The inspiration of leaders is multi-faceted. Leading other people means showing them the path to follow in a way that creates a desire for them to follow you. Being a leader means taking actions to influence others’ thinking or to guide their behaviour. Leading involves directing and inspiring performance and often pioneering the way forward.

Organisational leadership includes all this and much more. More is expected of leaders in today’s organisational settings, particularly when they operate in competitive or constantly-changing environments, and when events inside and outside the organisation are in constant flux. Sometimes leaders provide as much of a stabilising influence as they do initiative for progressive advancement. A principal role for leaders today involves creating an environment where people can be effective, collaborative, and productive. That environment, commonly called the “Corporate Culture”, is substantially influenced by the leader’s guidance on how people should work together, and how they should treat each other. The leader creates an environment that is conducive to positive feelings and high performance.

Leadership is people-oriented. As a role model to others, the leader sets an example of how to interact. If leaders demonstrate respect for others, others, in turn, will respect one another. If leaders demonstrate positive emotions like pride, enthusiasm, and excitement about accomplishing goals, followers will manifest similar behaviours.

Organisations must have a purpose. It’s the leader’s job to instil that sense of mission into each and every member of the team. In addition, leaders show each follower how to bring the organisation’s mission to life, how to act productively on the objectives they are set to achieve. This focus on mission builds a sense of togetherness, a results-oriented cohesiveness that is all inspiring.