Wow… I just watched Barack Obama’s inauguration address and all I can say is, that guy has the “inspirational” leader persona down to a T. I’ve never had any desire to move to the US, but listening to him speak actually made me wish I was American!
And that’s the power of “power speaking”. Politics aside, Obama is a fascinating study in effective motivational leadership principles.
People will often ask me what it takes to motivate teams and I think that a key strategy is to make the challenge or opportunity facing the team REALLY REALLY important and, at the same time, instill a strong belief within the team that, together, they can overcome/achieve what’s being set out before them.
Obama’s “call to service” is doing just that. He has not just painted a picture of the crisis that America is in, he is doing a fantastic job of saying “yes… government’s here to do its part, but this is only going to work if you do YOUR part.” Very similar to Kennedy’s “ask not what your country can do for you” speech, Obama’s message has even more teeth because of the sheer magnitude of the challenges facing America.
For any leader, any where… Obama’s approach to building up the US people’s confidence and hope is a fantastic example (in my opinion) of what any of us need to do to rally a group to action. Make the challenge big but be forceful in your assertion that the team can and WILL triumph.
Exciting times to watch and an amazing real-time study in how to develop followership for those of us tackling our own versions of the global credit meltdown, Iraq…. etc.
Happy leading!
