While some people may be naturally inclined toward leadership roles, no one is born a perfect leader. The ability to inspire, motivate and guide a team of people is built up over time, and no matter how many managerial positions someone has held, there’s always more to learn.
Often, your day-to-day interactions can be a source of inspiration for improving your leadership skills. Here, 12 Young Entrepreneur Council members share the inspirations in their daily lives that encourage them to be better leaders.
Young Entrepreneur Council members share insights into what inspires them on a daily basis.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.
1. Having A Meaningful Impact On People’s Lives
Being able to have a meaningful, enriching impact on other people’s lives gets me excited to get back to work each morning. Every impact—from an employee experiencing a lightbulb moment, to clients reaching their goals with our products to investors conveying their happiness with our returns—is a step toward our company’s vision and mission that my employees and I have been working toward. – Liam Leonard, DML Capital
2. Helping Others
Helping others, in my opinion, is the only way to be happy. You only rise as a leader by lifting others around you. That, however, also comes with responsibility: As a leader, you must picture how the people you are raising or helping to be successful will act once they are successful. – Alexandru Stan, Tekpon
3. Making My Family Proud
My inspiration comes from wanting to make my family proud. Every day, I go into the world trying to be the best version of myself. I want my family to see me being a good person. I want to make them proud. I want to set a good example. – Zane Stevens, Protea Financial
4. Being Someone People Can Rely On
Being someone whom my employees, family and friends can rely on and look up to goes a long way for me. I get inspired and motivated to be not only a better leader but also a better person overall. This allows me to continuously strive to be better every single day. Making a difference and leaving an impact on the community allows me to feel empowered and accomplished. – Fritz Colcol, Simply Thalia
5. Being A Leader Worth Serving
If you’re not growing, you’re dying. I can’t expect to succeed as an entrepreneur if I’m not willing to better myself. Leadership is hard, but shoving my head in the sand to ignore my faults and insecurities is far worse. Facing myself is the only way to grow as a leader and effectively grow my team. My goal every day is to be a leader worth serving. That inspires me. – Trivinia Barber, PriorityVA
6. Learning Every Day
I don’t know everything, and there is always something new to learn. In the e-commerce industry, technology is continuously evolving, as are consumer demands for e-commerce companies and the products they offer. After decades in business, I still learn new things every day. Also, my employees know they can come to me with new ideas, which inspires me even more. – Jonathan Prichard, MattressInsider.com
7. Observing My Team
The thing that inspires me would be my team. Seeing their dedication and creativity sets new bars for me to clear with my own efforts. Knowing that everything I do creates a culture for people who are giving me so much of their time and effort makes me want to be the best leader I can be by setting an example in everything I do. – Tyler Bray, TK Trailer Parts
8. Encouraging Change
I want to become a better leader because I believe that by being one I can bring about the changes I want others to bring. For example, we have always heard stories of the bad boss who makes life tough for their employees. I want to change that and create a work culture that people value, respect and love to come back to. – Thomas Griffin, OptinMonster
9. Improving Others’ Lives
Knowing that what I am doing truly has a ripple effect for improving others’ lives inspires me. I have a staff to mentor, a company to run, industries to change and innovation to develop. If I don’t come to work inspired and make a difference with what I am doing, it is a disservice to everyone I can help along the way. – Mary Harcourt, CosmoGlo
10. Making A Difference
For me, making a difference in someone’s life, whether it be an employee’s or a customer’s, is what inspires me to lead by example. The smallest acts of kindness or diligence that may be imperceptible to you may really make a difference in someone else’s life. We are all entrepreneurs because we want to make a difference, whether it be by providing a better service or developing new products. – Kyle Michaud, Carolina Dozer
11. Helping Someone With Their Purpose
Being a leader, I always look to help people who are working toward their clear purposes, not goals. I believe a good leader is one who finds better ways to help the people surrounding them. If I find myself being the reason for a smile fueled by gratitude, it makes my day. I try to help my team members with the aim to add value to their lives, and that surely drives me forward. – Vikas Agrawal, Infobrandz
12. Understanding The Power Of Words
In a time when morale is low, it can be hard to find what inspires you. One thing that inspires me daily is the power of words. I am constantly reminding myself to use words that inspire others and motivate them. To be a better leader, it is important to not only know how to command but also inspire the people you are leading. – Kristin Kimberly Marquet, Marquet Media, LLC