently build your self belief; what’s one thing you could do each day to maintain this?
Identify your most energising team members (or indeed friend or family member). How can you recognise them for this? And use their resources more frequently and effectively to bring energy to yourself and others?
Inspirational leadership in action
During the pandemic, Professor Luke O’Neill from Trinity College, Dublin, became Ireland’s positive leader, who inspired others to focus on the solution instead of dwelling on the problems.
“Scientists are often optimistic, it is part of our nature. We know that we will get somewhere if we keep trying. In science you often fail, many experiments don’t work, the machine is down, your idea was wrong and if you keep at it, you will get somewhere and I knew we’d get through this (the pandemic), I knew we’d win at the end. I just wasn’t sure when. A scientist is inclined to say to themselves: “that experiment didn’t work, I am disappointed but I have an idea how to get out of it” and that’s the nature of most scientists”.
How can CLPL support you?
We’ve literally written the book and got the t-shirt on Positive Leadership, because we’re passionate about the power it has to transform businesses and the lives of the leader, the team, and our communities. We support senior leaders who want to create optimal performance for themselves and their teams through bespoke organisational consultancy, 1:1 and team leadership coaching, workshops, masterclasses, leadership development programmes, and keynote speaking. If we’re not already working together, and you would like to find out more, please drop us an email so we can discuss your challenges, we’d love to support you to achieve your goals. Email us today.