Welcome to the Inspirati Leadership Solutions website and blog! I am excited to kick off 2023 with you, and to officially launch the Inspirati website. “Inspirati” is the Latin word for Inspired, and that is exactly how I feel about working with leaders like you who are striving to develop and grow in their own leadership. I love walking alongside leaders like you as your tackle one of the most challenging parts of your role: gaining the commitment and engagement of people around you to achieve your ambitious business goals -- that is, Inspiring them!
I am going to keep this inaugural blog simple and focus on three foundational truths about leadership. They may seem obvious, but many leaders fail in their mission because they forget the basics. These truths are foundational, and you will see them reflected in future blogs, and in every solution we develop for our clients.
Leadership Truth #1: Outcomes Matter
At the end of the day, leaders are evaluated and judged by the outcomes they create for their organization. We wouldn’t need leadership if we didn’t need people to work together to achieve something that no single person can achieve on their own. Too often, however, leaders are limited in their thinking about the outcomes they are influencing. For example, they may only focus on the stock price, or quarterly earnings, or achieving the annual goals they set for themselves and their teams. While these are important outcomes, leaders and organizations have the potential to achieve multiple levels of outcomes in addition to business results. For example, what about people engagement, a healthy business ecosystem, and personal learning and growth that increases capability over time? All these outcomes are important for the long- term health of the organization and being as intentional about them as you are about business results increases the likelihood you will do something about them too.
Leadership Truth #2: People Matter
People are people, not robots. As much as we would like them to just “do their jobs,” or “do what they are told,” or “accept the changes we are making,” it is unrealistic, disrespectful, and limiting to think of them in this way. As people, they come to their work with hopes, aspirations, ideas, fears, needs, and emotions. They also come with prior experiences, many of which are very different from the life experiences of their leaders. And they are using all of this to evaluate whether they trust you and will follow you to the fullest. So if you truly want employees who are engaged and committed to the organization, you need to accept, respect, value, and treat them as people. The best leaders focus on building their relationships and trust with their people. They also feel responsibility for the conditions under which people operate, as these influence their wellbeing and lives.
Leadership Trust #3: You Matter
Others must trust you to truly follow you. So if you want others to follow you, you have to first look within yourself. Understand why you choose to lead, the impact you want to have, and the strengths and weaknesses you bring. Your personal authenticity comes from this knowledge and intention, and is the foundation of trust building with others. In this way, leadership involves lifelong learning and growth – there is no “tenure” in leadership! Every day brings new challenges and opportunities to explore and deepen what drives your leadership engine – your values and identity as a leader, your skillsets, your vulnerabilities, and your vision for success. The more you learn the deeper your roots become, allowing for even more growth over time. The best leaders model this lifelong personal learning and growth and encourage it in others too.
Three simple, basic, foundational truths that are hard to practice in real life. Each month I will share some thoughts and observations that may help you put these into practice. So stay tuned, and welcome to Inspirati Leadership Solutions!
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