Inspiration versus Perpsiration
By Leanne Crain
As leaders, we make decisions every single day that impact others. Sometimes our decisions are well thought out, others times reactionary in nature. When making decisions, the question becomes are we really solving problems or creating different problems? This leads me to the title ‘Inspiration versus Perspiration?’
How often have you caught yourself saying “I can do it quicker if I do it myself?” We choose to put the perspiration into the task instead of the inspiration for others to rise to the challenge and complete the task. Look at the bigger picture with the decision of perspiration. The message potentially can be to your team, I don’t trust that you will get it done. It could be; you are not competent enough to finish it the way I want it done. The other issue becomes one of being the bottleneck. If we as leaders insist on perspiring instead of inspiring, we potentially can become the bottleneck to performance. If we insist on being hands on for everything, we minimize accountability and responsibility for others and we quickly can foster an environment where excuses flourish and performance diminishes.
Yes, I understand the importance of meeting deadlines and sometimes we just have to step in to meet these deadlines. But when faced with this situation, ask yourself “Do I really NEED to take over or do I just WANT to take over? Is it a question of trust or control? This can be a defining moment for you and your team.
Will you choose to inspire? Choosing inspiration over perspiration can build creativity and accountability in your team. By demonstrating confidence in others and choosing our words and actions to inspire, breaks the bottleneck scenario over time and begins the process of mentoring others for greatness.
As John Quincy Adams once stated:
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”
Choose to be an inspirational leader!
For more ideas on leadership, and for information on trainings, please contact Gary Gzik at ggzik@bizxcel.com.
Gary Gzik is the CEO of BizXcel and has been a consultant for businesses for over 20 years. He has worked with hundreds of organizations and more than 10 000 individuals in areas of leadership development, effective communication skills, strategic planning, presentation skills, team building, customer service and personal development.
