🔒How to be an inspirational leader

“The Inspiration Code — How the Best Leaders Energize People Every Day” by Kristi Hedges (AMACOM, $24.95).

Inspiration (n.) — the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative. What are the components of the process? Psychology professors Todd Thrash and Andrew Elliot say the process includes three elements: transcendence (i.e. seeing what could be), motivation (i.e. the desire to do something), and evocation (i.e. being receptive to outside influences that shape both transcendence and motivation). None of these elements can be forced on another. So, how do leaders inspire others? They provide the workplace context that triggers the formation of these elements by employees.

How do they do that? By following the “Inspire Path” laid out by Hedges. The path has four lead-by-example components:

1. “Present” — Every employee's conversation with a leader matters because it confirms a connect or disconnect to the leader's message. Inspirational leaders recognize the difference between talking with someone and talking to someone. By paying attention to what employees (regardless of their rung on the organizational ladder) say, employees know that the leader appreciates their input. They carry that forward and talk with colleagues.

2. “Personal” — Being authentic (i.e. sticking to purpose, meaning and values) conveys a powerful message. Those that speak the truth and talk from the heart are admired. Showing employees how much you care about what you do and the way you do it shapes how they think and do, too.

3. “Passionate” — When admired leaders discuss what needs to be done and what's possible, employee buy-in quickly follows. The leader's message provided depth of meaning to an employee's work. Employees become engaged and stay engaged. They don't just do their jobs; they own their jobs.

4. “Purposeful” — When employees own their jobs, they have purpose and become self-motivated. They understand that they're not just working for a firm, they're working for themselves (i.e. building “Brand Me”). They see change and challenges as “I'm possible,” not impossible.

Takeaway: If employees can't see what energizes the leader, they won't be convinced to follow him/her.

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“The Sales Boss — The Real Secret to Hiring, Training and Managing a Sales Team” by Jonathan Whistman (John Wiley & Sons, $30).

Having managed sales teams for over 20 years during my corporate career, I know that sales management isn't like managing any other process in a business. In sales, no two days are alike. In order to respond quickly to the “you don't know when they're coming” requests and concerns of customers and prospects, the salespeople and support staff are always “ON.” They experience highs and lows and stop-that-do-this constantly.

Whistman stresses that the role of the sales boss (SB) requires a high EQ (emotional intelligence) because the team's attitude and mentality fluctuates based upon the day's happenings. He sees the SB as “the thermostat, not the thermometer.” As a thermostat, the SB monitors the “temperature” of the staff and works to smooth out their emotional peaks and valleys, and given the number of times salespeople hear “no” before hearing “yes,” the valleys outnumber the peaks.

A high EQ SB connects with the emotions of those involved and transitions their focus from “what happened” to “what was learned and what's next.” The learning drives the results of “what's next.”

By maintaining the even-keel perspective, the SB gains the trust and respect of the team.

To exercise EQ, the SB must be actively engaged. That doesn't mean micromanaging. It does mean “involvement without control” by knowing who's doing what. To become involved, the SB readily seeks feedback, which helps gauge “temperature” and team rhythm and drives EQ-based actions. 

Jim Pawlak is a nationally syndicated book reviewer.