What Is Inspirational Leadership?

Inspirational leadership is not a style of leadership per se.

An inspirational leader may well adopt various styles of leadership depending on what the situation calls
for, without ever sacrificing the inspirational aspect of their approach. It is about using the right
methods at the right time, and taking into account the needs and motivations of those you are leading.

In some cases, the highly directive approach will be precisely what is required, and will be what inspires
your reports. Other situations will require a less directive approach, where employees are encouraged
to take the lead and push for change themselves.

Inspirational leadership, at its core, is about finding ways to enhance the potential of those you lead in a
way that works for them, and inspiring others to push themselves, achieve more and reach that
potential. The methods by which this is done will vary from person to person, and business to business,
but the outcome is always the same – people developing a greater confidence in what they can do, and
applying this confidence in a way that benefits the organisation they work for.

Does it differ from traditional leadership?

In the past being a good leader was about pushing the business towards its goals, regardless of the
impact on the workforce; being ruthless and determined were considered to be traits of good
leadership. This has changed over the years, as we now recognise that the real driver behind a business’
success is its employees and that consequently, in order for leaders to propel their organisation to
success, they need the buy in of employees.

This transition has culminated in what is now called inspirational leadership; a focus on finding ways to
inspire and engage those you lead to drive change, and more importantly, want to drive change, on their
own.

Who can be an inspirational leader?

Anyone has the potential to be an inspirational leader, but it’s certainly not something that will come
naturally to everyone.

The key to inspirational leadership is awareness – both self-awareness and awareness of those around
you. You cannot inspire others unless you first inspire yourself, which means knowing what it is that
inspires you, and using this as a catalyst to inspire others.

Of course, the fundamental purpose of a leader is to lead others, so while self-awareness is essential,
you also need to be conscious of what others find inspirational; what is it that motivates your
employees?

Effective leadership has always been a cornerstone of success for a business.

Inspirational leadership is driven by values, and ensuring those values are clearly demonstrated in the
behaviours you display. It is by acting in accordance with your own values that you will inspire others to
act in accordance with their own. This obviously becomes far easier if the people you are leading share
similar values to you, but leaders can still be inspirational when these don’t align completely.

Those who actively work to understand their own values, motivators and inspirations, alongside those of
the people they lead, are most likely to witness success as an inspirational leader.

Once you know these two pieces of information (bearing in mind they may change, and employees
especially will have a diverse range of motivations) you can start to understand what ‘inspirational’
means in your specific context.

Why is inspirational leadership Important?

Effective leadership has always been a cornerstone of success for a business, but as the working world
has evolved being able to inspire others has become increasingly important in order to achieve desired
outcomes.

All businesses and teams can benefit from developing inspirational leaders, but there are certain
scenarios in which inspirational leadership is particularly valuable:

Those managing remote workers

With the evolution of technology remote working is becoming an increasingly common way of life for
many employees.

As a result managers and business leaders are likely to have far less direct contact with their workforce,
meaning they have to find ways to inspire their workers to perform to their maximum, without regular
or substantial interaction.

Without this regularity and depth of interaction the direct influence a leader will have over their reports
will naturally diminish, and as a result they will be required to encourage and motivate employees from
afar.

Leaders with no direct reports

There is a similar challenge for those who are leading departments but have no direct reports.

This is particularly common in areas such as Project Management, where a project manager may be
responsible for the outputs of a range of people, but not directly able to influence them, or have any
authority to elicit consequences of their actions.

In this scenario, being able to inspire people to achieve the goals of the project, because they are able to
recognise the value in it, and feel inspired by the vision being communicated, will enable positive
outcomes that aren’t always guaranteed using a directive approach.

Galvanising a workforce during change

Engaging and supporting your employees through periods of change and unease is a hugely important,
but often tricky, skill to master.

In uncertain times people typically retreat into defensive mode, and fight against upcoming changes;
this leads to resentment, internal disputes, and a great deal of stress for everyone involved.

