The Inspiration Code: How the Best Leaders Energize People Every Day - Paperback

by Kristi Hedges (Author)

Everyone wants to be the kind of leader who energizes and mobilizes others-yet too few are. Why is it so challenging to crack the code?

All it takes is the right conversation...great leaders inspire action with their words. They spark enthusiasm and commitment. With a single conversation, they can change the direction of someone's life.

Executive coach Kristi Hedges spent years studying exactly what inspiring leaders do differently. Informed by quantitative research and thousands of responses from leaders at all levels, she reveals that inspiring communication isn't about grand gestures. Instead, those who motivate us most do a few things routinely, consistently, and intentionally.

In Inspiration Code, Kristi explains:

• Present: investing their attention carefully and guiding the flow of conversations
• Personal: speaking genuinely, listening generously, and bringing out the potential of those around the
• Passionate: exhibiting sincere emotion and exuding energy attuned to the situation
• Purposeful: helping others find meaning and see their place in the bigger picture

Eye-opening and accessible, The Inspiration Code dispels common myths about how leaders communicate-and guides them in cultivating qualities that authentically excite. Inspired companies need inspirational leaders. Learn to unlock motivation, lift peoples 'sights, and lead them into the future.

Front Jacket

A spark is all it takes to inspire: the boss who tells you that he recognizes your potential; the colleague who truly listens to your ideas and concerns; the manager who communicates with a mixture of authenticity and vulnerability. These conversations and genuine connections galvanize people to achieve more than they thought possible, and drive organizations to new heights. More than any other trait, the ability to communicate in a way that inspires lies at the heart of great leadership.

Filled with profound insights and compelling data, The Inspiration Code explores how communication and leadership interlink. Based on findings from a commissioned survey on who and what inspires people, analysis of published research, and her own extensive work as a communications expert and executive coach, author Kristi Hedges uncovers a set of consistent, learnable behaviors that dramatically enhance leadership success. As Hedges notes, it's these behaviors that comprise the four essential qualities that inspiring leaders share. They are: - Present: investing their attention carefully and guiding the flow of conversations - Personal: speaking genuinely, listening generously, and bringing out the potential of those around them - Passionate: exhibiting sincere emotion and exuding energy attuned to the situation - Purposeful: helping others find meaning and see their place in the bigger picture Though each quality may seem intuitive, Hedges reveals why most people fall short, including common myths that get in the way of inspiring leadership. The book's concepts, strategies, and examples help you: - Stay focused despite pressure and distractions - Open your mind to alternative viewpoints - Project authenticity, even to large groups - Encourage people to use their strengths and excel - Invest in others by listening intently - Energize people with the right amount of passion - Communicate empathy and appeal to emotions - Show conviction using both verbal and nonverbal cues - Rally people around a mission that's greater than profits - Be courageous in your words and choices - And more If we want inspired companies, then we need inspirational leaders, Hedges notes. We need leaders whose conversations bring out the best in people, whether they're managing teams, presenting to a board, recruiting employees, communicating a vision via webcast, or exchanging ideas over lunch. Intimate and psychologically astute, yet geared to workplace situations and goals, The Inspiration Code awakens you to the power of speaking and listening, challenges you to rethink assumptions, and coaches you in the art of intentional, connected conversations that lift everyone higher. Kristi Hedges is a leadership coach specializing in executive communications. Her clients span the Fortune 500, government, nonprofits, and privately held businesses. An in-demand speaker, she writes for Forbes.com, and has been featured in The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post, and on CNBC, BBC, and more. She is the author of The Power of Presence.

Back Jacket

Can anyone be an inspiration? Kristi Hedges answers that question with a resounding yes. The Inspiration Code is a one-of-a-kind guide to becoming the kind of light-up-the-moment leader you aspire to be. --Daniel H. Pink, author of To Sell Is Human and Drive

"We all know what inspiration feels like, but often struggle to find it. Here's a book that can help, with plenty of practical tips for having more energizing interactions."--Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Originals and Give and Take "The words we speak, the questions we ask, and the way we listen have a tremendous impact on those around us. The Inspiration Code draws a clear map for those who want to make an impact on others and their world. This book is direct, powerful, and timely. Kristi Hedges shows how effective leaders inspire, motivate, and succeed." --Frank Sesno, Director of The George Washington University's School of Media and Public Affairs, Former CNN Washington Bureau Chief, and author of Ask More "If you think inspirational communications require rare skills, read The Inspiration Code. In chapter after chapter, Kristi Hedges reveals the core communication behaviors that everyone can master, and dispels the myths that hold leaders back."--Dr. Sydney Finkelstein, Professor of Management and Director of the Center for Leadership at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College; bestselling author of Superbosses and Why Smart Executives Fail "Informative, instructive, and, yes, inspirational. An essential guide for 21st century leaders." --Mary Ellen Joyce, Ph.D., Executive Director, Brookings Executive Education "The Inspiration Code is a clear, practical guide to communicating in ways that move others to action. . . . If you're a leader who wants to drive change, inspire a team, or simply be a better manager, read this book now." --Atif Rafiq, Chief Digital Officer and SVP of IT, Volvo "Organizations want inspirational leadership, and that starts with leaders who inspire their teams--day in and day out. The Inspiration Code reveals the small behaviors that have a large impact. Leaders should keep this book on their desks, and go back to it often." --Amy Hahn, Senior Vice President Marketing, Insights and Digital, Ahold USA

Author Biography

Kristi Hedges is a leadership coach, specializing in executive communications. Her clients span the Fortune 500, government, non-profits, and privately held businesses. An in-demand speaker, she writes for Forbes.com, and has been featured in The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post, and on CNBC, BBC, and more. She is the author of The Power of Presence.