Week 7: Inspirational Leadership

Share stories of leaders who inspire and motivate their teams through their actions and words.

“Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do, and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.” - General George S. Patton

Introduction

This week we discuss inspirational leadership and its profound impact on supporter success. Our goal is to discuss actionable insights for leaders seeking to inspire and motivate their teams to achieve exceptional results. Whether you are a trained and experienced leader, or you are just starting out in charge of a new team, there is always room to learn from examples and institutional bits of knowledge. When you complete this reading you will know more about leading by example, commitment versus compliance, and motivational communication.

Inspiration is “the action or power of moving the intellect or emotions” (Merriam-Webster). It is taking a person’s or group’s current state and providing them with a new direction with the motivation to carry out the task. Inspiration is an important part of leadership. In business, inspirational leadership emerges as a driving force for your supporter's success and productivity. The first step is to lead by example.

Sources for this article:

• Bass, B. M., & Riggio, R. E. (2006). Transformational leadership (2nd ed.). Psychology Press.

• Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R., & McKee, A. (2002). Primal leadership: Realizing the power of emotional intelligence. Harvard Business Press.

• Avolio, B. J., & Gardner, W. L. (2005). Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 315-338.

• Meyer, J. P., Becker, T. E., & Van Dick, R. (2006). Social identity and commitment: The moderating role of group‐norms and perceived legitimacy. European Journal of Social Psychology, 36(1), 1-22.

• Merriam-Webster Dictionary, accessed 13 February 2024, https://www.merriam-webster.com/.

Lead by Example.

A critical part of authentic leadership is being the example that you wish your supporters to emulate. We of course want leaders who are transparent and consistent (Avolio, B. J., & Gardner, W. L., 2005). Authenticity provides leaders with one of the best forms of training regiment for their supporters and I think it also provides your supporters resilience. When supporters know that you can accomplish something, they are more likely to believe in themselves conducting that task as well. Leaders therefore gain authenticity through doing or knowing the tasks that they require others to perform.

I have experienced this directly while conducting combat operations in Iraq as a Company Commander. I was ordered to establish a time-sensitive recovery operation for destroyed or damaged allied vehicles. It was time-sensitive due to the risk of enemy action the longer vehicles and Soldiers remained outside the base perimeter. My company maneuvered security and recovery assets to rescue those Soldiers and equipment back to a secure location.

During mission planning and discussions with my platoon leaders, there was hesitation and negative feedback on conducting these missions. It was not part of my Company’s essential mission tasks and diminished my ability to conduct that mission. These are the times in war when you have to understand the bigger picture or as a mature leader, when there are no other options, you must follow orders. I felt that for the first mission, it would be better for me to show them how I want it done. So when we got the first call, I mounted up in the first vehicle commander seat and rolled my unit out of the wire.

With a successful mission completed, my lieutenants were not only eager to show what they could do, but they now had an idea of what the right way looked like. Leading by example set the tone for almost 50 more successful missions that year earning my company a reputation for executing a fast security mission and bringing everyone back safely. Our Soldiers performed exceptionally well, bravely, especially since the security tasks were outside their normal skill sets. My company developed authentic leaders and my Soldiers developed commitment.

Commitment versus Compliance.

Consider while you read what is better. Do you want your employees to obey just enough to not get fired, or do you want your employees to know what to do and commit to completing it well? You will find as a leader some of your supporters aren’t as dedicated to the mission as you are. They may even be your best workers, but only in things they are directly told to do. Will they warn you of failure? Will they add flexibility and a positive culture to your workplace?

“Commitment is a force that binds an individual to a target (social or non-social) and to a course of action of relevance to that target” (Meyer, J. P., Becker, T. E., & Van Dick, R., 2006). It is obvious why this would be better than a person who just finishes work, and goes home! Committed supporters produce successful teams that become much more productive. Inspirational leaders build commitment best through values and not just through a simple exchange of benefits.

Exchange-based commitment is using a focal point to build a commitment. This can be pay, rewards, promotions, or skill benefits. “Unlike value-based commitments, exchange-based commitments bind the individual only to the focal (non-discretionary) behaviors defined within the terms of the commitment” (Meyer, J. P., Becker, T. E., & Van Dick, R., 2006). When you build values that all employees can agree and adhere to, it creates a better foundation to lock in positive behavior.

This is a core principle of inspirational leadership. Developing values that improve, innovate, and build a more productive company. It is a leader's responsibility to develop shared values and inspire their employees to emulate those values. This requires charisma and communication skills. Leaders who “inspire their followers to go beyond self-interest and fully commit to achieving organizational goals, resulting in exceptional performance that exceeds established standards” (Bass, B. M., & Riggio, R. E., 2006). Next, this article delves into the intricate interplay between effective communication strategies and the ability of leaders