Inspiring a team to approach change and uncertainty in a more positive light is essential in order to
ensure progress can be made, and requires leaders to communicate effectively, support people to
understand the benefits of the change, and to get behind the long term vision, in order to achieve
cohesion and unity.

Driving performance

In many organisations a gradual shift is occurring from a performance management mind-set, to a

performance motivation one.

Businesses are recognising that people perform better when they are given the freedom to explore their
capabilities within a safe and supportive environment; part of being an inspirational leader is being
willing to provide an environment that encourages this type of development.

Employee engagement

Anyone who has felt inspired by another, whether that’s a friend, colleague, boss or famous figure,
understands the power that this inspiration has to galvanise action, and sustain momentum.

The influence that having an inspirational figure can have on behaviour and engagement at work can be
profound, making it highly important for leaders to develop their skills in this area, not only for the
benefit of the employees they inspire and engage, but also for the benefit of the wider business.

Self-inspiration

Developing the skills to be an inspirational leader of others is a highly beneficial from an organisational
perspective; however it is equally important for leaders to also inspire themselves.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to being an inspirational leader

If what you advocate doesn’t truly align with your personal values, then you will always struggle to
inspire and motivate those around you. As highlighted previously, one of the key components of being
an inspirational leader is a strong conviction in your values, and unless you live in accordance with these
on a daily basis, and continually inspire yourself to strive for bigger and better things, you will never
achieve true inspirational leader status.
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Inspirational Leadership Matters: The Four I's of Leadership

 There is a growing interest from business to encourage leadership skills, develop leadership
abilities, and build leadership knowledge.
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Leadership is a process. Its mechanics are taught to students taking leadership as a major on
college campuses all across the nation. Except for a few flat organizational structures, most of us
have a hierarchy type system with a manager, director, or higher-up. The ideas of what-cause,
how-to-lead, and, how-to-create people to follow your company into the future, are central to the
social science studies in Leadership. The faces of the Leadership Development Master's majors in
college are vast—some are career people looking to lead or start a new career, or get that
promotion. Younger students right from undergrad are enrolling in Master's programs in
Leadership Communications to help them pave the way for a more prosperous future career in
the social sciences, leadership, or organizational behavior. And, students of Leadership are
everywhere in between, enrolled for reasons such as better job, better pay, and to get on a
fast(er) track to management.

The Four I's of Leadership

The Four I's of Leadership are four unique leadership talents, each beginning with the letter I:

 Inspirational Motivation
 Individualized Consideration
 Intellectual Stimulation
 Idealized Influence
This acronym-based learning model is tailored for easy recall on how to identify and improve your
leadership abilities, attributes, and behaviors. Do you want to learn how to truly inspire your
friends and coworkers and create a shared vision of the future? Turn to the Four I's Inspirational
Motivation for some assistance. If giving the best possible meaningful and value-oriented
speeches is something you want to improve, take a look at the Idealized Influence section of the
Four I's for some useful tips. In this article, we will take a look at Inspirational Motivation. In three
future articles, we will explore the other three I's; Individualized Consideration  , Intellectual
Stimulation, and Idealized Influence.
Inspirational Motivation

Inspirational Motivation is when a leader exudes and communicates excellence, and takes the
time to honestly and with integrity, focus on the value of the self, the other person, and the task
at hand. Put simply; they motivate you.

Having the ability to share a vision and mission, the best leader connects emotionally with people
and finds out what makes them "tick." Through gestures, words, doing things differently, and
appropriately timed rewards for jobs well-done, an effective leader helps you become motivated
to achieving greatness, and often time extraordinary levels of performance. For example, the best
inspirational motivators are those leaders or business people that lead by example. They've been
there. And, they've grown and learned from being in your shoes. Studies show that if you want to
be a charismatic or inspiring motivator, it is possible because they are made—not necessarily
born. By unlocking behaviors and hidden potentials to performance and striving for accountability
for actions and results, you, the leader empower people.

