The Inspired Leader

Does the world really need another book on leadership? Do most leaders, operating in a VUCA world, really have the time or energy to read another one?

When it comes to Andy Bird’s new book The Inspired Leader, I would encourage leaders of all ages to make the time. Unlike many works that focus on what it takes to lead others, this is primarily a roadmap to diagnose one’s own sources of inspiration and find ways to maintain it. It includes relevant supporting theory for those that may want to dig deeper into research in these areas, and plenty of case studies to bring the key arguments to life.

One thing that makes this book thought provoking is the range of individuals whose stories pepper the pages.

Rather than taking a tight definition of ‘leader’, Bird includes a mix of young and old in the public and private sector, with a good geographical balance.

It’s a reminder that the classic definition of a leader as someone who is at the top of a large organization is outdated, and in itself not very inspiring.

Divided into three sections, the book starts with how leaders discover what Bird calls the alchemy of inspiration, underpinned by motivations, mindsets and triggers.  It moves on to an exploration of how people actually experience inspiration via a concept he calls the inspiration timeline, which we can and should move around as needed. Our purpose lets us see the future we want to create, we find enjoyment in the present, and our past achievements also remind us what drives us and what we are capable of. This timeline is underpinned by our ‘fundamental illumination’ which transcends time.

The final section discusses how to maintain one’s inspiration over a lifetime, exploring personal sources of resilience and energy management, as well as the power of inspiring others. He ends with a rallying cry about the opportunity and obligation today’s leaders have to encourage a new culture of leadership that ‘infuse[s] organizations with a spirit of hope, confidence, enthusiasm and trust.’

Bird helps to organize many familiar concepts in leadership development, making strong connections between things like values, purpose, mindset and resilience. These are all fundamental leadership building blocks but they are often discussed and trained separately.

Beyond the utility of this clear narrative, Bird provides deceptively simple, but powerful reflective exercises at the end of each chapter. It’s easy to skip through these but when I started to jot down my thoughts, I realized how deep they were taking me, quickly.

As I read the book, I thought about my own ongoing journey to maintain my energy and inspire others. I was reminded of the announcement made on planes – to put your own oxygen mask on before helping others with theirs. The Inspired Leader felt like an oxygen mask, one that I can use effectively now and in the future when I’m on a bumpy flight, whether at work or my life outside.

By Liz Lacovara, Global Director of Demand Capabilities, Mars, Incorporated.