Inspiration: Do You Give As Much as You Get?

One month ago today, I completed a Dale Carnegie course. As part of the intensive 8-week course, participants had to prepare more than a dozen 2-minute talks on topics such as defining moments, managing stress, addressing conflict, and inspiration. While all offered varying degrees of challenge, in the end, it was the inspiration one that tested me most.

It should have been a fairly easy one. The assignment was to “identify an event that had a strong emotional impact on you or a person from your work who has inspired you.” The goal was to use an experience to inspire the group.

What was it about this assignment that made it one of the more challenging? Was it preparing a talk that met specific requirements, yet stayed within the 2-minute time limit? Was it getting talking points in order? Was it presenting to a group of relative strangers?

No. Perhaps the biggest challenge of this talk was simply trying to identify a single person or event that’s had a strong emotional impact. It took maybe two minutes of initial planning to realize that many people and events have inspired me. How could I choose just one?

I started by asking myself, “Who’s inspired me?”

The list is long. Digging deep and going way back, many came to mind:

• Family – this has to include parents, of course, but any relative who’s taught me a thing or two about life. It means my spouse and children who have shown and exposed me to things I might have never experienced on my own. It includes immediate and extended family members who have dealt with life-threatening illnesses—those still battling and those who have lost.
• Colleagues – peers, direct reports, bosses, mentors: many have inspired or motivated me in different ways. Some have challenged my patience and expanded my understanding of human nature. The positive energy and enthusiasm of others (particularly those younger than me) forces me to keep an open mind, while teaching me that I can still learn (even at my age). Their innate curiosity and continual desire to learn inspires me to be a better leader. Still others have led by example and, by that, pushed and encouraged me to be my best, whether as employee, peer, or leader.
• Acquaintances – even those with whom I might have limited interaction—teachers, neighbors, Dale Carnegie classmates, the building security guard—have, in one way or another, inspired me with stories of courage or the way they carry themselves.
• Strangers – people I have never met: the woman shopping for groceries, a fellow traveler, cashiers, service personnel, and bartenders—have inspired me in different ways. Sometimes, it’s positive and I find myself wanting to emulate what I see. Other times, it’s just the opposite: I see someone doing something that motivates me to declare, “I am NEVER going to do that.”
• Customers – as Director of Global Communications, I’ve had the opportunity to work with some incredible people. They represent a wide variety of industries and cultures from around the world. While all face different challenges in their respective fields, most share a common goal: they are trying to connect with their own customers in a sincere and meaningful way. This desire inspires me and my team to do the very best we can to help them achieve that goal.  

It wasn’t to identify just one. I have been very fortunate to have had many guiding forces in my life. After a bit of soul-searching, I ended up choosing ESL (English-as-a-Second-Language) as the topic for my Dale Carnegie talk on inspiration.

Some years earlier, after teaching on a voluntary basis for a few years, I started to have second thoughts about my involvement and, more importantly, the impact on those I taught. I wondered if my efforts were better spent elsewhere. Was I wasting my time? Was I wasting theirs? When a new student, however, told me that she had been referred to my class by a former ESL student who had gotten a promotion because of improved English, it was just what I needed to spur me on and to renew the commitment that first moved me to volunteer.

I started scouring the web for online content, created custom worksheets, and developed hands-on activities. We played games and celebrated achievements. I've seen more than one student pass the U.S. Citizenship test. Along the way, I discovered that, while I was helping them improve their English, they were helping me improve my Spanish, which has been a longtime goal! Many years later, if I run into a former student, I am often greeted with a hug or a handshake. It is ironic that, hearing I inspired someone, in turn, inspired me to continue one of the most humbling, yet rewarding, things I have the pleasure of experiencing.

Fast forward to a month ago - my inspiration talk was well-received and earned an Outstanding Performance award from fellow classmates. More than one told me later that my talk inspired them to think about helping others.

Ultimately, that’s the thing about inspiration: it’s great to be inspired but equally rewarding to inspire others. What goes around, often comes around, which begs the question: who’s inspired you and who would you like to inspire?   

Keywords: inspiration, motivation, leadership, leader, manager, coach, mentor, management, teamwork, collaboration

Liz Roscovius works for D2 Worldwide, a company that works with businesses to improve customer experience and streamline operations. Follow D2 on LinkedIn, on twitter, or visit http://www.d2worldwide.com/ to learn more.