Inspiration is the invisible fuel that motivates and powers your people. It's the catalyst that transforms mundane tasks into meaningful endeavors, elevating the collective spirit and driving everyone toward a common goal. When a team is inspired, the atmosphere is electric – ideas flow freely, collaboration is effortless, and challenges are met with enthusiasm rather than dread.
Inspiration can be that magic ingredient that can propel work from mediocrity to excellence, and it's often the distinguishing factor between teams and companies that merely function and those that truly thrive and succeed.
But how can you inspire your people during challenging times? Great question, and one we'll be answering in this blog, sharing the story of how bosses at the Blue Lagoon Iceland inspired their people when dealing with the recent volcanoes. They didn’t just use one strategy—they used a combination of building blocks from our Great Boss Building Block model, and the result wasn’t just additive; it multiplied their effectiveness.
Although all bosses won’t have to inspire in these situations, we can all agree that challenges and disasters come in different shapes and sizes, so it’s always best to be armed with as many inspirational tools as possible.
So let’s answer a few questions regarding Inspiration . . . . .
Why is inspiration important?
Having an inspired workforce is absolutely critical to your business for a variety of reasons.
First, it can lead to higher levels of engagement and performance, as your people are more likely to be emotionally invested in their work and the company's success.
Next, it can be a driving force behind innovation and unlocking creativity, as inspired people are more likely to think outside the box and challenge the status quo.
Finally, inspiration can foster a positive work environment, as inspired teams are generally happier, more motivated, cohesive, and collaborative.
Add this all together, and your people will be more satisfied with their jobs, while your business will have lower turnover and be more successful.
What’s a boss’s role?
When we defined Inspiration previously, we explained it as an invisible fuel. For this reason, in our workshops, we encourage attendees to think of themselves as Inspiration Engineers or Mechanics. Picture yourself pumping inspiration fuel to and through your people to motivate and power them to perform and succeed. And to remind yourself how important your role is, picture one of your people in a situation where their car’s fuel gauge was on empty. Without you ‘filling them up’ with inspiration, they face a whole wrath of negative consequences.
How can bosses inspire their people?
There’s no one way to inspire your people as a boss, no magic bullet. Depending on the situation and person, there are a variety of approaches, tools, etc., that will inspire your people and add that fuel they need. In our book, we cover ones such as being a purpose-led boss, being clear on expectations, and communicating the ‘why’. But based on our workshops at the Blue Lagoon Iceland, we’d like to share a few more ways and tips for inspiring your people:
Bring out the Trust building block - We heard time and time again from the Blue Lagoon bosses how critical trust was as a means to inspire their people, as a way to encourage them to return to the resort following the various volcanic eruptions. They explained that without this, their team's fears would have prevented them from leaving the safety and comfort of their homes and taking that step onto the resort. They did this by not only relying on the trust their people had with their bosses and the company, but also creating a new level of trust by bringing onboard scientists and specialists. This showed their people that they were taking the situation seriously and were committed to supporting them in the best way possible. By having experts guide them in their decisions, it strengthened their people's trust by knowing that the company was doing the right thing for the business, for them, and for their customers. You can’t inspire your people if they don’t trust you enough to take that first step. Inspiration begins with trust.
Bring out the Compassion building block - Another building block we heard mentioned when we workshopped Inspiration was compassion. Bosses shared example after example of how they had acted compassionately towards their people to inspire them to work through these challenging times. One of my favorite examples was how, after a volcano-related closure, one of the bosses told us she came in before her team to take pictures of the resort. She shared them, letting her people know and see that it was safe to come to work and showing compassion by addressing any fears they may have had up front. I love this as it shows how this boss showed empathy by understanding her people’s fears and then acted compassionately by easing them through her actions.
An Inspirational boss shows up for their people through regular and meaningful acts of compassion.
Bring out the Communication building block - Finally, communication was another building block that bosses at the Blue Lagoon mentioned as critical in helping them inspire their people. They shared examples of their proactive and transparent approach to communication, using this as a way to fill the fuel tank of inspiration. From the business having weekly information meetings to bosses individually sharing with their people, they didn’t hide from sharing information. They used it as a powerful tool to inspire their people, allowing them to continue delivering unforgettable memories for their guests.
Let us end by thanking our friends at the Blue Lagoon for enlightening us on how they’ve used and adapted the Inspiration building block to lead their business and people through volcanoes and earthquakes. They should all be very proud of themselves, being role models to other companies who deal with what life throws their way. You inspire your people, your guests, and most certainly me!
Please contact us if you want to learn more about our Great Boss Building Block model or our Step Up Your Greatness workshops.
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