As a leader, do you know what your audience really needs to hear to be inspired? Let me ask: How do they respond to your appeals for change?
When this topic comes up in my coaching conversations, we discuss how inspirational leadership relies on the establishment of an emotional connection, as well as sound reasoning.
The Importance of Connection
At its core, inspirational leadership is about connection: connecting with those you lead in ways that are meaningful to them. You see, the relationships you forge determine your outcomes as a motivator. For example, if you are empathic and establish trust in your relationships, you’ll create higher-quality connections.
Higher-quality connections are authentic: they require a certain amount of vulnerability and genuine respect. Trust wanes when there is an imbalance of access—when a leader has access to others but denies reciprocal access. Of course, too much vulnerability can be confused with weakness. When leaders demonstrate competency and humanity, trust and high-quality connections grow.
Inspirational leaders encourage individuals to speak truth to power. They create an environment where there is a safe space to share ideas, including disagreement and dissent, which enables greater collaboration and innovation.
The Importance of Compelling, Sound Reasoning
The desire to change wanes without the reinforcement of compelling, sound reasons. When you encounter new ideas, you can easily fall into confirmation bias; naturally searching for reasons to preserve your existing point of view, which often works against your best interests.
Appeal to your audience in compelling ways that communicate:
- Why the change is needed
- What the change is and how it will impact them
- When the change will be implemented
- How this change will work sound reasoning
Communicating with influence and integrity doesn’t have to be uncomfortable. I coach leaders to connect with their own quiet strength and power that comes from recognizing they belong in leadership. Let’s explore ways for you to navigate your leadership path from the strength of who you are.
