“You inspire me.” That’s one of the most anxiety-inducing sentences I’ve heard in 2024.
How can anyone live up to being ‘inspiring’? What does that even mean?
It sounds to me like being ‘inspiring’ is stuff for Red Carpet Hollywood actresses and Nobel winning scientists. Not for people working on PowerPoint and Outlook.
Yet, as I look at the year ahead, inspiration is probably what we all need most.
In 2024, Gallup’s Global Workplace Report showed that 77 per cent of employees are disengaged. That’s a scary number. It makes you wonder how the world can even function any more if eight out of 10 people everywhere in the world are doing their jobs reluctantly.
On a very personal level, I would really like to think that the bakers, the bankers, the bookkeepers, the bus drivers and biologists who contribute in some way to my every day life, do care about what they do, want to do it well and find fulfillment through it. But it seems that the world is facing an engagement crisis.
Read more predictions for 2025 from industry leaders here.
There is some good news, however. Seventy per cent of the variance in engagement can be attributed to the manager. So, with the right manager, a team can be dramatically more engaged. That, in essence, summarises what we need in 2025: Better leaders; leaders who inspire. Not just at the top, but at every level of the organisation.
The etymology of the word inspiration gives us clues as to what is required. The word ‘inspiration’ originates from the Latin word ‘inspiratio’, which means ‘the act of breathing into’. Breathing keeps us alive, yes. But it affects a whole flurry of things, from stress to mental focus, sleep quality and physical health.
Inspiration plays a similar role for our mind as breathing does for our body.
Psychologists Todd Thrash and Andrew Elliot have been studying inspiration for decades. It turns out that when we feel inspired, a lot changes. We feel energised and motivated. We see new possibilities. We are more receptive to outside influence. Essentially, we are ready and capable of leading change.
Inspiration acts as a catalyst, fuelling creativity, engagement and resilience.
What we need in 2025: better leaders; leaders who inspire.
Inspiration ignites curiosity, prompting us all to explore new ideas and innovative solutions. Inspiration motivates us to expand what we know, what we do and to challenge ourselves. Inspiration gets us to open the door, ask a question, talk to someone new and collaborate.
Inspiration engages individuals more deeply in their work, which translates into increased job satisfaction and productivity.
Inspiration motivates us to step outside our comfort zones and seize opportunities for personal and professional development.
Inspiration provides fuel for when things get tough, and we need to be resilient.
We are entering another ‘VUCA’ year when volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity will be at an all-time high. No business will be able to navigate the year ahead without engaged teams.
So, where do we find inspiration? It can feel tough, especially at the start of the year, looking at the first quarter
of 2025 with its pressure, its objectives and key results (OKRs), its blank slate to feel inspired. And it’s even harder to feel like you are meant to inspire anyone other than yourself.
And the other good news is that it just starts with you.
Ask yourself: What inspires you? What do you care about? What gives meaning to what you do? What drives you? This could be teaching others, or the act of creation. It could be solving tough problems or elevating a craft. It could be building a kickass team or the pursuit of winning.
The sensation that stirs when you think about what you care about is like the rhythmic beat of a heart, the very pump that circulates inspiration, infusing what you do with a special kind of magic. Allowing you to give back just a little bit more in every interaction, every discussion, every moment.
And that’s really all there is to it. Take that magic and share it with your team, your colleagues, your customers. Because the most powerful thing about inspiration is that it is not a zero-sum game. Rather, the more you share, the more you receive.
By Jennifer Fischer, Chief Innovation and Growth Officer, Publicis Groupe – MENA.
