Leadership is a Continuous Learning Exercise
There is always the debate about whether good leaders are born or made. This is possibly because some people instinctively take to leadership roles as naturally as fish takes to water. The personal dispositions of such people make them to be naturally at ease leading, influencing and inspiring other people who also tend to accept their leadership styles. In this sense it would be argued that some people are blessed with natural dispositions, which tend to make them comfortable with leadership irrespective of the level, complexity and scenario. They seem to be “born leaders’.
However, because leadership is dynamic and largely positional in nature, leadership can also be both learned and improved. Therefore, good leaders are those that necessarily and continually build their leadership abilities and experience through exposure to different situations and their engagements or interactions with people. In this regard, good leaders would be considered to be “Made leaders”.
There are some notable leadership attributes and personal dispositions that support such good leadership, which will always position a person as a potential leader. Among these attributes and personal dispositions are manifested characters such as courage, credibility, confidence, consistency, thoughtfulness, humility, compassion, empathy, loyalty, commitment, passion, trust, etc.
Importantly, for any true leader to be effective in leadership and management roles there must be more than just possession of leadership potentials and abilities. There must be active and conscious development of specific leadershipcapacity. This is because, even if a person is a ‘born leader’, he or she must learn through diverse situations and experiences how to lead in particular ways and particular times, in order to achieve particular goals. So, in leading people, “one cap does not fit all”.
Leadership is a never-ending process, and it is a fact that, if you are a leader, you will often have to learn on the job. In this regard, you learn to develop your distinct approaches, thoughts and leadership styles as uniquely as the different situations dictate. That personal ability to respond proactively and effectively in leadership and similar situations is a demonstration and measure of personal inspiration.
Personal Inspiration for Impact Leaders
A cardinal part of inspirational leadership development for impact leaders that desire to continue to positively influence people is the concept of coach-leadership. The concept is based on the teaching that a leader must be inspired in order to be an inspiration to others. It also teaches that such an inspirational leader is “a dealer in hope”. That type of leader ‘sells’ hope to people because he is sold in the same hope and belief that he shares with others. That is leadership inspiration, and is described as the capacity of an inspired leader to build the energy of the team around his personal energy.
An inspired leader would motivate an ordinarily fearful, weak and unstable person to take on challenges that may appear to be beyond his abilities, by compelling a desire to accomplish within him. In this regard, what the leader achieves is not ‘obedience’ to his instructions, but an inspired response from his follower to his charge. It is a response that is based on trust, loyalty and knowledge that the leader is able to build within his follower(s). This is inspirational leadership and never fails to bring about good results.
This level of leadership inspiration is dependent on the kind of relationship that has been built and which exists between the leader and the led. It is therefore not achieved overnight or by mere words of motivation and encouragement of the leader. It is achieved through the leader’s personal demonstration of selfless sacrifice, love, care and commitment over a period of time.
If the people that you lead know that you will be bold enough to take the first stone and challenge the ‘Goliaths’ that threaten them, they will trust you enough to follow you. They will also be willing to learn from you how to be a giant killer. Surely, it takes a giant killer to make other giant killers, as demonstrated by a leader like King David in the Bible, who stands out as one of the most inspired and inspirational kings of Israel. It takes an inspired leader to compel others to be inspired to take on tasks.
Leadership training courses, as wonderful and useful as they are, cannot teach a person to be inspirational. Inspiration is so personal to every one of us that, what inspires one person may not exactly inspire another person. Personal inspiration is in reality heartfelt and spirit-induced. You must experience it for, and by yourself. No one can teach you how to be inspired or how to experience personal inspiration. That responsibility is yours.
How then can leadership or executive coaching help you to become the inspired person that you can or desire to be? It is by deliberately exposing you to the conditions and possibilities that support you to deal with issues that can potentially put a damper on your personal inspiration. This will at the same time compel you to aspire for greater inspiration with even greater enthusiasm.
If you have the desire and will, you can become truly inspired to be an effective leader, manager, businessperson, or performer in any sphere of endeavour. To become more inspired and remain inspired, you must develop through continuous process of self-study, education, re-invention, training, and experience. According to Henry Miller, “One’s destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things”.
How to Remain an Inspirational Leader
To understand the power of inspiration is to appreciate the impact that people in positions of authority and influence can make on their protégés. In this regard, the 
possible inspirational roles played by parents, teachers and leaders, among others are worth noting, especially if the people that they influence through personal inspiration attach superior meaning, great value and significance to what they receive there from.
People that have at one time or the other performed some outstanding feats have been known to credit a person or people as the source of their inspiration. An inspirational leader of course has the ability to inspire people and spur them to do something remarkable, especially by boosting their confidence, enthusiasm, belief, hope etc.
To inspire in this regard is the same as to encourage people. The opposite is of course to discourage people. In other words, if to inspire is to encourage, to ‘expire’ will be to discourage. And, just as there are leaders that inspire people, there are others that can potentially ‘expire’ their people. It is all a matter of how a leader’s personal inspiration can compel others to be similarly inspired.
The point is that inspiration is so personal to an individual that all the training, coaching and mentoring in the world cannot ‘force’ inspiration. A person becomes inspired because he attaches a special meaning, mind frame and belief to what compels him to be ‘inspired’ to think and act in a particular way. Therefore, what the trainer, coach or mentor can do is to find a way to expose the person to conditions and possibilities that may fire his personal inspiration.
Personal inspiration is a process not a feeling, and it thrives in the environment and conditions that support increased personal awareness and improved self-education. It results in a person having exciting new ideas, thoughts or beliefs in the mind, which become manifested in what can be described as inspired actions and activities based on the creativity and innovativeness. That is why personal inspiration has generally been associated with creative activities and actions related to some kind of artistry.
With particular regard to leadership inspiration, the goal is always to inspire people to believe that they can achieve more as individuals and within a team. Hence, inspirational leadership doesn’t just happen. It results from continual work and study to improve leadership skills. This suggests that the process of developing inspirational leadership and influence is through knowledge and skill accumulation, in combination with the leader’s personal attributes, traits and dispositions.
The major leadership attributes and traits to note include personal beliefs, values, lifestyle, ethics, and character. It is the combination of these attributes and the influence of process leadership that give the leader certain characteristics, among
which are the important characteristic of being inspirational in thought, action and example. It is only inspired leaders that can inspire people. Therefore, to remain an inspirational leader, you must be honest about who you are and the knowledge of what inspire your people.
It is interesting to note that it is the followers, not the leader or someone else who determines if the leader is inspirational. If people do not trust (or if they lack confidence in) the leader, there is no way that they will be inspired. To continue to be an inspirational leader you must open yourself up for scrutiny by people. After all, it is the people (followers) who have to be convinced, not yourself or any others about your ability to keep them inspired as followers.
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Dr Emmanuel Imevbore is an executive coach, management consultant and business strategist. He is the CEO of International Coaching and Mentoring Institute, a specialist coaching and coach-training Organisation. He can be reached by email:
emmanuel@ic-mi.com; and WhatsApp: +27 79 259 1768.
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