To be an inspirational leader that cares about people do 12 things.

Our world is divisive, and politics have become so polarized evidence of inspirational leadership is lacking.

With people posturing to advance their political opinions, decency gets lost as the person that screams the loudest prevails.

Give narcistic politicians a megaphone, and rhetoric becomes amplified.

Toss in a new social app where everyone with a belief and business proposition is free to spread their inveterate claims, and it’s easy to see why people feel alone, alienated, and confused, even though the “perception” of connection is ubiquitous.

What happened to inspirational people that motivated us to be better because they were extraordinary human beings?

Leaders who were strong and welcomed dissent.? People that understood the fragility of “freedom” and the danger of destructive oratory.

Successful companies don’t have the luxury of putting a filter on strong opinions, even if those opinions “hurt somebody’s feelings”.?

When business operates without critical consideration, we drift in the direction of dictatorship.

Dictators don’t inspire, they create fear and trepidation, and they destroy everything in their path.

"Motivation comes from working on things we care about. It also comes from working with people we care about."

To be better at leading with inspiration do 12 things that make people feel important:

Care

Great leaders genuinely care for people.? All people, of every race, religion, and orientation.? They don’t require special training because they treat everyone fairly.? When you care for people it’s obvious in our organizations.? Great leaders set a precedent for treating all people fairly and have diverse organizations that reflect their commitment to "caring for people".??

Trust

Great leaders earn trust because they don’t abuse it.? People feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas because a culture has been created that welcomes alternative viewpoints.? When governments and organizations start declaring what constitutes suitable thought, beware.? Trust will never grow in an autocracy.

Positive

Great leaders are positive and incredibly optimistic.? My mom used to say; “If you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything”.? Being critical is easy.? Finding something good to say about people requires thought and consideration.? I encourage people to make sure their language is infused with positivity.

Build

Great leaders build people up, that means everyone!? When we start excluding certain individuals or groups predicated on identity, we drift in a dangerous direction.? Great leaders teach people how to be respectful, kind, tolerant and nonjudgement.? If we aren’t building people up, we are tearing them down by alienating them or remaining silent.?????

"You can have anything you want in life if you just help enough other people get what they want."

Firm

Great leaders are firm and don’t vacillate with indecisiveness.? Many leaders dance around their true intentions by speaking out of both sides of their mouth.? A pattern of inconsistency creates distrust and suspicion.? Great leaders are firm but fair.?

Listen

Great leaders listen to understand, and they welcome all opinions.? In today’s world very few leaders model good listening skills.? Most are committed to contemplating their next sentence not listening to understand.? Establishing an environment of compassion and empathetic listening is key to any successful organization.

Aspire

Great leaders inspire their teams with remarkable vision.? They set big goals, and their teams are fully committed.? When leaders are focused on insignificant distractions, they make concessions to appease popular trends and fail to provide the aspirational energy every organization needs.? When leaders are focused on placating popular opinion, they aren’t inspiring, they’re afraid and conforming.??

Equal

Great leaders treat everyone fairly.? They don’t show favoritism or reward certain people without acknowledging everyone’s contributions.? Every person has a place, regardless of their race, religion, gender, or politics.? There’s a troubling trend to allow our personal beliefs to impair our business acumen.? Great leaders need to avoid allowing politics to interfere with their business judgment.???????

Confident

Great leaders are confident and sincere.? Bravado and arrogance turn people off and create an atmosphere of distrust.? Inspirational leaders are confident, and they make everyone feel amazing. They are poised, positive and direct.? Organizations with confident leaders are focused and don’t get wrapped up in the trivial things that make many many organizations benign.???

Share

Great leaders create other great leaders and that leads to strong teams that are diverse and highly motivated.? Strong leaders have clearly defined values which resonate with everyone.? Work ethic, respect and honesty are installed in the organization and that creates an atmosphere of shared ideas and opinions.

Integrity

Great leaders keep their promises and encourage the same with their teams.? When people make promises they don’t keep, trust is lost.? Once trust is lost, integrity suffers.? Inspirational people honor their word and don’t convolute the truth.? Integrity is hard to earn and easy to lose.

Open?

Great leaders create an atmosphere of open communication.?? They are great communicators and inspire with their words and motivate with their actions.?

"To win in the marketplace you must first win in the workplace."

Sum it up.

What else do inspirational leaders do?? Share your thoughts in the comments section and please like and share this article. I love learning from you as well.

About Steve:

Steve Wohlenhaus is CEO of Weatherology, the leading company in the world at disseminating audio weather information.?? Steve began his career as a major market television weather anchor in Minneapolis, where he received several Emmy Awards for science programming.? Steve is an author and host of the podcast program Anatomy of Success.? Reach out and connect with me on LinkedIn.? Learn more about my work and grab the free Weatherology mobile app by clicking any picture in this article!