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

This book is packed with tried and tested tips and well-researched strategies to help leaders, managers, and coaches speak to their employees, team members, and clients in a way that'll spur them on to do great things. It explains the essential qualities and behaviors people need to be effective leaders, offers a blueprint to help bosses have powerful, authentic conversations, and guides them in the art of listening.

It draws on data, history, neuroscience, psychology, and case studies from business and politics to demonstrate the importance of authentic, inspiring leadership, and why it matters that team members feel valued and heard.

So who's this book for? "The Inspiration Code" is for anyone in a leadership role, from managers at all levels of an organization to politicians, sports coaches, and even parents. We think those in the corporate sector will get the most from this book, as the author takes many of her real-life examples from her executive coaching. But her advice is relevant to everyone who wants to communicate with charisma, and inspire those around them.

Kristi Hedges is a leadership coach who specializes in executive communications, working with clients from Fortune 500 companies, government institutions, nonprofits, and other organizations. She's also a sought-after speaker. She writes for Forbes.com and has been featured in The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post, and on CNBC and the BBC, among other media. She's the author of "The Power of Presence."

So keep listening to hear how to cope with stress so you can be present for others, how to talk to people about their potential, and how emotive language and stories can help you inspire and motivate your team.

Hedges communicates for a living and this shows in her writing. "The Inspiration Code" is clearly written, neatly structured, and easy to digest. Each chapter follows the same format. Hedges first explains the theory behind a concept, then shows that concept in action with practical steps, and ends with a summary of takeaways.

She weaves in case studies that are easy to relate to, such as a boss talking to an employee about performance, or a team leader giving a presentation. She also writes honestly about her own life and work experiences, including a time when she nearly burned out. This all makes for a really engaging read.

At the start of the book, Hedges identifies four elements that are present in effective communication. She says conversations work best when we are present, personal, passionate, and purposeful. These four elements make up what she calls her "Inspire Path" model. They're based on conversations she had with leaders, managers, and teams over five years, and on data she collected for this book. Hedges hired the research firm Harris Poll to discover what communication behaviors are most inspirational to people.

She builds the book around these four elements, dividing it into four parts with three chapters in each. So "The Inspiration Code" is symmetrical and somewhat predictable in its structure, but this fits well with the author's message of clear communication. It also means it's easy to hop around the book and come back to relevant chapters.

Let's take a closer look at some of Hedges' ideas, beginning with how we can manage our own stress in order to be present in our conversations with others.

As you heard earlier, the author writes openly about her own experience of being overwhelmed. This was at a time when her business was taking off and she was traveling a lot, but she was neglecting to take care of herself. She got sick, and ended up with an eye infection and a cracked molar from grinding her teeth. She decided to take a step back, cut down on travel, redefine her idea of business success, and prioritize her health and family. Interestingly, her work didn't suffer as a result.

Overwhelm and leadership can go hand in hand. But leaders and managers who are stressed and overwhelmed will struggle to be present for conversations with their team members, and will find it hard to be creative, encouraging, or inspiring. They may also become fearful and controlling, reluctant to delegate tasks. This attitude won't energize and motivate others. It'll have the opposite effect.

One way to fight overwhelm is to learn to challenge your assumptions, so you work smarter, rather than harder. Hedges bases this tool on the concept of "double loop learning," which Harvard professor Chris Argyris and MIT professor Donald Schön came up with in the 1970s. Single loop learning is when we simply change our actions to get different results, but we can go round in circles with this approach. In double loop learning, we change our assumptions in order to change our actions and produce a different outcome.

Let's use one of Hedges' examples to illustrate this. Say you're hoping for a promotion – that's the end result in this scenario. Your assumption is that you need to be more visible at work to get that result. So you busy yourself going to after-work events, connecting with as many people as possible, and making sure you attend important meetings. After a while, you're better known, but you're no closer to promotion. You're also exhausted.

But what if you were to pause, take a step back, and challenge your initial assumption that high visibility leads to promotion? With an open mind, you could do some research to find out how others at your level got promoted. You could find out what connections they made and what qualities and qualifications they had.

Now, imagine you discover that everyone who got promoted had a small number of influential advocates who argued their corner. Broad visibility may have helped, but the key was having close ties with individuals who could sway opinion. Knowing this, you might act differently.

You might now invest time connecting with a select group of key influencers instead of staying out late at networking events. Changing your assumptions means you've changed your actions so they are more strategic, saving valuable time and energy.

We can see how questioning our underlying assumptions about how to get from A to B can help reduce overwhelm, and we like the way the author explains this in simple terms and with concrete examples.

