A Nova Guide To Executive Presence: Inspiration
One of the biggest barriers facing women leaders today is a perceived lack of "executive presence." This phrase is often used – and often misunderstood, even by the people using it! Intelligent, capable and talented women are being held back in their careers because they don't meet an ambiguous standard for what an executive should look like. Over the course of our nine week executive presence series, Kathleen, Lisa and Priscilla will be sharing nine traits that every woman can develop to improve her executive presence and bring value to the organization.
Inspire! Don’t we all aspire to inspire our people?
So much has been written about the concept of Inspirational Leadership. From Simon Sinek’s foundational TedTalk on WHY – which now has over 1.3M views - to classic leadership books like Zenger and Folkman’s The Inspiring Leader – we’re all looking to uncover the key to untapped potential in our teams. To motivate our teams to do more, and achieve more. To believe in something bigger than the task at hand.
How can you do this? It starts with three steps:
One: Create the vision. Great leaders share a vision of what the future can be. They create a picture that is far grander than the present. They know that they have to motivate their teams, and drive them to innovate, create, and achieve. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy told an audience at Rice University that “we chose to go to the moon” and that space and its explorations were identified “…not because they are easy, but because they are hard; because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win.” Inspired? I think so!
Two: Enroll people in the vision. Did you read the quote above closely? Kennedy says “we” chose the moon. Not a bunch of scientists and engineers – but all of us. Inspirational leaders not only create a vision, but they create a vision that people can be a part of. A vision where people can see the role they play in achieving that vision, and a place to succeed. Inspiring leaders tap into the motivators for each member of the team, and help each person see how and why the vision matters to them.
Three: Execute to the vision. It’s not enough to create the vision, and enroll your team – inspirational leaders make things happen. They know what it means to drive to a vision, and can manage the plan to get there. Kennedy said we “intend to win” in space exploration. You can’t win without a solid plan. Inspirational leaders lead, delegate, and let people perform to their potential. Because they know and care about each person, inspirational leaders can strike the balance of challenge and support required to execute to the vision. They know the importance of recognition, and of celebrating smaller milestones on the way to the bigger goals. Inspiring leaders encourage people to question assumptions, to challenge boundaries, and achieve more than they would have believed possible.
You don’t have to be a motivational speaker, or a leadership guru, or even a subject matter expert to be an inspirational leader. What you have to be is YOU: willing to create a vision, enroll others, and execute. Willing to be visionary and vulnerable, and to empower your team. That is how you achieve. That is how you inspire.
