Don’t be afraid to Inspire

Inspiration should be commonplace in leadership.

Too often I hear leaders say that they have difficulty thinking of themselves as inspiring. Humility is a good thing––but we shouldn’t let humility impede our true potential or keep us from one of our most powerful leadership attributes.

When I dig into the issue a little deeper the problem is often that people think of inspiration in grandiose terms. If I ask for an example of someone who has inspired you, you might offer the story of some great historic leader, the inspirational speaker or someone who has done something heroic. You might talk about the top performer in a particular field or someone whose talents far exceed your own.

Those people can be inspirational for sure. But we are also inspired by small, commonplace deeds every day––and often by people who are quite ordinary.

One of the greatest inspirations in my life is my friend Dave Melville. You’ll be hearing a lot about Dave soon as he rolls out his fantastic new program, “Thank God It’s Monday!” But Dave has inspired me over the years as an ordinary person who has never sought recognition or earned celebrity for his inspirational actions.

First of all, Dave is an incredibly confident and optimistic person. In moments when I was struggling, the simple way he approaches challenges with an expectation of success has inspired me to keep fighting the fight many times.

He is also someone who is tremendously patient, open-minded and caring. When I find myself losing patience with someone, it is often Dave’s example that inspires me to take a deep breath and give that person my full attention.

I could go on and on, but the point is that Dave is an ordinary person. The things he does that inspire me and others would be considered quite ordinary by most people’s standards, yet his impact on my life has been and continues to be enormous.

We each have the power to inspire. In fact, while it is one of our most powerful abilities, it is also the most ordinary. And the best way to manifest this ability is to simply “lead by examp