PPP 446 | Why Some Leaders Inspire--and Others Drain the Life Out of Their Teams, with Adam Galinsky

Summary

In this conversation, Andy talks with Adam Galinsky about his new book Inspire: The Universal Path for Leading Yourself and Others. Adam discusses the elements that make a leader truly inspiring, debunking the myth that inspirational qualities are innate rather than developed. The conversation covers Adam's Inspiring Trifecta (being visionary, an exemplar, and a mentor) along with the leader amplification effect. Additionally, they explore actionable strategies from Adam's research, including the importance of perspective-taking, the impact of the leader amplification commitment, and techniques for improving self-awareness and daily practices for sustained inspiration.

Looking for practical advice to inspire those around you? This episode is for you!

Sound Bites “It’s not, ‘Are you inspiring or infuriating?’ It’s, ‘Are you currently inspiring or infuriating?” “Your passion can become their passion. Your calmness in a crisis can become their calmness. But on the flip side, your anxiety can become their anxiety.” “Never tell someone, ‘We need to talk,’ without telling them why.” “What if every single morning, over a cup of coffee, you sent one email just thanking someone for something they did?” “Shame turns us into ostriches. Guilt moves us toward action.” “To be visionary, you don’t need to be loud—you need to be clear.” “Your leadership isn’t just what you say—it’s what people see.” “The question isn’t ‘Are you a great leader?’ The question is, ‘What are you doing right now that makes you one?” Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:37 Start Of Interview 01:45 What Inspired You To Get Into Psychology? 02:51 What Are Some Common Myths About Inspiration? 03:49 Do You Have to Be Extroverted to Be Inspiring? 05:51 What's The Difference Between Inspiring and Infuriating Leaders? 08:48 Why You Should Never Say "We Need to Talk" 13:45 What Is the Leader Amplification Effect? 19:07 How Can I Better Get Someone Else's Perspective? 22:59 How Does Adam Overcome Feeling Insecure? 25:21 What's The Role of Self-Talk In Helping Us Be Inspiring? 29:15 How Does Ranking Our Values Help? 30:56 How Does Adam Practice Being Inspiring (Introduction to REAP) 32:43 Advice for Parents 36:11 End Of Interview 36:34 Andy Comments After The Interview 42:11 Outtakes Learn More

You can learn more about Adam and his work at AdamGalinsky.com.

For more learning on this topic, check out:

Episodes 416 and 153 with Jim Kouzes about leadership.

Episode 362 with Ayelet Fishbach about her book on motivation. Episode 94 with Heidi Grant and Torry Higgins about their work on motivation.

Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast!

Talent Triangle: Power Skills

Topics: Inspiration, Leadership, Communication, Self-Awareness, Emotional Intelligence, Parenting, Project Management

The following music was used for this episode:

Music: Echo by Alexander Nakarada
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Music: Tuesday by Sascha Ende
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

People and Projects Podcast: Project Management Podcast

Welcome to the People and Projects Podcast, where we provide interviews and insights to help you lead people and deliver projects. Since 2009, this show is brought to you by speaker, author, and executive coach Andy Kaufman. If you're looking for insights on project management, leadership, and how AI influences both of those, you've come to the right place! And if you hold a project management certification, you can even earn free PDUs for listening!

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