Through symbolic moves and living as an example of being the best self, while creating high
standards for those around you, the most powerful and accepted leaders show continued
commitment to motivating others through the mastery of the Four I's of Leadership.  Penn State
University  offers a robust Master's of Leadership Development program.
References & Resources

Transformational Leadership (Second Edition). 2006. Bernard M. Bass, Ronald E. Riggio, Lawrence

Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
Leadership, a Communication Perspective . 1996. Hackman, Michael Z. Johnson, Craig E. Waveland
Press INC.
6 Most Inspirational Leadership Styles

By Robert Half on January 25, 2016 at 4:00pm

     

No matter where you work, creative leaders are called upon to inspire success in others. Discover six
of the most inspirational leadership styles and then ask yourself: Which one am I?

In the workplace, we expect leaders to be ethical, influential and diligent. They must excel in their
specific roles while also bringing out the best in others, ensuring their  creative teams have the resources
and support to succeed. We call this managing. However, exceptional creative leaders do more than
simply manage. They challenge, mentor and inspire, making others want to do better and be better.

How does your management style stack up?

Creative leaders aren't one size fits all. That's part of the beauty of the following inspirational leadership
styles – they prove that there's something about most management approaches that can inspire
greatness in others. And isn't that the definition of leadership?

6 inspirational leadership styles

1. The Pillar. Motto: Discipline – not just hard work – pays off.

The Pillar is strong and steadfast, leading by example rather than force. He may be one of the brightest
people in the room, but that's not what makes him stand out. He is also the most disciplined,
understanding that even creativity requires structure, like templates, schedules and spreadsheets. In
short, The Pillar is an unflappable creative leader who inspires through dedication.

2. The Empowerer. Motto: I trust you.

If you've ever worked for a manager whose motto was "I don't trust you," you can imagine the value The
Empowerer adds to a creative department. This is one of the most empathetic leadership styles, one
that strives to delegate tasks based on individuals' strengths, trusting that they're the best creative
professional for the job. The Empowerer inspires by trusting others' expertise and encouraging self-
sufficiency.

3. The Logician. Motto: Do what makes sense.

The Logician is an intellectual with a knack for solving tough problems. This creative leader comes to the
table with solutions, often making the decisions that keep teams efficient and exceptional. This
leadership style is both thorough and thoughtful, clearly seeing the shortest distance between two
points. She leads with integrity, inspiring others to take an honest look at themselves and their work.

4. The Visionary. Motto: Nothing is impossible.

The Visionary likely brings to mind leaders like Steve Jobs and Henry Ford. Both were unrelenting and
courageous. Both led by intuition and a desire to surpass the accepted standard. Like them, The
Visionary sees what others don't. He is a leader driven by possibilities. An undeniably influential leader,
The Visionary inspires by showing others never to settle.

5. The Impassioned. Motto: I would do this for free.

There is no mistaking The Impassioned. This creative leader is fervently dedicated to her work and
her creative side projects. She self-identifies as an artist or a writer, for example, not a marketer or
advertiser. Her work, she believes, comes with no price tag; she'd be happy doing it for free. The
Impassioned is persuasive by default, inspiring others by her enthusiasm.

6. The Perfectionist. Motto: The best or nothing.

The Perfectionist is an uncompromising leader. Sometimes perceived as rigid or unrelenting, this

leadership style does sweat the small stuff – and it pays off. He won't settle for good enough or even
great. His work is exceptional because he has thought of everything. The Perfectionist is an idealist who
inspires others to never submit (or defend) subpar work.
Which inspirational leader are you?

Creative leaders need more than just strong management skills to build the best teams and lead them to
success; they have to understand the nuances of creativity and what inspires creative people. Share
which leadership styles you prefer or which creative leader sounds most like you.

Building a creative team? We can help! Learn about  our staffing solutions  to meet all of your
freelance, full-time and project needs.