“Leaders instill in their people a hope for success and a belief in themselves. Positive leaders empower people to accomplish their goals.”
-Unknown
Leadership comes in multiple facets, definitions and manifests in a variety of events. For a decade of having excellent exposure in a corporate world, having coaching and conversation with a number of leaders, I sort of came down to define it as: “An individual who sets a good example – whose action incites inspiration and hope. Somewhere, someone who enjoys a great niche of empowering and putting service as a means of elevating others.”
Many people define the word “LEADERSHIP” in a lot of ways. Here, I will include a few keywords in this definition but I would want to stress the ability and capability to inspire others as a main toll to successful leadership. When inspiration reaches the other, it is not impossible to motivate and let them do their best towards their goal – even set a higher goal and attain things with flying colors.
Well, given in a real-life scenario, not all leaders are able to inspire and uncover their people’s full potential. An becoming a genuine INSPIRATIONAL force in any workplace deals with consistency in terms of efforts and dedication, and the possibility to adapt and change some of their leadership aspects. It is no contradiction to the fact that – gaining trust and respect from colleagues came from lifting other people around you for achieving greater results.
Undeniable PASSION, INTEREST, and VISION.
The best leaders trust and believe the organization’s mission and vision, and work seamlessly to communicate and their vision and aspirations to their colleagues. They manifest a great strength of enthusiasm and exude undeniable passion. Such character is associated with “ZEST”.
Zest! It can be learned. It can be built in all aspects of life. And ZEST is approaching any event, whether in a workplace or in personal life with energy, excitement, and optimism. Hence, zest fosters strength and life in the workplace. According to an internationally acclaimed expert in stress and resilience Paula Davis-Laack, the word zest “is closely tied up to work satisfaction. In a survey of over 9000 employed adults, zest not only predicted general life satisfaction but also predicted work satisfaction and whether a person viewed their work as a calling.“
Enthusiasm and great excitement is contagious! Even if a certain number of people may not feel what we call “zest”. One of the main reasons why we feel motivated to do something – may clap or cheer when others do the same thing at a party or a sports event. The same type of enthusiasm can be brought to everyday work by a truly inspiring leader, making it a motivating factor that helps others to be more engaged and committed to their daily goals. However, YOUR ZEST AND ENTHUSIASM MUST BE GENUINE! It must be AUTHENTIC. Because everyone you surround isn’t dumb, and they will surely know if you’re faking it. Mind if you let yourself fall and be in love with your work and share it like it is a whole-lotta precious to you??
FEEL and SHOW that you TRULY care.
In the history of leaders, it is a sure way to win workplace enthusiasm, is if it is genuinely manifest and simultaneously demonstrated that you care about the people around you. The sad thing, many leaders put great effort into focusing on showing their expertise and being competitive, forgetting how to practice true empathy and care. Making them feel that you care is the best way to soften and inspire those that might intimidate someone, however, leaders must exhibit active listening, seek out an individual’s opinion when making decisions, acknowledge constructive feedback, and the delivering humility. If this is being practiced (genuinely) people will respond to what is being asked of them or what is being wanted them to perform – if you make them feel that you have the best interest at heart.
As for me, I take time to speak with different people in the organization because it gives me an opportunity to question and truly listen for a better understanding of their stated and unstated needs, and how to be able to reach them, and be a zero-to-none factor of disrupting their work performance. Inspirational leaders are not afraid to ask what was going on to their lives – both inside and outside work.
Lead by Example. Inspire through action.
Walk the walk! Don’t just talk the talk! Live out setting good examples. Focus on being inspirational because of what you do. I’ve witnessed that HYPOCRISY destroys the esprit de corps of a workplace. Hypocrisy leads to losing respect and trust, a whirlwind of making it much harder to motivate, drive and inspire people. The thing is, consistent effort and follow-throughs will inspire others to deliver more.
One of the things I’ve discussed with my students during Ethics class, in our topic “Motivation and Courage”, is that anytime you change the environment, you must be prepared to serve because it will let you focus on your own actions and examples with much more thought. And eventually, most of the things you do will matter far more than what you say if you wanted to be an inspiring leader. When you consistently follow that principle in your interaction, it will serve you as a lasting influence who helps others in achieving more, not just in the workplace but also in life.
***Opinions expressed here are the writer’s own and not by the entire WordPress organization.
The Swaying Queen 
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