1. Inspirational leaders have a clear vision and strategy that they communicate to their team. They involve the team in setting goals and evolving the vision, keeping them focused on objectives even during difficult times. 2. They empower their team through coaching, training, and support to make their own decisions and achieve goals. This instills trust and accountability while allowing the team to learn and improve. 3. Inspirational leaders lead by example, embody the purpose and vision, and take responsibility when things go wrong while giving credit to the team for successes. They listen to team members and make them feel valued.

1. INSPIRATIONA
L LEADERSHIP

3. 8 ESSENTIAL TRAITS OF
INSPIRATIONAL LEADERSHIP

4. 1.They have a vision
• Their focus is wide, ‘big picture’ orientated and strategic
• Have a clear vision and strategy for the team
• Even in the midst of turmoil, keep the team focused on goals and
strategy
• Involve the team in setting and evolving the team’s vision and
making progress toward it.

6. 2. Empowerment
coaching, training, support
Inspirational leaders provide their teams with the required
coaching, training, and support to enable them to make
their own decisions, achieve their objectives and learn
along the way so they can keep on improving and become
the inspirational leaders of the future.

9. 3. Responsibility, Accountability & Trust
• Empowering teams instils a sense of trust and respect and that this also means holding
others accountable for their results.
• Being held accountable, having responsibility and being trusted with important tasks
and decisions is scary, but ultimately the only way to learn and grow.
• Without accountability, being given responsibility is mere window-dressing.

11. 4. Communicate and embody purpose & vision
• Inspirational leaders do more than ‘talk the talk’; and they ‘walk the walk’, too. They
embody their purpose and vision.
• Also, lead by example. And they communicate their vision and purpose to the people
they lead.
• If you don’t know and understand your leader’s purpose, how can you follow that
leader and help them achieve their vision?

13. 5. Make time – listen
Whether we’re at work or at play, we are human beings and our emotive state has a huge
impact on our performance. By listening, inspirational leaders make their reports and
colleagues feel valued.

15. 6. Take Blame – Give Credit
Truly inspirational leaders will look at their own responsibilities in
events that went wrong and won’t be afraid to shoulder the
blame. Leadership can bring many rewards, but inspirational leaders
are also prepared to carry the risks and burdens that their position
entails.

16. 7. Give Credit
Inspirational leaders give credit where it is due and
recognise that their achievements are rarely theirs alone.
Their achievements are due at least as much to the efforts
of the teams and individuals they lead as they are to their
own leadership qualities.

17. 8. Innovate/think outside the box
Innovation – technological and ideological – is essential to progress. Inspirational
leaders understand this and are prone to ‘thinking outside the box‘ as well as
encouraging creative and innovative thinking amongst those they lead.
Look at Richard Branson, for example, but also Mahatma Gandhi and Dr Martin
Luther King. All thought/think differently than everyone around them. They go
against the grain. Badged as thought leaders that take action and inspire others
to help them achieve their vision.