Hedges also adds some general tips on how to cope with overwhelm and release stress. These include taking short breaks, changing your surroundings to fire up your creativity, stretching or exercising, and practicing gratitude, which can increase your sense of wellbeing. These are good reminders, but there's nothing groundbreaking here.

Let's now look at how to speak to individuals in a way that inspires them to do their best work.

When leaders recognize people's unique strengths, acknowledge what they're capable of, highlight past achievements, or help them see what's possible, they can make a huge, positive impact. Employees or team members feel seen and heard, and they feel more confident and capable.

The author calls these encounters "potential conversations," and notes that they don't come naturally to everyone. They may also seem out of place in certain settings and cultures, where formality is the norm. With these caveats in mind, what are some ways to talk directly to a person about his or her potential, so that we sound sincere?

The author suggests five approaches. The most straightforward way is to use the phrase, "I see." So we could say, "I see leadership in you," "I see kindness in you," or "I see effectiveness in you." We simply tell the person what we're thinking – what makes them stand out, in our view.

Feedback in the workplace is often linked to a specific event. Managers praise team members for a great product launch, or for landing a big client. But telling people what they consistently do well carries more weight. Perhaps the product manager who led the successful launch has a talent for rallying people behind a common objective. So, as a leader, you could tell the person that he or she is always good at mobilizing people. Highlighting a key competency like this helps people see that their contribution goes beyond a specific event.

Hedges also suggests telling people we're proud of them for something they've done. She notes that some people may think saying, "I'm proud of you," isn't appropriate in a work setting, because it implies hierarchy and can sound patronizing. But she argues this kind of language can inspire people if spoken with sincerity.

Another way to encourage others is to say you've observed how much they've grown or progressed. We're often so busy moving forward that we forget to look back and appreciate our own or someone else's journey. People value hearing this perspective.

Finally, try using the phrase, "Let me share what I see is possible for you." With this approach, you're creating a vision of an exciting future and encouraging another person to buy into a sense of possibility. Our own doubts and fears can cloud our outlook, which is why it's really powerful when someone in a position of authority expresses confidence in us.

We think it's a great idea for leaders to have a range of approaches or useful phrases in their toolkit so they can deliver feedback in a way that inspires others and gets the best results. But perhaps the most important point here is the simple reminder to stop and recognize the talents and skills of those around us, rather than rushing from one task to the next.

Let's now look at the value of being passionate in our conversations, by using language that connects with people's emotions.

Showing emotion used to be seen as a sign of weakness, especially among leaders. But now, many leadership coaches champion the importance of vulnerability and authenticity. Hedges argues that showing authentic emotion conveys our passion for something, which helps bring others on board. But there's a balance to strike. It's not about sobbing at our desks, or angrily marching through the office. Instead, it's about showing our humanity and allowing others to show theirs.

The author suggests we use emotive language when we speak to employees or team members. What does she mean by that? Well, consider this sentence: "Let me lay out all the facts to show you why this plan will work." This is non-emotive language. It appeals to the head, not the heart.

Now, listen to this alternative: "I have absolute confidence that we're prepared and ready. Here's why I'm excited." Notice the difference? The latter uses emotive language and appeals to people's feelings, but it doesn't dismiss logic.

Another way to make sure our communication hits the sweet spot is to tell stories. Stories hook listeners in and connect to their emotions. They've been shown to increase a listener's focus, create empathy, and build trust.

Hedges says we don't have to be a novelist to tell a good story. We just need to include some key elements. These are:

• A clear moral or purpose. In other words, a reason why you're telling this story to this audience right now.
• A personal connection, meaning either you or someone you're connected to is a protagonist.
• Common reference points, so the audience understands the context of the story.
• Characters and imagery, to bring the story to life.
• Conflict, vulnerability, or achievement people can relate to.
• And pacing, or a clear beginning and ending, and a connection to the broader topic being discussed.

This is a really useful storytelling formula for anyone preparing for a speech, a presentation, or an important conversation. It's sound, actionable advice.

"The Inspiration Code" is packed with practical tips like this one, and we think you'll come away with some great new additions to your communication toolkit.

It's worth stressing that not all the tools are original. Hedges includes models and strategies from other experts and authors, alongside her own, and it's likely you'll have come across many of her suggestions before in some form or another. But we don't think this detracts from the value of the book. There's no doubting that Hedges is an authority in her field, and it's really useful to have so many great resources in a concise, easy-to-read package.

So if you're looking for some practical advice on how to communicate in a way that inspires, motivates, and energizes those around you, we recommend you check out this book.

"The Inspiration Code" by Kristi Hedges is published by the American Management Association.

That's the end of this episode of Book Insights. Thanks for listening.