Inspiration vs. Motivation

Leaders inspire people. People motivate themselves.

Leaders often fail to understand a simple fact of human nature: people are intrinsically motivated beings.  They come to work for two reasons: to earn the economic means to support themselves and their family and to make a difference. And they seek to understand how and why they are making a difference in the workplace.  Motivating others is an outside-in approach to leadership that is not sustainable over time because people don’t need motivation. They need inspiration. Inspiring people is an inside-out approach to leadership that is entirely self-sustaining, as people strive to reach their fullest potential. 

According to Nancy J. Adler, PhD., S. Bronfman Chair of Management at the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University, in her article entitled The Arts & Leadership: Now That We Can Do Anything, What Will We Do?  “Whereas 20th-century managerial frameworks focused primarily on motivation, often attempting to identify sets of rewards and punishment that would motivate workers to producer more, 21st-centruy leaders know that such motivation is not enough.  The leadership challenge today is to inspire people, not simply to motivate them.” 

To read the entire, enlightening article by Nancy J. Adler, PhD., please click here.
  
The competencies required to inspire are significantly different than the competencies required to motivate. The essential competencies for inspiring others are outlined in Kevin Asbjornson’s Eight Keys to Inspired Leadership™. 

Leadership is a Performing Art!  To preview a short film of leadership as a performing art in action, please click here.