cft

Inspiring Leadership Starts with One Person at a Time

Leadership sparks many conversations about what it takes to reach personal and team goals, but the concept itself is surprisingly hard to put into words.


user

James L Katzaman

2 years ago | 8 min read

Businesses reap rewards when workers feel moved to act

Photo by Jim Katzaman

Leadership sparks many conversations about what it takes to reach personal and team goals, but the concept itself is surprisingly hard to put into words.

“Most people cannot even give a functional definition of leadership,” said Tom Reid. “Globally, there is no agreement on what leadership words even mean. Until you understand that, you cannot hope to teach others.”

Reid has chased the elusive leadership ideal, devising a work breakdown structure, or WBS. From that he has written Sustained Leader WBS,” a comprehensive tool for assessing and improving leadership potential.

His approach decomposes every part of the work to be done in a project — 229 WBS elements that apply to building yourself into a sustained leader.

Smarter aces working harder any day of the weekUltimate marketers reveal their tricks of the trade for efficiencymedium.com

Reid talked with Ivana Taylor and Iva Ignjatovic about how to inspire greatness in others. Taylor owns DIYMarketers, a company “committed to helping small business owners get out of overwhelm.” Ignjatovic is a marketing, strategy, leadership and business consultant.

Everyone has the potential to be great — with a caveat.

“It depends on how you define ‘great,’” Reid said. “The best we can hope for is to become the best possible version of ourselves. Sadly, too many people do not even try. When that happens, we all lose.

“We all still need encouragement and support along the way,” he said. “I’m a big fan of finding ways to affirm people. All we can ever do is one person at a time. We should at least do that.”

How to Quantify Greatness

Individual goals call for specific amounts of effort.

“Being the best version of myself would require actual discipline, accountability and work,” Taylor said. “The real question is ‘in what area’ are you going to be great? ‘Greatness’ is a broad concept that can be found in all aspects of our lives.

“We all have greatness in us,” she said. “We all have to discover our own greatness. We all struggle by perhaps trying to be someone else’s definition of great.”

Greatness should flow through groups. TeamStage has found that highly engaged teams increase business profitability by 21 percent. Employee engagement and motivation reduce absenteeism by 41 percent.

How to manage great teams — and yourselfSucceed by putting the right person in the right jobmedium.datadriveninvestor.com

“Not everyone has the potential for greatness,” Ignjatovic said. “History teaches us so. Plus, I never had much faith in humanity.”

Even with that, elevating people is a noble cause.

“Inspiring greatness is helping people — in whatever way they need — to recognize and seek to achieve the best possible version of what they can be,” Reid said.

“That’s totally different for everyone and not like you,” he said. “My leadership book was written with that specific concept in mind.”

For Taylor, inspiring greatness means helping the people with whom you engage to be their best selves. That includes coaching people on their talents rather than perfectly copy yourself.

“Inspiring greatness could mean a lot of things,” Ignjatovic said. “To me, it’s about being a role model and showing certain people what is possible.”

Inspiration is Good for Business

Beyond the personal level, inspiring greatness is essential in business.

“Progress and change are givens,” Reid said. “In business it is important to foster positive change and to lead it rather than follow it. The only way to do that is to build a team of sustained leaders — people striving to be the best possible version of themselves.”

Taylor calls inspiring greatness the №1 job of the leader.

“The more greatness you inspire, the more engaged your employees,” she said. “This makes happy, loyal customers who increase profits.”

Being Human is a Welcome Difference That Attracts More BusinessGoing the opposite way helps you stand above the crowdmedium.datadriveninvestor.com

Remote-work company RemotetyGo reports that only 14 percent of chief executive officers have the leadership talent they need to grow their businesses.

“I do know this and am doing what I can to change it,” Reid said. “I can’t say many people are very receptive to making the change, probably because they enjoy the power of leadership roles and will not willingly give that up.”

He hopes his book will help reluctant leaders to break loose, bringing together a host of those in the know on the subject.

“My book has a 23-page bibliography,” Reid said. “There are a lot of good ones out there, but as best I can tell I was the first to organize these ideas and present them in a way that gives anyone an individual road map for their leadership journey.”

Better Than You Thought

Much depends upon how well those with the smarts are willing to share their knowledge.

“I wonder if the ones who have the leadership talent could train the many who don’t,” Taylor said. “We all know that great leaders inspire us to be better and do more than we thought we were capable of.”

Proof lies in the performance of each company.

“Usually, leaders who inspire greatness tend to have businesses that are more successful in the long run,” Ignjatovic said.

Inspirational persons share many common traits.

“Following my Sustained Leader model, those qualities would be character, competence, compassion, communication and commitment,” Reid said. “I have 117 sub-elements to share for those who are interested.”

Four Determined Leaders take on the New WorldRapid changes test their abilities to forecast, adapt and thrivemedium.com

Stepping up to inspire requires exceptional confidence.

“People must be brave enough to take risks and stand up for what they believe in,” Taylor said. “They must be intelligent enough to make good decisions and lead others. They must also be strong enough to withstand challenges and setbacks.”

These standout performers need support from well-designed companies, which DIYMarketers describes in its post, “10 Tips for Improving Small Business Organizations.”

