Why We Need Inspirational Leadership

In today’s world, we need inspirational leadership. In a 2017 survey recently published in Harvard Business Review, 85% of 14,500 workers across a variety of industries said they were not working at full potential. Only 15% reported working at 100% of their potential and 16% reported less than 50%. What’s happening in your organization? How do you motivate employees?

We know that external incentives or benefits alone are not enough to motivate workers. Great leaders inspire their people with why they do what they do, instead of the what and how. When employees believe their work matters; when they have a purpose that aligns with the mission of the organization and their leader, they are more creative and productive.

Have you noticed this? Inspired people are the glue that hold an organization together, especially during times of crisis and recovery. They care because their leaders skillfully communicate genuine care
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Engage the Heart and Mind

Great examples of this in action are those leaders who engage both the heart and mind. If you haven’t heard it recently, I urge you to listen to the entire speech of Martin Luther King Jr. delivered on August 28, 1963. He didn’t begin with “I have a plan.” Nor did he open with the changes that needed to be made. He began by telling us why: why all people need to bond for a better future.

When we begin a communication with why, we engage the part of the brain most responsible for decision-making. Let’s call it the WIIFM (what’s in it for me) part of the brain. It searches for data on pleasure versus pain, friend or foe, help or hurt.

You see, while messages are simultaneously processed by all parts of the brain, the area most responsible for decision-making registers subconscious thoughts, lacks language, uses gut intuition, and is heavily influenced by feelings and drives for survival. And it impacts our level of trust. When leaders share a greater cause and higher purpose, listeners are sifting, sorting, and deciding whether and how much to trust, and ultimately, commit. Then, leaders can focus on the how and what.

How Leaders Inspire

The pressures of the pandemic have affected our communication. We’ve reverted to old school communication styles that are less effective.

You see, the traditional communication approach is to define the problem, analyze it, and recommend a solution. While this appears logical—it appeals to reason—it is actually limiting in that it only serves to pass on information to those who desire it, or are looking for direct orders.

If you want to inspire and motivate others, this approach does not work. Worse, it can create more problems. Employees who disagree, have other ideas, or ingrained habits won’t respond well to a perceived command and control order, or a lecture on beliefs.

Have you noticed this? When a communication does not align with what we know or believe, we dismiss it as irrelevant or wrong. We question the source. All of this takes place in the part of our brain that is responsible for emotional reactions, rather than the areas of logic and reasoning. This is often the reason presentations bomb.

When confirmation bias has been activated, you face a skeptical, cynical, or hostile audience. We see this all the time in social media. Regardless of your intended message, it will be heard as reasons not to believe or act. And it’s contagious.

Dr. Maynard Brusman
Consulting Psychologist & Executive Coach Trusted Leadership Advisor
Professional Certified Coach (PCC) International Coach Federation, Board Certified Coach (BCC)
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