The Inspired Leader

The best session of the day was given by Adrian Gilpin from the Institute of Human Development called The Inspired Leader. he was an excellent speaker who used a series of movie clips including Gladiator, Star Wars and Indiana Jones to illustrate the art of becoming a leader. I couldn’t possibly give the talk justice here, but I can give you a few of his thoughts - possibly a bit random, but these are the ones I jotted down as having some resonance with me.

You don’t have to change yourself to be a good leader - good leaders have little in common except that when they turn round there is a bunch of people following them.

Good leaders have influence without authority

The role of a leader is to create a change in will and a change in belief.

People have emotional states including anxiety, frustration, and restlessness. Being a good leader is not just about bits and bytes, strategy and the customer. It’s about dealing with people and what they bring with them.

Be a pathfinder – help people find a way to get to where they want to be.

Don’t give advice – it will often be ignored. People need to discover things for themselves. Instead, ask questions.

Apply this to your business. Instead of telling them about technology, ask what they need to do their business more effectively and what they want.

Standing behind someone pushing them into an uncomfortable place doesn’t work – you have to entice them through.

And my favourite bit - storytelling is important – the story that goes through your head effects how you feel - look at this:



What makes the guy a champion is that he pauses – he doesn’t hit the ball until the thought process matches the outcome. His emotional state has to be right and this in turn is dictated by the story in his head. People don’t need to be told what to do or how to do it. Good leaders know the story in people’s heads and change it.