Chief Inspiration Officer: How to Lead the Team Everyone Wants to Be On

When you become a leader, you want more than anything to be impactful, but many managers struggle to get the most out of their teams. If you’re too friendly, you can’t get things done. If you ignore the problems, they just accumulate. And if you push too hard, everyone feels pressured and unhappy—including you but what if the only way to inspire your team is to learn how to inspire yourself first?

That’s what Val Ries, author of the bestseller Chief Inspiration Officer, believes. And in this dynamic and interactive presentation full of real-world examples, stories and actionable techniques, you'll learn precisely how to do that. You'll feel uplifted and inspired to build a team that everyone wants to be on.

Outline

  • 00:02:10 - Definition of Chief Inspiration Officer

Val Ries underlines that a Chief Inspiration Officer's role is to inspire oneself and others, with it starting from personal motivation and self-reflection. Leaders who can trigger their own inspiration can effectively mobilize their teams.

  • 00:07:35 - Real impact of the Chief Inspiration Officer Concept

Ries shares an impactful example from the real business world. They explained how their client Company Scientific boosted their employee engagement by a whopping 115% following the implementation of the Chief Inspiration Officer concept, resulting in retention cost savings of $1.25 million.

  • 00:12:55 - Implementing the Chief Inspiration principles

The recipe to bring these principles into an organization, according to Ries, begins with building a culture of inspiration and empowerment, ensuring employees feel valued and supported with ongoing communication, recognizing small wins, and offering chances for growth and development.

  • 00:21:20 - Valuable Advice for Leaders

Ries encourages leaders to invest time in self-reflection to understand what inspires them. They stressed that being a Chief Inspiration Officer is not merely a title, but a mindset that commits to building an enthusiastic and driven team.

  • 00:28:35 - The Challenges of Leadership & The Need for Effective Techniques Diving into her experiences, Ries talks about her initial struggles as a leader. They highlight the value of the "Chief Inspiration Officer" method as an effective technique that helps leaders, share examples from their book.
  • 00:42:15 - The Amygdala Hijack & The Concept Of The Cave

In a fascinating discussion, Ries outlines our biological response to stress, called the "amygdala hijack," and the metaphorical "cave" where overwhelmed individuals retreat to that impact their leadership roles. They encourage leaders to exercise positive-thinking and let go of unhelpful assumptions.

  • 00:55:25 - Leadership Training – A Case Study

Illustrating the concept, Ries presents a case study where they conducted leadership training. Val's method led to a reduction in employee turnover by 40% with longer employee retention.