A Leader’s First Job

Leadership Defined, the InspireCorps Way

We take leadership seriously at InspireCorps. In fact, we define it differently than most experts do:  

We know that leadership is not assigned and it is not hierarchical.  It is a passion, skill and competence that can be developed; in ourselves and others.  We believe that it is a leader’s first job to inspire him/herself so that they can be able to grow inspired people, teams and cultures.

Inspired Leadership

As part of OUR commitment to being a research and evidence-based inspiration strategy firm, to customizing bespoke solutions that drive results for our clients and to measuring the success of our work, we make sure to walk our talk.

Each of us at InspireCorps takes responsibility for developing ourselves as inspired leaders and know that we can only be for our clients what we are able to be for ourselves.  As a result, we seek out engines of inspiration every day (more on that soon as we share the details of the book we will be launching next year!).

Engines of Inspiration

To give you a sense of how we inspire ourselves and our work, here are three recent examples of these engines:

1. Institute of Coaching at Harvard

Executive coaching is only one of the many tools we use in designing solutions for our clients. Allison Holzer, our Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer, recently attended the Institute of Coaching’s annual conference to keep our coaching curriculum fresh and fueled with innovative strategies from industry leaders like Dan Goleman (author), Susan Cain (author), Marshall Goldsmith (Dartmouth Tuck), Robert Kegan (Harvard), and David Patterson (Google).  The coaching field is dynamic and evolving as just as fast as the technology and world around us; and because coaching is an unregulated field, there is a wide variety of styles, approaches, and quality in the market. Our coaching team is dedicated to using the latest cutting-edge and research-based methods that are client-centered and results-oriented; this conference allows us to connect with and learn from the most brilliant minds in the industry.  Stay tuned to hear more about Allison’s experience at the conference.

 2. Courage Camp

“Courage is contagious.  Every time we choose courage, we make everyone around us a little better and the world a little braver.” -Brene Brown.  Jen Grace Baron, our Co-Founder and Chief Inspiration Officer, is currently at Brene’s Courage Camp, an experiential event designed for organizational leaders who are certified in The Daring Way curriculum.  Research has proven that courage drives innovation, and it takes courage and creativity to take the risks necessary to develop a contagious culture that breeds success.   At InspireCorps, we know that courage is an essential competency for organizations to develop in their people.  As the world’s leading expert in courageous leadership, Brene’s Courage Camp is one of the many ways we keep our content exciting and built on a strong foundation for cultivating courage in leaders, teams and organization.  Keep your eye out for our upcoming Courage Facebook live conversation with Jen when she returns from camp.

3. Fast Company Innovation Festival 

This year’s Fast Company Innovation Festival theme is “Leading with Optimism”.  Not only do we love Fast Company, but we want to know what is happening around the culture of innovation leadership today and as we look towards the future.  So when Laura Campbell, our Director of Client Engagement and Impact, saw the 2017 theme, she knew we had to be there.  Overflowing with sessions featuring leaders from the most innovative and disruptive companies in the world, this conference allows us to stay on top of what the best performing and most successful companies are doing to not only keep up with, but stay ahead of, the pace of change.  We take pride in our partnerships with our clients who are also committed to staying ahead of the speed of change, and we’re deeply committed to designing solutions that allow our clients to drive results better, faster and stronger. Laura is excited to share her big insights and takeaways from the festival through a special newsletter when she returns.

Inspired Conversation

We are always scanning the world for opportunities and experiences that will inspire, and know that you have thoughts on and examples of inspired leadership that we don’t know about.  We invite you to share with us either by replying to this email or connecting with us on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter.  As we refine our research on inspiration and inspired leadership in preparation for our book, we would love to talk to you.