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Every leader aspires to be someone who inspires teams to achieve extraordinary results. To become a leader, you have to be inspired yourself, and only then can you inspire others. Here are 30 quotes on management and leadership that inspire me and help me inspire others.
This quote reminds me that leadership is a daily task, not a one-time thing. It's something that I need to do all the time - whether it's setting direction, being a role model, providing support, or offering praise for a job well done.
People are emotional beings, and they will always respond to experience-led leadership rather than logical arguments and ideas.
When we inspire people, we ignite the belief that people can and will be successful, and when that fire burns brightly, it helps them through dark and difficult days.
Inspired leadership is about helping people see their true potential and showing them how they can achieve it. When you can do that, you will create an army of loyal followers.
Fear doesn't inspire anyone. It might create temporary motivation, whereas courage is always inspiring. Be courageous, be bold, and it will help you attract and inspire people.
It's all about the people. Our actions can inspire others, but that is nothing compared to the inspiration they feel when seeing themselves doing or achieving it.
When dealing with experts, don't tell them how to do something. Tell them what needs to be done, leave them to decide on "how" as this will inspire them, and help them become self-leading, which is an even higher level of inspiration.
Often it can be the things that we are trying to achieve that can inspire people. We all want to feel that we have achieved something worthwhile, valuable to others, not just ourselves.
People will listen to what we say, but they will watch what we do. It's our actions that inspire them more than our words.
Titles or positions do not easily influence people. It's the person in the position and the actions they take that count the most.
Passion is contagious and inspiring, and it starts with you. You can't inspire others when you're not passionate or inspired yourself.
Being a leader isn't always about leading the charge. It's also about taking care of others and ensuring that everyone completes the journey.
Hope is a great inspiration. When we help fire the hope and help people realize their hopes and dreams, it's both motivating and inspiring.
If your people stop coming to you, not only have you stopped leading them, but you have stopped inspiring them. Create an environment where people feel supported and seek you out for further inspiration.
You cannot inspire someone through commands. You inspire by building trust, showing understanding, and supporting them when needed.
Sometimes inspiration comes from having the courage to stand up for what you believe.
This is one of my favorite quotes of all time. People become inspired by the destination more than the journey. The more inspiring the goal, the more inspired your teams will be to undertake that journey, even if risky.
We kill inspiration when we micromanage or take away others' opportunities to show their capability or creativity.
When teams become inspired, they don't need leading, and they will often lead themselves—challenging themselves to go even higher.
Inspiration requires us to help light more candles, to increase the light. Not to make ours brighter by snuffing others out.
Inspiration can come from many places, but it's most potent when it comes from within. When it comes from within, people will remain inspired even in our absence.
If you don't know the destination, why would anyone follow you? You need to be clear about where you're going and even clearer why you want to inspire others to come on the journey with you.
When we limit people to just following, we diminish our collective intelligence, capability, and creativity. Great ideas can come from anywhere, and we need to inspire our teams to think, act and contribute.
If you're in Leadership for the applause, then you're in it for the wrong reason. Leadership is about getting others' light to shine brightly and being happy with the reflective glow of their achievements.
If leaders could learn just one thing, I would want it to be this. Yes, you have the position, but you're not a leader if you need to rely on that to lead. True leaders are people that others would follow because they want to, not because they have to.
Leaders who take a stand or take on complex challenges can inspire much more than those who risk little.
A good reminder that real Leadership shines when people see you handle a storm. Yes, it would help if you are prepared before the storm hits, but how you handle the storm is the true test of your leadership mettle.
Nothing inspires like a leader who shares credit, recognizes the team's effort, and gives praise. Everyone wants to feel appreciated when they have done an excellent job. If you're going to inspire people, start by recognizing their efforts as well as their results.
I like this quote, not for its leadership insight, but because it's a reminder that humor and a sense of fun can be inspiring and should be part of a leader's toolset.
The power of inspiration is often underrated, but an inspired team can move mountains, which is why our goal is to create inspired teams.
Conclusion
These brilliantly inspiring people have one thing in common - they had inspiring goals and inspired teams who worked towards those shared goals. As much as leaders want to win, they need motivated teams to drive results.
This is where Empuls helps. Two of the most intrinsic motivation drivers for employees are recognition and rewards. When leaders prioritize employee recognition initiatives, it ignites purpose and potential in their teams. Starting an employee recognition and reward program is easy with Empuls, and your teams will love the social, fun, and frictionless experience it delivers.
