The Inspirational Leader

The Inspirational Leader argues that leaders are not born but made. Taking the form of conversations between a young chief executive and the author, it explores the nature and practice of leadership. Each aspect of leadership is studied and discussed, so that the key skills are revealed for anyone to adopt and use to inspire and encourage others. Thought-provoking and accessible, it will help you to develop the necessary charisma and qualities to make you an inspiring leader. Leaders are not a particular type of person, and the valuable advice presented in this book can help anyone realize their full potential.

Can you inspire your team hearts and minds every day? If you can your organization will become one of the best in the world, and your team will perform at heights you never imagine. Harvard Business School gathered data from assessments of more than 50,000 leaders, and the ability to inspire stood out as one of the most critical competencies. Inspiration creates the highest levels of engagement, it is what separates the best leaders from everyone else, and it is what employees want most in their leaders. The Inspirational Leader, Inspire Your Team To Believe In The Impossible was written to help all leaders successfully navigate all the disruptions in today fiercely competitive world because we need a new generation of leaders who care deeply for the well-being of their team and who understand that their people are the heart of their leadership. Whether you are the leader of a large, medium or small organization; a Teacher, a V.P., CEO, Father, Mother, Police Officer, or Hustler; this book was written to help you inspire your team to believe in the impossible. Each chapter in this book will push you to become the leader you were destined to be; a leader of influence, a leader of value, a leader of vision and most importantly, an inspirational leader.

What does it mean to be an inspirational leader? Contrary to popular belief, being an inspirational leader doesn't require celebrity status, a rags-to-riches story, an impressive title, or even poignant speeches or newsworthy accomplishments. True inspirational leadership is more a matter of character than achievement, experienced by individuals on a personal level more than recognized by society on the world stage. In Be An Inspirational Leader, author Dan Nielsen portrays the incredible impact of inspirational leadership on your personal, professional, and organizational success. He draws on the experience and expertise of dozens of highly successful leaders, sharing proven principles and strategies to help equip you to become a more effective inspirational leader who engages, inspires, and empowers people, improves organizations, and positively impacts the world.

In their bestselling work The Extraordinary Leader, performance thought leaders John Zenger and Joseph Folkman revealed the 16 key competencies that separate the top 10 percent of leaders from the rest. Since that book’s publication, they and coauthor Scott Edinger discovered, through an extensive study conducted over four years, that leaders who possessed the ability to inspire and motivate outperformed all others. The authors found that the impact of inspiring and motivating others is consistent across different kinds of organizations and within different cultures. The Inspiring Leader reveals the authors’ newest proprietary research on how top leaders inspire teams to greatness. It discusses the behaviors exhibited by the most successful leaders and includes advice on how to implement them. Drawing from statistically significant data and objective empirical evidence, the book shows how to: Establish a clear vision and direction Use the power of emotions Create stretch goals for your team Foster innovation and risk taking Encourage teamwork and collaboration Champion change, and much more Zenger, Folkman, and Edinger lay out the strategies and concepts used by the world’s greatest leaders to motivate their teams. With The Inspiring Leader as your guide, you will learn how to put those strategies to work in your own business.

The definition of great leadership, backed by ground-breaking research When Execution Isn't Enough examines the essential leadership skills that go beyond simply executing strategies well. It examines the leadership skills that inspire excellence and drive growth. Great leaders think differently, but their secrets, values, and behaviors can't be bottled—or can they? Is leadership so contextual that it defies standardization? In this book, McKinsey's global head of leadership development draws on ground-breaking McKinsey research to uncover 20 distinct leadership traits. All are important, but some make all the difference in inspiring organizations to exceptional results and growth—and a select few create the vast chasm between strong and weak organizations in terms of leadership effectiveness. Structured as a business parable, this book employs a rich cast of corporate characters to illustrate the critical behaviors of inspirational leadership and the outcomes that become possible. Attempting to nail down exactly what makes a leader inspirational is like trying to capture lighting in a bottle, but new McKinsey research has identified the behavioral leadership catalysts that inspire greatness. This book describes the behaviors to inspire that can be learned—to turn a good leader into a great leader. Understand the neuroscience of inspiration Tailor your inspirational approach to different leadership scenarios Initiate an inspiration cascade to influence people at scale The picture of leadership has changed over time. Today's great leaders are authentic, enthusiastic decision-makers with engaging visions, who are quick to communicate and take action. Less than half of all CEOs believe that their training investments will pay off, yet everyone agrees that leadership drives performance—where is the disconnect? It's in the belief that simple leadership behaviors equal results, forgetting that exceptional results only come from inspiration. When Execution Isn't Enough shows you how to attain the missing link of great leadership to bring exceptional results of your organization.

