12MinuteLeadership

Episode 24: How to be a Leader That Inspires | 12MinuteLeadership

• Elise Boggs Morales • Season 1 • Episode 24

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Think inspiration requires charisma? We unpack a different model of leadership—one built on purpose, integrity, emotional connection, and real empowerment—so your team gives its best by choice, not by pressure. Elise Boggs Morales draws on 17 years of coaching thousands of leaders to explain how small, repeatable behaviors convert compliance into commitment and keep people engaged when change hits hard.

We start by grounding performance in a clear why. When you connect day-to-day work to mission and values, your team finds meaning that lasts beyond metrics. From there, we dig into authenticity as the engine of trust—sharing your thinking, aligning words and actions, and making decisions you can stand behind. You’ll hear why vulnerability strengthens authority, how trust becomes the soil for inspiration, and what to say when you don’t have all the answers yet.

Then we move into the emotional layer that actually moves people. Empathy, deep listening, and celebrating unique contributions help others feel seen and capable. We explore how a learn-it-all mindset transforms culture, why the stories you repeat shape reality, and how to model possibility without sugarcoating tough news. Finally, we break down practical empowerment: delegating with clarity, developing judgment, and trusting people with more so they see themselves as leaders. Along the way, you’ll get reflection prompts and examples—from classic leadership frameworks to culture shifts at scale—that you can apply today.

Ready to lead hearts before minds and retain your best talent with meaningful work? Hit follow, share this episode with a colleague who could use a lift, and leave a review with one way you plan to inspire your team this week. Your feedback helps us reach more leaders who want to lead with purpose and create lasting impact.

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Speaker:

