The Power of Inspirational Leadership
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer became the new manager of Manchester United, and immediately the team began winning games after a dismal run under the special one Jose Mourinho; why! one-word Inspiration. Can a change in leadership have a dramatic effect on a team, or a company or on your family, your community or the world; absolutely, everything starts and ends with leadership, but more importantly inspirational leadership.
It’s exciting looking at this team now under Ole as oppose to Mourinho. You can see the difference, not only on the pitch but the overall personality of the players. I am seeing a bunch of people more inspired than ever before, not only to win games but to live the values of Man United.
Leadership and inspiration are inseparable; you cannot expect great performances from your team if they are not inspired. You cannot expect great products or great service from your staff if they are not motivated by a leader who lives and breathes the purpose, values, and vision of the organization.
As I often mention in my previous articles if the leader's character is questionable, all trust will be broken down and any organization with a high level of distrust among the staff, the company suffers. It is interesting, Harvard Business School gathered data from assessments of more than 50,000 leaders, and the ability to inspire stood out as one of the most critical competencies. Inspiration creates the highest levels of engagement, it is what separates the best leaders from everyone else, and it is what employees want most in their leaders.
Bain & Company research identified 33 distinct and tangible attributes that are statistically significant in creating inspiration in others according to Mark Horwitch and Meredith Whipple Callahan. The power of a company with leaders who inspire at every level up and down the organization is hard to overstate. These are the companies that consistently pull off innovative or heroic feats in business because so many of the people who work there are motivated to make them happen.
The best chemistry leaders have with their team is a deep-seated love for every single person on that team. Managers can drive businesses, but what separate the great companies from the good ones are leaders who love their team intensely on and off the pitch. According to Fernando Vilas, these leaders are capable of inspiring others to follow them, even in very adverse situations and are capable of transmitting a message to each person on their team, touching the most buried feeling inside of their people. They give purpose to the organization, explaining the personal reasons to achieve them as opposed to following an order from a manager.
Leadership is about people, it's about inspiring people to believe that the impossible is possible, it is about developing and building people to perform at heights they never imagine, and it's about making a positive impact on your community, your company, your department, your employees and by extension the world. Ole got it, and his influence is quite evident, inspiration is at the heart of great leadership and let's hope it continues on Sunday.