Elevate your leadership to achieve the extraordinary Inspired Leadership is the essential guide to performing at the highest level every day. As CEO of Porsche, author Kevin Gaskell led the company from near-bankruptcy to the most profitable car company. During his four years at BMW, the company saw 80% growth in sales and 500% increase in profitability. Good leaders get results and great leaders get great results—but Inspired Leaders get extraordinary results, turn around companies, ensure people development and turn brands into household names. This book shows you how to become an Inspired Leader. Workable strategies, practical frameworks, and real-world essential skills give you a concrete curriculum for success, while anecdotes and examples drawn from the author's experiences illustrate important concepts in action. Inspirational, aspirational, and deeply instructional, this guide will become your go-to resource for navigating the leader's role. From tricky situations to everyday interactions, you'll learn the skills and outlook you need to take your leadership to the next level. Learn what Inspired Leadership looks like in terms of results Discover the key factors that separate Inspired leaders from the merely "great" Adopt the tools and processes that get extraordinary results in the real world Understand the essential core of high performance, and incorporate it into your day-to-day Quality leadership is the difference between success and failure, but Inspired Leadership is the difference between success and world-class performance. It requires 360-degree attention, laser focus, authentic relationships, and a rock-solid understanding of the leader's role. When you're ready to achieve the extraordinary, Inspired Leadership is the resource to keep within arm's reach.

Being inspired can be a magnificent, invigorating feeling. But it's also one that we know surprisingly little about. Does it happen by chance? Are all forms of inspiration the same? Can we influence how and when we feel inspired? These are searching questions, particularly for people who take on the responsibilities and challenges of leadership. Given the tumultuous state of the world today, effective leadership throughout our organizations and communities has never been more important. Equally though, there has also never been greater pressure on leaders to perform and to provide inspirational leadership for their people and teams. If individuals are to step up and succeed in inspiring others, their first priority must be to discover the inspiration they need for themselves. The Inspired Leader helps them do just that. The book is based on extensive new research, conducted in association with Henley Business School, into the real life experiences of leaders from many different walks of life. Drawing on the latest behavioural science, Andy Bird explains how inspiration is actually experienced by people in positions of leadership. He also examines how they maintain it over time despite the many obstacles and challenges they face. The result is a compelling collection of stories, insights and ideas which are accompanied by a thought-provoking set of personal development tools and reflective exercises. In combination, The Inspired Leader provides unrivalled support for anyone seeking their own path to a more inspired life as a leader.

Everyone wants to be the kind of leader who energizes and mobilizes others-yet too few are. Why is it so challenging to crack the code? All it takes is the right conversation…great leaders inspire action with their words. They spark enthusiasm and commitment. With a single conversation, they can change the direction of someone's life. Executive coach Kristi Hedges spent years studying exactly what inspiring leaders do differently. Informed by quantitative research and thousands of responses from leaders at all levels, she reveals that inspiring communication isn't about grand gestures. Instead, those who motivate us most do a few things routinely, consistently, and intentionally. In Inspiration Code, Kristi explains: Present: investing their attention carefully and guiding the flow of conversations Personal: speaking genuinely, listening generously, and bringing out the potential of those around the Passionate: exhibiting sincere emotion and exuding energy attuned to the situation Purposeful: helping others find meaning and see their place in the bigger picture Eye-opening and accessible, The Inspiration Code dispels common myths about how leaders communicate-and guides them in cultivating qualities that authentically excite. Inspired companies need inspirational leaders. Learn to unlock motivation, lift peoples ‘sights, and lead them into the future.