The Inspiration of Business
Business is a complicated beast. As time goes on, according to Gartner, businesses will continue having a difficult time staying relevant and competitive in the market. Whether it’s due to shifts in customer behavior, competing companies offering better service at similar prices, or increasing international competition for business attention and investment dollars—there are lots of reasons why business leaders are asking themselves if their company is really as inspired as they want it to be.
What these leads are looking for is a new way of thinking that can help inspire impactful change within their organizations. They need fresh ideas that not only resonate with the current culture but also motivate people to action them.
For many, the idea of business inspiration comes with a negative connotation. It’s associated with an over-optimistic belief that positivity alone can solve all problems. Many businesses associate being inspired with being naïve, and some are afraid of sounding too inspiring for fear that there may be someone out there that is better at it than them.
While some people may be inspired to greatness by positivity alone, inspirational leadership is about more than just creating awareness. In fact, it’s not necessarily about being positive or negative in your message. Instead, it’s about leading in a way that motivates others to act in a manner consistent with the intentions you set out for them.
It’s about inspiring them to make a difference in a way that truly changes their personal and professional lives.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself to help determine if your message is being heard in the right way. Are you only leading by example rather than with specific messages? Or, are you trying to convince others through inspirational stories that they can achieve something similar if they work hard enough?
If it’s the latter, this type of inspiration will be meaningless unless you make it easy for people to actually change their behavior. This means that either the messages you’re sending or the actions you’re asking them to take need not just be reasonable but also actionable.
The new model for inspiring inspiration is about doing it in a way that doesn’t just point people to a better place. It’s about doing it with the hope that you can help them get there themselves.
This empowerment validates your leadership and shows them they can do it themselves, as well as how important they are to the future of your company. They are given the confidence by seeing themselves successfully make progress towards their goals, which then boosts their motivation and commitment to the greater good.
When you inspire the people you lead to make a difference, paying it forward becomes a natural consequence of how they choose to live their lives. When you’re inspiring your employees to make a difference, for example, you’re also inspiring other people to join your company and help them do so. You’re also inspiring others to become better investors, help with marketing initiatives, or become better customers. Just as importantly, when your company is successful in its business activities, it inspires others in turn to be more successful in their own personal endeavors.
It’s all about how the leader chooses the message and executes the delivery that creates this power for inspiration.
Here are a few examples of what inspiring business leaders have done when it comes to inspiring others:
At the end of World War II, Robert Wood Johnson II released his employees from their obligation to work for him and encouraged them to seek new opportunities outside of the Johnson & Johnson companies. He also provided temporary compensation for those that chose to stay, even though this was not required by law at the time.
In return, his employees inspired him by using their new privileges to help rebuild the company against a steady backdrop of increased competition and economic uncertainty. He also transformed his personal life, having seen how his employees inspired him to be a better father and husband.
In essence, Robert Johnson had inspired the people he lead to go out and inspire others in their own lives, helping to change their lives for the better as a result. He also inspired them to act in such a way that was beneficial to himself and those around him.
Tiffany & Co. knows how important it is for employees to have pride in their work and relationships with customers as well as each other. To encourage this, the company holds a program where employees have the opportunity to have their part of the business named after them.
It’s important to remember that any inspiration you inspire needs to be both purposeful and personal, otherwise it becomes meaningless. You also need to ensure that your inspiration comes with an action plan for people to follow so that their actions don’t go unfulfilled. Otherwise, your message is just noise in the ears of everyone around you.
In summary, it’s not about being overly optimistic and positive all the time. In fact, people will respect your authority more when you take responsibility for your actions and allow them to fail without getting a free pass. However, this type of power is not about avoiding failure—it’s about empowering your employees to succeed.
It’s about inspiring through understanding their needs and working hard to meet them. It’s about motivating them to do their best at whatever they do by leading by example rather than just telling them what to do and expecting the same level of quality from them as you get from yourself.
Are you able to inspire others by giving them a purpose and providing them with goals? Or do you find yourself just telling people what to do and expecting the same level of perfection from them as you get from yourself?
If your inspiration is about convincing people that positive thinking alone can help solve all problems, there are ways to reach more people through different types of messages that speak to the human condition on a deeper level. If that message doesn’t resonate with your audience, they will lose interest in your ideas.
A business leader’s ability to inspire others to make a difference is what keeps the company moving forward and the people that work there inspired to do their best. It’s also an important part of your personal life too. Inspired leadership means that you take responsibility for your actions and allow others the opportunity to learn from them. It also means understanding why your employees are motivated by financial compensation as well as some other type of reward, as this can help ensure that everyone on your team is operating at their best. It’s about realizing what inspires others on a personal level, and then taking action with confidence so they feel inspired in their workplace or social situation.
Conclusion
It is our belief that the power of inspiration cannot be underestimated. It is one of the most powerful forces in human life, on both a personal and an organizational level. We believe that it can help you build your own brand, inspire others to embrace change and become more successful, and use it to solve the world’s problems.
Your employees are more likely to be inspired if you understand their needs and focus on giving them something specific that they want. If you want people to take more responsibility for their actions, you need to inspire them with a purpose. You need to show them how they can find fulfillment in helping others at work or in their personal life make a positive impact on the world as well as themselves.