In September 2024, I was at a conference chatting with talent development colleagues about growing strong leaders.
One friend said, “You can’t create inspirational leaders.”
I almost laughed. At the time, I was writing Lead Without Limits, where we define exactly what it means to be an inspirational leader—and how anyone can grow into one.
When I asked what they meant, they described someone charismatic with a grand vision—someone who “makes you feel motivated.” I disagreed.
With our book, we realized we needed to define inspirational leadership and after months of research, we landed on this modified quote from John Quincy Adams:
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you’re an inspirational leader.”
Notice something?
Charisma doesn’t matter. Extroversion doesn’t matter. What matters is the impact you have on others.
For me, my thesis advisor, Adnan, is a perfect example.
Quiet, behind the scenes, never seeking attention.
But he invested time and energy in me that pushed me to become more.
Charisma? Not required. Impact? Absolutely.
When I work with clients, I see nearly all leaders are attracted to being inspirational with the implied context of seeing their profits soar, but I understand what differentiates leaders wanting to grow and those that actually do.
Even with our clear process and analytics to enable growth, there are two patterns I see:
Sustained effort matters. Successful leaders improve their leadership skills during discussions or easier times and resist the temptation to revert to their old behaviors when they didn’t see quick results or a crisis hits.
They see where they want to be as a leader and continue to focus on their development, even in tough times. This also provides consistency for their teams.
Desire to grow matters. Leaders who accept feedback and lean in on how they can improve and not cast blame on others. In short, they own their leadership and truly want to grow.
These leaders who commit to growth? They’re better at handling crises, receiving tough feedback, and keeping their teams energized and focused.
Here’s the takeaway: to help others to achieve more than they thought possible, these leaders know their journey is continuous and filled with self-reflection and adjustment.
And, they are driven to achieve action, and results, not just feelings.
Circling back to the discussion at the conference, we needed consistency on what it truly means to inspire. This would have helped us to more clearly gauge the inspiration of leaders.
Do the leaders help others learn more, do more, and become more?
If yes—regardless of title, charisma, or position—they’re truly inspirational.
This is something anyone can develop.
I’d love to hear from you: What’s one way you’ve inspired your team to become more and do more—without burning anyone out?
Christopher Sprague, PhD, is the CEO and Cofounder of the Enluma Leadership Group.
At Enluma, we believe that the leadership gaps we are seeing today is due to limited access. By leveraging analytics, AI, and community, we are growing inspirational leaders at scale.
The future of leadership isn’t about developing a few better leaders — it’s about giving everyone access to become one.
If you’d like to learn more, reach out via LinkedIn.