Seven ways leaders can inspire people The critical factors of innovation success Seven ways leaders can

n inspire people On Forbes.com, communications coach Carmine Gallo shares some secrets of inspiring leaders. Gallo points out that one third of US employees are so unhappy in their jobs that they are considering leaving their current employers. "Let me ask you," he says, "how is it possible that unhappy, unmotivated and disengaged employees could possibly offer exceptional customer service or develop exciting, innovative products that move your brand forward? They can't. Thats why it is up to you as leader to satisfy a person's 'chief want': someone who will inspire us to be what we know we can be."

The author gives the following advice: Ignite enthusiasm. The key here is passion. The author insists that every inspiring leader has passion in abundance, not just about the product but what it means to their customers. Navigate a course of action. "Nothing extraordinary ever happened without a leader articulating a vision, a course of action," says Gallo. Sell the benefit. Setting goals and targets is all very well, but employees need a clear picture of the benefits that will be achieved. Paint a picture. Gallo explains: "Our brains are programmed more for stories than for abstract ideas. Stories can include the real stories of how your products are improving the lives of your customers. Stories can also include personal anecdotes, helping to establish a closer connection between leaders and teams." Invite participation. Employees don't just want a pay cheque they want to feel involved so "invite them in". Reinforce optimism. Gallo quotes former US secretary of state Colin Powell, who said: "Optimism is a force multiplier."

 Encourage potential. Don't see your employees as simply cogs in a wheel. They need to know you genuinely care about their well-being and job satisfaction. The critical factors of innovation success Writing for the HBR.org Blog Network, Vijay Govindarajan, Mark Sebell and Jay Terwilliger reveal the nine critical success factors of innovation. The authors insist: "Your organisation won't innovate productively unless some underlying factors are in good shape." They ask you to rate your organisation out of ten on each of the following points: 1) A compelling case for innovation. The authors explain: "Unless people understand why innovation is necessary, it always loses to core business or the performance engine in the battle for resources. "The performance engine is bigger, is the centre of power, and can justify resources based on short term financial results. So the case for innovation has to be made, and it better be compelling." 2) An inspiring, shared vision of the future. The majority of organisations base their idea of the future on the past. This always makes the company look relevant in the future, but ignores changes that will occur to make that scenario less likely. With that in mind, the authors say: "It is not about predicting the future. It is about developing hypotheses about the future." 3) A fully aligned strategic innovation agenda. Decide what business you are in now and what you want to be in going forward, as well as your risk tolerance for pursuing "big, game-changing ideas". 4) Visible senior management involvement. Game-changing innovation can only occur when there is true commitment from the top of the organisation. 5) A decision-making model that fosters teamwork in support of passionate champions. The authors comment: "Autocratic decision-making fails to engage all of the critical stakeholders, while consensus sinks every decision to its lowest possible common denominator.

It doesn't work without a passionate champion who can make decisions and engage the team to support those decisions." 6) A creatively resourced, multi-functional dedicated team. The best teams, the authors say, have relevant capabilities and expertise, as well as "naive, seemingly irrelevant diversity". They explain: "Most often a breakthrough starts with the naive and then the experts determine how to do it." 7) Open-minded exploration of the marketplace drivers of innovation. Customers, competition, regulation, science and technology all drive innovation and a company must explore them to find out how to stay relevant in the future. 8) Willingness to take risks and see value in absurdity. The authors say that by embracing the seemingly absurd and irrelevant, you can "create preemptive competitive advantage while competitors move in the 'obvious' direction". 9) A well-defined yet flexible execution process. The authors advise: "First, build a dedicated team for innovation. Second, link the dedicated team to the performance engine so that it can leverage key assets of the core business. Third, evaluate the innovation leader for managing disciplined experiments, not for hitting short-term profit goals."