Inspired Leadership

Introduction

Ordinary People can do Extraordinary Things

Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it.

Muhammad Ali

When I speak to groups in companies or at conferences about the work I have done, I tell the audience that ordinary people, led well, can achieve extraordinary things. I know this is true, because I have seen it happen, over and over again, throughout my career. I have been privileged to see teams that I have led do things and achieve business results that, at the beginning, no one believed were possible.

Afterwards, when the audience asks questions, one of the most frequent is: “what should I do to motivate people?” I used to get confused by the question, because often they wanted to know about prizes, incentives and bonuses, and that wasn't what I was talking about. Then I realized: they could ask a question that sounds similar, but is entirely different. What should I do to inspire people?

The answer to this question is what this book is about, because that's what I have tried to do, every day, for the last 25 years. I can't tell you how to motivate other people, because that's their internal emotion. What I hope you will do is to learn to inspire them to find their own motivation. They will do extraordinary things that transform their work and their lives, things they didn't think were possible. They will feel the thrill of success, creativity ...