Episode 24: How to be a Leader That Inspires | 12MinuteLeadership

Think inspiration requires charisma? We unpack a different model of leadership—one built on purpose, integrity, emotional connection, and real empowerment—so your team gives its best by choice, not by pressure. Elise Boggs Morales draws on 17 years of coaching thousands of leaders to explain how small, repeatable behaviors convert compliance into commitment and keep people engaged when change hits hard.

We start by grounding performance in a clear why. When you connect day-to-day work to mission and values, your team finds meaning that lasts beyond metrics. From there, we dig into authenticity as the engine of trust—sharing your thinking, aligning words and actions, and making decisions you can stand behind. You’ll hear why vulnerability strengthens authority, how trust becomes the soil for inspiration, and what to say when you don’t have all the answers yet.

Then we move into the emotional layer that actually moves people. Empathy, deep listening, and celebrating unique contributions help others feel seen and capable. We explore how a learn-it-all mindset transforms culture, why the stories you repeat shape reality, and how to model possibility without sugarcoating tough news. Finally, we break down practical empowerment: delegating with clarity, developing judgment, and trusting people with more so they see themselves as leaders. Along the way, you’ll get reflection prompts and examples—from classic leadership frameworks to culture shifts at scale—that you can apply today.

Ready to lead hearts before minds and retain your best talent with meaningful work? Hit follow, share this episode with a colleague who could use a lift, and leave a review with one way you plan to inspire your team this week. Your feedback helps us reach more leaders who want to lead with purpose and create lasting impact.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker (00:02):
Welcome to the 12-Minute Leadership Podcast,
where in 12 minutes or less,I'll share small things that you
can put into immediate practicethat will make a big difference
in your leadershipeffectiveness.
I'm your host, Elise BoggsMorales, leadership professor,
consultant, and coach.
For the last 17 years, I havehelped thousands of leaders

(00:25):
level up their influence andachieve remarkable results.
If you want to trade compliancefor true commitment and create
your dream team, you are in theright place.
Get ready for a quick hit ofpractical wisdom to increase
your team's engagement, inspiretop performance, and retain your
best talent.
Ready to level up yourinfluence and get better

(00:46):
results?
12 minutes starts now.
Hi everyone, Elise here.
Welcome to episode 24, How toBe a Leader Who Inspires.
In our last episode, we talkedabout remembering why we lead,
reconnecting with the missionand purpose that called us into

(01:07):
leadership in the first place.
Today, we're building on thattheme by talking about
inspirational leadership, how tobe a leader who truly inspires
others.
Now, before you tune outthinking I'm not the charismatic
type, let me reassure you,inspiration is not about
charisma.
You don't have to have amagnetic personality or a

(01:29):
motivational speaker's energy tobe an inspirational leader.
In fact, some of the mostinspiring leaders I've ever
worked with were quiet,grounded, and authentic, not
flashy.
Because inspirationalleadership isn't about being
impressive.
It's about being impactful.
It's about how you show up,what you stand for, and how you

(01:49):
make others feel when they'rearound you.
And a special note for leaderswho are struggling to engage and
motivate a different generationof leaders: this talk is for
you.
More than ever, people wantmeaning in their work and to be
inspired by your leadership.
While this may be differentthan how you were led, it's an
opportunity to develop a newaspect of your leadership that

(02:10):
may not have been demanded ofyou until now.
So let's start with definingwhat inspirational leadership
is.
Inspirational leadership is theability to ignite passion,
purpose, and possibility inothers so that they willingly
give their best, not becausethey have to, but because they
want to.
It's less about authority andmore about influence through

(02:33):
vision, authenticity, andemotional connection.
Inspirational leaders movepeople from compliance to
commitment by helping them seethat their work and their
presence truly matter.
They lead hearts before theylead minds.
And the ripple effect of thatkind of leadership is profound.
It builds trust, deepensengagement, and fuels long-term

(02:57):
performance.
Today I'm going to share fivequalities of inspirational
leaders.
The first hallmark ofinspirational leadership is
having a purpose-driven vision.
Inspirational leadersarticulate a clear why.
They connect day-to-day work tosomething bigger, a mission, a
value, a legacy.

(03:17):
Think about the leaders who'veinspired you most.
They probably helped you seethe why behind your work.
In your organization, thatmight look like reminding your
team not just what you do, butwhy it matters.
It's easy to get caught up inmetrics, tasks, and timelines,
but purpose answers the deeperquestion, why should I care?

(03:39):
Leaders who connect purpose toperformance create alignment,
not just compliance.
And in times of change oruncertainty, that clarity of
purpose is what keeps peoplemoving forward.
One of the most popular TEDtalks is Simon Sinek's Start
with Why, How Great LeadersInspire Action.
Check it out or watch it againif you haven't seen it in a

(04:01):
while.
Sinek says that most leadersstart with the what.
Here's what we're doing.
While inspirational leadersstart with why.
They lead with meaning, notjust metrics.
Martin Luther King is a greatexample of this.
He didn't stand up and say, Ihave a plan.

(04:23):
He said, I have a dream.
People`1 followed not becauseof his strategy, but because
they connected with his why.
Next, inspirational leaderslead with authenticity and
integrity.
People are inspired by leaderswho are real, who model
vulnerability, consistency, andcourage.
They don't pretend to have allthe answers.