“People who inspire others possess impeccable integrity,” Ignjatovic said. “Those people lead by example. They also can communicate their ideas and values.”

Inspiring greatness might be overt or more subtle.

“I will leave that to those who I have influenced to share,” Reid said. “It’s not my role to do so. I’m just here to do the best I can and work toward being the best possible version of me.”

Know Special Gifts

Best results come when those who want to inspire know their audience.

“My favorite way to inspire greatness is to understand what special gift the people I work with have,” Taylor said. “Then I help them express that gift as often as possible.”

HubSpot has found that 69 percent of employees say they’d work harder if they were better appreciated.

“I always try to lead by example,” Ignjatovic said. “It’s important to be a role model because that can help motivate others to achieve their goals. I also give people positive feedback that can boost their confidence.”

Just a thought: Be a leaderTrue thought leaders inspire people with innovative ideasmedium.datadriveninvestor.com

Working with others is not always easy. Everyone has to be willing to pull together.

“You can only help people to the degree they allow you to,” Reid said. “So many persons just aren’t ready to do the work necessary. Do your best for them, but do not cast pearls before swine — a strong metaphor, but applicable. Be prepared for disappointment.”

It is better to find the positives and build from them.

“What’s the alternative?” Taylor asked. “Staying upbeat is a choice. I don’t see the point of being angry or annoyed or depressed. It just spreads that negative energy around.”

This is why bold, confident and fearless leaders find ways to lead loudly

“I’m always focused on the positive aspects of the people and their talents,” Ignjatovic said. “It’s important to foster teamwork and open communication.”

Choose the Right Path

Facing resistance from people when trying to inspire them is not unusual.

“It is my choice to offer encouragement and affirmation,” Reid said. “It is their choice to accept or reject it. I only concern myself with the things I can control. As Samuel Butler wrote in Hudibras, “Those convinced against their will are of the same opinion still.”

Indeed, being too upbeat can backfire.

“Believe it or not, constant positivity and enthusiasm drives some people crazy,” Taylor said. “I overcame it by ignoring it. I don’t like spreading negativity.

“One thing I like to stay on top of is what each team member’s goal is: Where do they want to go?” she said. “Life changes priorities.”

In teamwork, the I’s have itGroups of people work together to achieve meaningful goalsmedium.datadriveninvestor.com

Those kinds of factors readily affect workers’ points of view. RemotelyGo found that 70 percent of employees in the United States are unhappy in their jobs due to negative management.

“I don’t force things,” Ignjatovic said. “I’m also clear about the goals and deadlines.”

Business can get a boost from inspiring greatness in others.

“I’m not certain mine has,” Reid said. “Yet, I’m still persistently plugging away to achieve that. Hopefully, that’s sooner rather than later, but it is already ‘later.’”

Influence Customer Decisions

Taylor, on the other hand, has reaped rewards.

“First, people love working with you,” she said. “Second, people do great work because you appreciate it. Lastly, this helps customers choose you.”

DIYMarketers has a related post, “4 Tips to Help You Lead Your Team Like a Boss (Especially When You Are One).”

“When people feel inspired and excited about what they’re doing, they’re more likely to go the extra mile,” Ignjatovic said. “That extra mile makes all the difference.”

Keep leadership on the right trackBe realistic without setting impossible expectationsmedium.datadriveninvestor.com

As part of their overall strategy, inspiring greatness is crucial for leaders.

“A sustained leader has a vision of where the team is being led,” Reid said. “If it is a great vision, it will be hard and possibly never done before. Without ‘greatness’ at every organizational level, the weak link will break the chain that pulls everyone to success.

“Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart noted about pornography that while he could not define it, he knew it when he saw it,” Reid said. “People seem to be of the same notion regarding leadership. My attempt was to define it and help people on their personal leadership journey.”

Fuel for Productivity

Special qualities among leaders commonly emerge naturally.

“You don’t have to be a leadership expert to know and understand how a leader who inspires you makes you a better team member, more productive and more customer focused,” Taylor said. “It adds to profitability.”

That helps keep the key point top of mind.

“You want outstanding results as a leader,” Ignjatovic said. “Inspiring greatness is one of the most important tasks.”

Fly right to sustain leadershipYour character is too important to compromisemedium.datadriveninvestor.com

Avoiding common mistakes is also crucial when leaders try to inspire others.

“The mistake I see most often is that leaders — business owners — think employees should be inspired just because they are getting paid,” Taylor said. “On the contrary, research shows that employees who feel valued and inspired will often take less money.”

Ignjatovic warned against forcing inspiration and when leaders try to do too much all at once.

“Most people in leadership roles aren’t really leaders at all,” Reid said. “Too many are there for the power that lifts their ego. At best, they’re trying to create mini-me’s and not inspire people to be the best possible version of themselves. They should start with themselves.”

About The Author

Jim Katzaman is a manager at Largo Financial Services and worked in public affairs for the Air Force and federal government. You can connect with him on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Upvote


user
Created by

James L Katzaman

Jim Katzaman is a charter member of the Tealfeed Creators' program, focusing on marketing and its benefits for companies and consumers. Connect with him on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn as well as subscribing here on Tealfeed.


people
Post

Upvote

Downvote

Comment

Bookmark

Share


Related Articles