Welcome to the 12-Minute Leadership Podcast, where in 12 minutes or less, I'll share small things that you can put into immediate practice that will make a big difference in your leadership effectiveness. I'm your host, Elise Boggs Morales, leadership professor, consultant, and coach. For the last 17 years, I have helped thousands of leaders level up their influence and achieve remarkable results. If you want to trade compliance for true commitment and create your dream team, you are in the right place. Get ready for a quick hit of practical wisdom to increase your team's engagement, inspire top performance, and retain your best talent. Ready to level up your influence and get better results? 12 minutes starts now. Hi everyone, Elise here. Welcome to episode 24, How to Be a Leader Who Inspires. In our last episode, we talked about remembering why we lead, reconnecting with the mission and purpose that called us into leadership in the first place. Today, we're building on that theme by talking about inspirational leadership, how to be a leader who truly inspires others. Now, before you tune out thinking I'm not the charismatic type, let me reassure you, inspiration is not about charisma. You don't have to have a magnetic personality or a motivational speaker's energy to be an inspirational leader. In fact, some of the most inspiring leaders I've ever worked with were quiet, grounded, and authentic, not flashy. Because inspirational leadership isn't about being impressive. It's about being impactful. It's about how you show up, what you stand for, and how you make others feel when they're around you. And a special note for leaders who are struggling to engage and motivate a different generation of leaders: this talk is for you. More than ever, people want meaning in their work and to be inspired by your leadership. While this may be different than how you were led, it's an opportunity to develop a new aspect of your leadership that may not have been demanded of you until now. So let's start with defining what inspirational leadership is. Inspirational leadership is the ability to ignite passion, purpose, and possibility in others so that they willingly give their best, not because they have to, but because they want to. It's less about authority and more about influence through vision, authenticity, and emotional connection. Inspirational leaders move people from compliance to commitment by helping them see that their work and their presence truly matter. They lead hearts before they lead minds. And the ripple effect of that kind of leadership is profound. It builds trust, deepens engagement, and fuels long-term performance. Today I'm going to share five qualities of inspirational leaders. The first hallmark of inspirational leadership is having a purpose-driven vision. Inspirational leaders articulate a clear why. They connect day-to-day work to something bigger, a mission, a value, a legacy. Think about the leaders who've inspired you most. They probably helped you see the why behind your work. In your organization, that might look like reminding your team not just what you do, but why it matters. It's easy to get caught up in metrics, tasks, and timelines, but purpose answers the deeper question, why should I care? Leaders who connect purpose to performance create alignment, not just compliance. And in times of change or uncertainty, that clarity of purpose is what keeps people moving forward. One of the most popular TED talks is Simon Sinek's Start with Why, How Great Leaders Inspire Action. Check it out or watch it again if you haven't seen it in a while. Sinek says that most leaders start with the what. Here's what we're doing. While inspirational leaders start with why. They lead with meaning, not just metrics. Martin Luther King is a great example of this. He didn't stand up and say, I have a plan. He said, I have a dream. People`1 followed not because of his strategy, but because they connected with his why. Next, inspirational leaders lead with authenticity and integrity. People are inspired by leaders who are real, who model vulnerability, consistency, and courage. They don't pretend to have all the answers. They're willing to say, I don't know yet, but here's what I do know. Inspiration doesn't come from perfection, it comes from alignment when a leader's words, values, and actions match. When people see that you walk your talk, that you do what you'll say you'll do, that you make decisions consistent with your values, it creates safety and trust. And trust is the soil where inspiration grows. I once coached a leader who admitted that his instinct was to always appear strong, confident, and certain, especially during uncertainty. But when he began sharing his thought process openly with his team, admitting what he was learning and inviting input, his team's engagement soared. Authenticity doesn't weaken your authority, it humanizes it. A third quality of inspirational leaders is emotional connection. Inspiration happens through emotion, not logic alone. Going back to Simon Sinek, he explains that decisions are driven not by logic alone, but by the limbic brain, which is responsible for emotions and trust. Logic might get compliance, but not true commitment. Inspirational leaders tune in to others. They listen deeply, show empathy, and celebrate people's unique contributions. They help people feel seen, valued, and capable of more than they thought possible. When you make people feel something, whether it's hope, belief, or belonging, you unlock their motivation. As leaders, one of the most powerful questions we can ask is: how do people feel after interacting with me? Do they feel smaller or do they feel stronger? Do they leave drained or energized? Inspiration doesn't always have to happen in big speeches. It often happens in small, consistent moments of connection. When Adela took over Microsoft in 2014, he intentionally shifted the company culture from one of competition to one of empathy and collaboration. He shared how parenting a child with special needs reshaped his understanding of empathy and leadership. He encouraged leaders to replace a know-it-all culture with a learn-it-all culture. By listening, connecting, and humanizing leadership, he rebuilt trust internally and inspired innovation externally. So Nadella didn't just change Microsoft's strategy, he changed its heart. That's what emotional connection and leadership does. It turns performance into purpose. Quality number four, inspirational leaders model possibility. They lead by example, showing what's possible through their own behavior, resilience, and mindset. Their energy is contagious. They elevate the tone of the room, especially in times of challenge or change. When setbacks happen, they don't sugarcoat reality, but they also don't let fear define the narrative. They acknowledge what's true and then remind people what's still possible. That blend of honesty and hope is incredibly motivating. It reminds teams that challenges are temporary, but vision is enduring. As one of my favorite leadership mentors once said, when you carry light, others don't see you. They see what's possible because of you. Be mindful of your words. The stories you continually tell about challenges, setbacks, and the future are the realities your team will live out. And finally, inspirational leaders empower others. They don't make themselves the hero, they make others the hero of the story. They foster ownership, growth, and confidence, creating a culture where everyone feels like they can contribute meaningfully. Empowerment is about releasing control so others can rise. I just completed a round of leadership 360 debriefs with an executive team. And one of the most common pieces of feedback was the need to delegate, develop, and trust others with more. Inspirational leaders continually ask, who can I develop? Who can I trust with more? When people feel trusted and empowered, they begin to believe in their own leadership. And that's when the culture starts to multiply inspiration. If you want to see an inspirational leader in action from an unconventional source, I highly recommend the film Cabrini, released in 2024. It is the story of an Italian immigrant who came to New York late in the 1800s with a vision to build schools, orphanages, and hospitals in the most impoverished areas throughout the world. As a nun and having no material resources of her own, it was her clarity of vision and her embodiment of the qualities of inspirational leadership that allowed her vision to be realized in locations all over the world. Her motto was, The world is too small for what I intend to do. That caught people's attention and they wanted to be part of it. So in closing, inspirational leadership isn't about being impressive. It's about being impactful. It's about leading from the inside out through purpose, authenticity, emotional connection, possibility, and empowerment. It's not reserved for the charismatic few. It's a mindset and a skill that anyone can cultivate. If you remember nothing else from today's episode, remember this. You inspire others not by what you say, but by who you are while you're saying it. Here's your reflection question for this week. Who has inspired you most in your career? And what did they do that made you feel that way? And maybe a second question could be: how could you model that same kind of inspiration for someone else this week? Because leadership isn't just about producing results, it's about igniting hearts. So, I hope you enjoyed today's episode. If this episode inspired you, share it with another leader who might need this reminder today. I'll see you next time. Like what you heard on today's episode and want to go deeper? Subscribe to this podcast so you never miss an episode. You can also pick up my book, Lead Anyone, on Amazon. Then, go to my website to check out ways that we can support your leadership goals. From executive retreats to customized training and coaching, my team of experts will help you level up your leadership and accelerate your results. Go to www.eliseboggs.com for more info.