Are you an uninspiring leader?
The 2010 Healthcare Association Conference kicked off this morning with Lance Secretan, Ph.D.'s session "The Spark, the Flame, and the Torch: Restoring Inspiration in American Healthcare." Secretan, author of The Spark, The Flame, and the Torch, says that inspirational leadership has three main components: serving others, helping people grow, and making the world a better place. But before you can create an inspirational organization, you need to start with yourself. Why are you here? Create a mission statement and assess your own purpose and meaning in life as a step toward being an inspiring leader.
Secretan says 65 percent of the current workforce says they would leave their current jobs if they could. With eight percent of uninspiring leaders, it's not surprising that employees have one foot outside the door. Secretan says uninspiring leaders are:
- Cowardly;
- Inauthentic;
- Self-serving;
- Dishonest;
- Unfeeling
- Ineffective.
And it seems simple enough, but inspirational leaders do the opposite of the six attributes above. To be inspirational, consider what he calls the CASTLE Principle:
- Courage;
- Authenticity;
- Service;
- Truthfulness;
- Love;
- Effectiveness.
As you lead today, ask yourself these questions:
- Can you make breakthroughs quickly to exhibit courage?
- Will you be authentic about your work and will you admit when you make a mistake?
- Are you willing to serve others, even if it seems inconvenient?
- Will you make an effort to tell the truth more often?
- Will you love between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.?
When you put those pieces together you become more effective, and maybe a little more inspiring.