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Inspirational Leaders Play Show-And-Tell

Guest post by: Michael Hume

Article Overview: The most inspirational leaders know how to lead by example, but beyond that, they are excellent show-and-tell masters. They are well beyond simply not letting their employees see them doing the wrong things... they take the time and initiative to show folks how to do the right things. They don't just give orders and advice, they also give demonstrations and training. They don't wait to be asked for directions; they're willing to jump in with examples....

Inspirational Leaders Play Show-And-Tell

Don't Just Give Orders; Be A Role Model and Demonstrator No doubt, managers have a lot to do. There's planning the work flow, organizing schedules and materials, staffing projects and facilities, controlling operations, and much more. Leading - and especially providing inspirational leadership - can seem like a luxury item to some busy managers who don't have enough hours in each day. But the fact is that good inspirational leadership can make managing an enterprise so much easier.

Frankly, I don't know how some managers get by without developing inspirational leadership skills. I've worked with hundreds of managers in my role as coach and counselor, and I'm occasionally amazed by the manager who starts with an attitude of "administration" above "inspiration." Some representative quotes from such folks:

"It's not my job to motivate you. You get a paycheck, that should be motivation enough. Nobody has to motivate me, and nobody should have to motivate you."

"I hire people who are qualified, based on the job experience and education on their resume. Qualified people should know what to do."

"I paid a lot of dues to get where I am. Somebody wants to move up in this company, they gotta pay their own dues."

If it isn't already here, the time is swiftly coming when there will be no jobs for managers with this type of attitude. You can't attract and retain exceptional people with managers like this. You can't beat competitors. You can't win the war for talent. Managers shouldn't coddle employees, but if they want to have the sort of leadership brand that can inspire great things in business these days, they have to be willing to do what it takes to get the best out of their teams.

The most inspirational leaders know how to lead by example, but beyond that, they are excellent show-and-tell masters. They are well beyond simply not letting their employees see them doing the wrong things... they take the time and initiative to show folks how to do the right things. They don't just give orders and advice, they also give demonstrations and training. They don't wait to be asked for directions; they're willing to jump in with examples.

Years ago, as a professional actor, I worked with many different directors and choreographers, each with his or her own distinctive style. But you could really tell the difference between the "manager" types, who sat in the audience seats and made pronouncements, and the "leader" types, who spent their rehearsal time up on stage with you. "You're doing this," the typical leader-type might say, "and it should be more this, this, and this." She could demonstrate the staging; he could do the dance routine. I think directors who were former actors themselves were more likely to have this demonstrative style, while the more academically-oriented directors were more administrative. Both types could come up with great show concepts and plans, but my own experience was that the demonstrative directors got a lot more out of the actors than their more intellectual colleagues.

There was some of the same type of snobbiness, too, that you find in business managers sometimes. "This is not a theater school, it's a professional house, and I'm not looking for actors who need to be taught," one such director told the cast of one of my shows. Fine, I thought. But I (and my most talented colleagues) tended to seek out productions directed by other, more "hands on" directors. In fairness, some actors responded well to the academic approach (mostly the ones who had the same type of background themselves), and there were some directors who would demonstrate to the point of micro-managing the actor's performance - and that's no fun, either. But the best directors were the ones who could demonstrate anything, at any time, and were wisely savvy in knowing how and when to play show-and-tell. They made their interventions feel helpful and fun, not like one-upmanship.

Such directors were a delight to work for. Their demonstrations and encouragements made me feel like I could do great things. Somehow the best directors made me excited to be able to deliver as excellent a performance as I could - to look forward to the lights going up at curtain time, to having a chance to bring the audience something special each evening. "Wait'll they see this," I often found myself thinking before an entrance. "They're gonna LOVE it!"

It was inspiring.

Maybe you own a business, or maybe you're just trying to get more out of your staff during these tough times. Either way, think about how you can be more of a show-and-tell inspirational leader. Take a lesson from the theater world. Imagine not that you're running a sales team, or managing an office, or supervising a shop floor... imagine that you're directing a great theatrical event, that your staff is comprised of the world's most talented performers, and that all they need is a little demonstration now and then from you, the Maestro, to help them perfect their craft.

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Article Tags: entrepreneurship, inspirational leadership, personal responsibility, show and tell



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