Be Inspired
We often talk about leaders being inspiring figures, as people who set a compelling and inspiring vision for the product and the organization, and people that determine a direction of travel that inspires others to follow.
They embody what it means to co-create meaningful things in meaningful ways.
Executives and leaders can sometimes neglect their own inspiration in favour of being an inspiring leader in the environments they lead. We need to make sure that the well that we draw upon is full to keep shining a light for others.
To be effective, in a sustainable way, you need to be inspired yourself. You need to have that fire inside of you that fuels innovation, progression, and evolution.
Energy is the single most valuable currency of the 21st century.
You need to look after yourself and create a personal ecosystem that fuels great performances.
- Commit to a healthy diet. We are what we eat, and you need to make sure that what you are eating fuels high performance and emotional stability.
- Commit to regular exercise. A healthy, strong body is a healthy, strong mind. You can’t fake strength and you can’t fake energy. You need to generate a powerful body that fuels you through the rough moments and instils discipline and mental strength daily.
- Commit to regular breaks. Burnout and chronic fatigue are common amongst executive and leadership teams. You need to take breaks that allow you to readjust, refocus and realign as and when necessary.
- Know yourself. Introversion and extroversion are not just about expression, they also signal how you draw energy from your environment. Know how to rejuvenate and reinspire yourself through practices that are proven to replenish the well.
- Grow knowledge. You need to commit to thought leadership conferences, watch TED talks and read articles from thought leaders and successful executives that inspire you. Business Agility is achieved through continuous learning and improvement, and so you should be committed to continuous learning and improvement in your personal capacity too.
We aren’t all born with the same visionary, inspiring traits as a Steve Jobs.
We can, however, co-create with others. We can co-create a direction of travel that inspires others. We can co-create a vision and purpose that inspires others to produce their greatest work. We can co-create organizational goals and objectives that invite creativity and collaboration from the teams we serve.
You don’t need to come up with everything by yourself.
Sometimes, making a strong start and inviting others to contribute is all that is needed to get buy-in, support and a strong commitment from others to achieving that vision, those goals, and those objectives.
Some would argue that co-creation is far more effective than simply dictating what needs doing and within which time and cost constraints it needs doing.
If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with many.
About John Coleman
John Coleman has deep experience and expertise working with executives, #leadership teams and product development teams to achieve increased #businessagility and create environments where creativity and collaboration produce high-performance teams.
If you are interested in helping your team or organization achieve greater agility and want to explore agile training options, visit our training page.
If you value coaching and would like to work with a deeply experienced agile and executive coaching specialist, visit our coaching page.
If you are looking for an expert agile consultant that can help your leadership team identify an appropriate roadmap to business agility and take the most effective course of action in your agile transformation, visit our consulting page.
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