Being an inspiring leader is a great aspiration for professionals aspiring to leadership roles. After all, today’s managers need to be very different from the “bosses” of yesteryear, which includes a series of characteristics that make the work much more welcoming and humanized.
Rather than rigid, vertical organizations, where managers issued commands and subordinates took orders, we have a decidedly different model today. Firms increasingly prize collaboration, horizontal structures, and a harmonious atmosphere. These are leaders whose job is much more than “issuing orders” and assigning tasks.
Today, managers have quite different jobs. They must coordinate teams and assign tasks, but they also must facilitate employee development, come up with strategic methods of delegating, see things from the team’s point of view, and serve as a source of trustworthiness, openness, and, of course, inspiration.
Why become one of the inspiring leaders?
Inspirational executives are essential for both employees and organizations. While motivating their staff to become even better professionals, they may also more successfully communicate the company’s message, allowing the organization to achieve its corporate goals.
After all, inspired professionals work with much more engagement, purpose, focus, and drive, increasing productivity and improving results.
But what do you need to do to be an inspiring manager? To achieve this goal, you can focus on developing certain skills and also highlight some crucial points in your daily work with your team. Below, we’ve listed some examples that will help you on this journey.
Inspirational Leader: 6 Qualities to Become One
1 – Be humble, regardless of your position and seniority
First, forget the 20th-century ideal of a boss. To be a good leader and inspire your team, you need to be humble and understand that, despite seniority and management positions, everyone on your team can contribute, offer good ideas, and come up with innovative solutions.
Therefore, give everyone space, make professionals feel comfortable contributing, and react positively if you receive negative feedback or realize, based on another professional’s suggestion, that your direction was not ideal.
2 – Be empathetic with the team
Likewise, listening, understanding, and empathizing with the professionals on your team is essential to creating an inspiring relationship.
This way, you get closer to professionals, get to know them on a deeper level, understand their desires, strengths and weaknesses, and can lead the team in a personalized and humanized way.
3 – Love your work, being a true example
The best lesson is by example, isn’t it? So, if you want professionals to be inspired by you, you need to love your work and lead by example.
So, be sure to emphasize how much you see purpose in your work, perform excellent work, be careful not to be tainted by bad moods, and pay attention to the details. They will make all the difference when it comes to demonstrating what your work means to you.
4 – Being able to communicate effectively
Knowing how to communicate means being able to convey messages and information clearly and objectively. Otherwise, all your actions and communications will be confusing and potentially lead to misunderstandings. These two characteristics are intrinsically linked to you. And no one wants to be seen as a confused leader, right?
This will only alienate the team and create a series of problems, a kind of domino effect. Ultimately, the team’s trust in you will decline. After all, if your communication isn’t clear and aligned, it will directly affect everyone’s work.
5 – Show gratitude for the team’s work
Praising the work of your team members and showing your appreciation for their hard work is incredibly valuable. This makes it clear that your relationship is not without its differences, and you are in a management position.
This will increase the professionals’ trust in you, as well as the inspiration of a professional who knows how to recognize the team’s work.
6 – Always strive to be a better professional
Finally, inspiring also means showing that everyone can improve and pursue career development. So, whenever you show that you’re also on this journey, learning more and more to become a more well-rounded professional, you’ll be inspiring your team members.
