Inspire Instead of Require

Last night I attended a leadership workshop. One thing the speaker said that really stood out to me was, "Good leaders inspire, not require". I know that this is very true from firsthand experience.

At a previous job of mine, I had a supervisor who did not know how to relate to her subordinates. She would try to gain respect by instilling fear in other employees and bossing people around. While her tactics may have motivated me to complete the job I was assigned, I certainly was not inspired to impress her. My job performance did not exactly suffer as a result of this negativity but I dreaded going to work. If I would have had a better supervisor, I would have been more than happy to exceed her expectations for me.

My current boss is the best leader I have had a chance to observe in a workplace. While she makes her expectations of me clear, she trusts that I will get my job done without needing constant supervision and is forgiving when I make occasional mistakes. She also praises me when I have completed tasks successfully. Because my boss is respectful and appreciative towards me, I feel motivated to do my best work for her.

An effective leader communicates a vision

In order to be a successful leader, one must clearly communicate a vision or plan for the future. Without any goals, people within an organization will be unclear of what role they play in contributing to the success of that company.

I have learned the importance of setting small goals to accomplish a final vision this semester. I'm not really sure what I want to do after I graduate from Purdue and I am not very interested in my major. This uncertainty of my future has contributed to my loss of motivation to graduate. If I would have started this semester with more of a plan or something to aspire to, I may have been more motivated to keep up with my classes and schoolwork.

Lacking a plan can lead to wasted time and misplaced energy for just one individual. If a company has a leader who cannot effectively communicate to each individual what their role is and how it contributes to the vision, a whole group of people could feel lost and unmotivated.