(04:45):
They're willing to say, I don'tknow yet, but here's what I do
know.
Inspiration doesn't come fromperfection, it comes from
alignment when a leader's words,values, and actions match.
When people see that you walkyour talk, that you do what
you'll say you'll do, that youmake decisions consistent with
your values, it creates safetyand trust.
And trust is the soil whereinspiration grows.

(05:08):
I once coached a leader whoadmitted that his instinct was
to always appear strong,confident, and certain,
especially during uncertainty.
But when he began sharing histhought process openly with his
team, admitting what he waslearning and inviting input, his
team's engagement soared.
Authenticity doesn't weakenyour authority, it humanizes it.

(05:30):
A third quality ofinspirational leaders is
emotional connection.
Inspiration happens throughemotion, not logic alone.
Going back to Simon Sinek, heexplains that decisions are
driven not by logic alone, butby the limbic brain, which is
responsible for emotions andtrust.
Logic might get compliance, butnot true commitment.

(05:53):
Inspirational leaders tune into others.
They listen deeply, showempathy, and celebrate people's
unique contributions.
They help people feel seen,valued, and capable of more than
they thought possible.
When you make people feelsomething, whether it's hope,
belief, or belonging, you unlocktheir motivation.
As leaders, one of the mostpowerful questions we can ask

is (06:16):
how do people feel after interacting with me?
Do they feel smaller or do theyfeel stronger?
Do they leave drained orenergized?
Inspiration doesn't always haveto happen in big speeches.
It often happens in small,consistent moments of
connection.
When Adela took over Microsoftin 2014, he intentionally

(06:38):
shifted the company culture fromone of competition to one of
empathy and collaboration.
He shared how parenting a childwith special needs reshaped his
understanding of empathy andleadership.
He encouraged leaders toreplace a know-it-all culture
with a learn-it-all culture.
By listening, connecting, andhumanizing leadership, he
rebuilt trust internally andinspired innovation externally.

(07:02):
So Nadella didn't just changeMicrosoft's strategy, he changed
its heart.
That's what emotionalconnection and leadership does.
It turns performance intopurpose.
Quality number four,inspirational leaders model
possibility.
They lead by example, showingwhat's possible through their
own behavior, resilience, andmindset.

(07:24):
Their energy is contagious.
They elevate the tone of theroom, especially in times of
challenge or change.
When setbacks happen, theydon't sugarcoat reality, but
they also don't let fear definethe narrative.
They acknowledge what's trueand then remind people what's
still possible.
That blend of honesty and hopeis incredibly motivating.

(07:45):
It reminds teams thatchallenges are temporary, but
vision is enduring.
As one of my favoriteleadership mentors once said,
when you carry light, othersdon't see you.
They see what's possiblebecause of you.
Be mindful of your words.
The stories you continuallytell about challenges, setbacks,

(08:05):
and the future are therealities your team will live
out.
And finally, inspirationalleaders empower others.
They don't make themselves thehero, they make others the hero
of the story.
They foster ownership, growth,and confidence, creating a
culture where everyone feelslike they can contribute
meaningfully.

(08:25):
Empowerment is about releasingcontrol so others can rise.
I just completed a round ofleadership 360 debriefs with an
executive team.
And one of the most commonpieces of feedback was the need
to delegate, develop, and trustothers with more.
Inspirational leaderscontinually ask, who can I
develop?

(08:46):
Who can I trust with more?
When people feel trusted andempowered, they begin to believe
in their own leadership.
And that's when the culturestarts to multiply inspiration.
If you want to see aninspirational leader in action
from an unconventional source, Ihighly recommend the film
Cabrini, released in 2024.

(09:06):
It is the story of an Italianimmigrant who came to New York
late in the 1800s with a visionto build schools, orphanages,
and hospitals in the mostimpoverished areas throughout
the world.
As a nun and having no materialresources of her own, it was
her clarity of vision and herembodiment of the qualities of
inspirational leadership thatallowed her vision to be

(09:28):
realized in locations all overthe world.
Her motto was, The world is toosmall for what I intend to do.
That caught people's attentionand they wanted to be part of
it.
So in closing, inspirationalleadership isn't about being
impressive.
It's about being impactful.
It's about leading from theinside out through purpose,

(09:49):
authenticity, emotionalconnection, possibility, and
empowerment.
It's not reserved for thecharismatic few.
It's a mindset and a skill thatanyone can cultivate.
If you remember nothing elsefrom today's episode, remember
this.
You inspire others not by whatyou say, but by who you are
while you're saying it.

(10:09):
Here's your reflection questionfor this week.
Who has inspired you most inyour career?
And what did they do that madeyou feel that way?
And maybe a second questioncould be: how could you model
that same kind of inspirationfor someone else this week?
Because leadership isn't justabout producing results, it's
about igniting hearts.
So, I hope you enjoyed today'sepisode.

(10:32):
If this episode inspired you,share it with another leader who
might need this reminder today.
I'll see you next time.
Like what you heard on today'sepisode and want to go deeper?
Subscribe to this podcast soyou never miss an episode.
You can also pick up my book,Lead Anyone, on Amazon.

(10:54):
Then, go to my website to checkout ways that we can support
your leadership goals.
From executive retreats tocustomized training and
coaching, my team of expertswill help you level up your
leadership and accelerate yourresults.
Go to www.eliseboggs.com formore info.