"Gimme something to believe in!"

I once watched a contestant on the television game show, Jeopardy "run the table" in a category called "80's Hair Bands."  I probably would have done pretty well in that category - I can see it now.  "I'll take '80's Hair Bands' for $1,000, Alex."  Alex Trebek would respond with "An Audio Daily Double," and I would wager it all!  Knowing my luck, I'd probably get some obscure song from the one-hit wonder hair band Steelheart or Saigon Kick.  You see, while I had one of those memories where I could hear a song once and know the tune and lyrics, my musical tastes really leaned more towards classic rock and progressive rock.  One of the most famous hair bands of the 1980's was the band, Poison.  They were fairly decent - I heard one of their songs just the other day, which definitely has a lot of relevance during these turbulent times.  The song is called Something to Believe In and the chorus sends a powerful message, "Gimme something to believe in..."  After two catastrophic hurricances, a powerful earthquake, and a mass shooting in Las Vegas, all in the span of less than 3 weeks, I could certainly use "something to believe in."

I hear a lot of complaints about leaders these days too - one of the most disturbing is when members of an organization (or even the citizens in a country) claim that their leader or leaders don't inspire or motivate.  One could certainly ask if it's a leader's job to inspire and motivate.  I would emphatically say, without reservation, "absolutely 100% yes."  Leaders should inspire us.  Leaders have to inspire us - if we are not inspired, we aren't motivated.  And when we are not motivated, we won't give our best effort.  And when we don't give our best effort, we won't be successful in dealing with the complex issues that most organizations face these days.  And if we aren't successful, our leaders won't be successful.  It is as simple as that.  We need something - a cause if you will - to rally around.  It is a leader's job to provide not only the cause (i.e. the mission, vision, and values), but also the inspiration to rally around that cause. 

Murray Newlands offered "7 characteristics of inspiring leaders" in an article in Entrepreneur magazine:

1.  They express unerring positivity.
2.  They are grateful to their team.
3.  They have a crystal clear vision of the future.
4.  They listen.
5.  They communicate impeccably.
6.  They are trustworthy.
7.  They are passionate.

John Quincy Adams once said (and I think I have used this quote before), "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader."  In other words, Adams would agree that leaders must inspire - inspiration is at the very foundation of his definition of what it means to be a leader.  Leaders must, must, must, give us something to believe in.  It all starts with that, and it is simple as that.