My seminar, “How to lead people so they want you to lead them again,” and the General Assembly seminar coming up August 23, “Lead the way: Effective Leadership Techniques,” teach you how to inspire people. I talk about it in a work context, but the principles and techniques apply everywhere.

I want to specify what I mean by inspiration because many people don’t get to feel that inspired.

You can learn how to evoke the following in people—coworkers, people who report to you, people you report to, friends, kids, spouses, family members, people you coach, etc.

How inspiration feels

Inspired people

• Work harder, more diligently and longer than uninspired people
• Work for internal motivations, emotions, and passions
• Feel like they’re working for themselves, not someone else
• Feel liberated, like “Finally, I can work for the reasons I always wanted to.”
• Feel deeply thankful to the person who motivated them
• Feel the work rewarding in itself
• Want to do more when their project finishes
• Look back fondly and the crazy amount of work they did
• Value missing less rewarding activities, no matter how fun, which they don’t see as a sacrifice
• Care about quality and make it happen
• Put aside distraction to focus on their tasks
• Feel like the person who inspired them understands them deeply
• Want the person who inspired them to lead them again

We’ve all felt feelings like these, maybe from a teacher, coach, parent, or some other leader who inspired us. If someone could make you feel that way, you can make someone else feel that way. it’s a matter of learning behavioral techniques and the beliefs that support them.

You can inspire people to feel and act like that. You just have to learn the skills and practice. I recommend my seminars to do it since attendees evoked tears of gratitude from people they led, but at least know you can do it.

• ← Crunch time strategy
• People who say you think about it too much are telling you they willfully misunderstand you →