Munich, 01.06.2022

Inspiration instead of Motivation? What works more strongly?

Inspiration is an underestimated factor in leadership. It is often overlooked because it is elusive. Recent research shows that inspiration can be activated, captured, and controlled, and that it has a great influence on success and results: Inspired people are more intrinsically and less extrinsically motivated, which strongly affects work performance.

Inspiration from leaders has profound positive effects on employees. Being inspired increases engagement and motivation, leading to higher productivity and satisfaction. Employees feel valued and connected, which increases their creativity and innovation. Inspiration also contributes to personal and professional development, as employees are encouraged to expand their skills and take on new challenges. Inspiration is therefore a greatly underestimated success factor in leadership.

Inspiration awakens in us the view for new possibilities: It allows us to grow beyond our limits. It leads us from apathy to new possibilities and changes the way we perceive our own abilities. But how does inspiration work? And how can leaders help make inspiration possible in the team and among employees?

Inspiration facilitates achieving goals.

In a recent study by Marina Milyavskaya and her colleagues, college students were asked to state three goals they wanted to achieve during the semester. They then reported on their progress three times a month. Those who scored higher on the inspiration scale showed greater progress in achieving their goals. People who felt more inspired in their daily lives were also more likely to set inspired goals, which they then were more likely to achieve. Finally, the inspired individuals reported feeling more meaning in life and more gratitude.

To get us moving (see also Etymology "Motivation"), we consciously or unconsciously perform a cost-benefit analysis:

  1. How attractive is the prospect of reward?
  2. How much effort and work is involved?
I.e., it is important to keep the opportunities and possible rewards in mind. So we are talking about a desirable vision: a visual representation of a state that one wants to create or achieve. The more concrete and vivid this image, the more determined we will be to pursue it.

The vision thus generates intrinsic motivation and answers, among other things, the question of how to motivate employees.

This effect can even be detected in our blood count: our body releases the hormone dopamine, which is also popularly known as the "happiness hormone". It is responsible for good, happy feelings. We want to repeat these moments in life and consider them desirable.

Against this is weighed the associated effort: the exertions and risks involved. The greater the effort seems to us, the more our brain blocks the release of dopamine. This makes it appear less pleasurable and attractive.

If these two brain functions are now transferred to everyday leadership, two sources of influence can already be identified:

The development of a vision vs. the presentation of the associated problems and obstacles. The former motivates; the latter "kills" the creative process. This is also the reason why we should first switch off the critic in creative processes. This is why brainstorming also works better if, in the first phase, ideas are collected uncommented and unjudged. So, to get in the mood first, leadership must ensure that a protected environment first enables the development of an attractive vision.

Psychologists Todd M. Thrash and Andrew J. Elliot have identified four core aspects of inspiration:

Spontaneity

Inspiration cannot be forced, because it arises spontaneously. As long as we are preoccupied with our thoughts, our typical everyday topics and problems, inspiration is only possible to a very limited extent. Because we are then in a reactive state: reactive to all demands from our environment. (Everyday) stress usually restricts our thinking and acting. In stressful situations, we cannot force inspiration.

Inspiration instead needs a free space, detached from the everyday, to think bigger. To move from the "here-and-now" to a "how it should be". This requires time and space to deal with possibilities and opportunities in the future, without knowing beforehand whether and when it will pay off.

When the time comes, the moment of inspiration is often described as a "moment of clarity". This can take the form of a grand vision or the "seeing" of something one had not seen before (but which was probably always there).

From this clear vision arises the motivation or the reason to plan steps for its realization. According to Thrash and Elliot, inspiration includes both the feeling of being inspired by something and acting on that inspiration.

Openness

Openness to new experiences is a frequently mentioned prerequisite for inspiration. This suggests that those who are more open to inspiration are also more likely to experience it.

Openness to new things can be influenced by leadership: e.g. by trying out and experimenting in the team. Or by repeatedly exchanging tasks or roles.
Openness also means facing a comparison: e.g. how do others do it? Who is our benchmark and what can they do better?
Everything that contributes to looking beyond one's own nose helps to awaken openness and curiosity.

It is helpful to consciously differentiate between "operative problem solving" and "creative, inspiring idea generation" in the team and to find a suitable framework for both.

Since inspiration is not always "reasonable" and "rational", the inspiration process follows different rules: it requires openness, curiosity, impartiality and must not be stifled by premature cost-benefit considerations. This means taking time without knowing what will come out in the end. This can also mean running experiments in the team without having to justify a return on investment.

Role Models

Another incredibly important and often overlooked trigger for inspiration is contact with inspiring managers, role models, and heroes. Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, David Marquet are each inspiring personalities in their own way.

A great source for inspiring speeches is also the portal www.Ted.org. For example, look for Simon Sineck or Benjamin Zander ...

Distance from everyday life

Inspirations need time and distance from everyday work. Therefore, consciously create interruptions to allow time for reflection and intuitive sensing. David Marquet considers it enormously important that a team, in addition to productive time, also explicitly takes time to reflect and think about improvements. He calls this "blue time" as opposed to "red time".

  • a walk in nature
  • sports
  • reflection meeting
  • plan for "blue" time
  • change location
  • do benchmarking

What are the prerequisites for inspiration in your team?

To be personally inspired, one must create the optimal conditions for inspiration. One must allow oneself to go on a curious "search". A simple first step is to recognize the sheer power of inspiration and its potential impact on everything we do.

This is how you can motivate your employees through inspiration. You can find more tips for more motivation in our online leadership training.

We have developed an online leadership training that explores the principles of inspiring leadership in 18 chapters and enables you to develop not only your personal leadership standpoint but also your leadership vision.

How Leaders can Foster Inspiration

Communication of a clear vision

An inspiring vision motivates employees and gives them the feeling of being part of something bigger.

Empowerment of employees

Delegating responsibility and granting freedom fosters a sense of autonomy and competence.

Promotion of collaboration and team spirit

A culture of collaboration - even beyond one's own area - creates a supportive and trusting work environment.

Individual recognition and feedback

Regular and specific feedback as well as the recognition of individual contributions increase engagement and motivation.

Role model function

Authentic and integral leaders create trust and respect, which promotes the inspiration and engagement of employees.

Sources

  1. Inspiration as a Psychological Construct: This study examines inspiration as a general construct, characterized by evocation, motivation, and transcendence. Read more on ResearchGate.
  2. Inspiration: Core Characteristics, Component Processes, Antecedents, and Function: This study examines the core characteristics, component processes, antecedents, and functions of inspiration. Read more on APA PsycNet.
  3. Transformational Leadership and Employee Motivation. Read more here: Frontiers in Psychology
About the author:

Tom Senninger
Tom Senninger		 Tom Senninger is a human resources and organizational development expert, and has been conducting leadership development programs for 25 years.

With his leadership blog, he aims to contribute to improving leadership quality in companies: less management - more leadership!

Weiß & Senninger
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