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  2. PPP 446 | Why Some Leaders Inspire--and Others Drain the Life Out of Their Teams, with Adam Galinsky

PPP 446 | Why Some Leaders Inspire--and Others Drain the Life Out of Their Teams, with Adam Galinsky

Jan 30, 2025

Summary

In this conversation, Andy talks with Adam Galinsky about his new book Inspire: The Universal Path for Leading Yourself and Others. Adam discusses the elements that make a leader truly inspiring, debunking the myth that inspirational qualities are innate rather than developed. The conversation covers Adam's Inspiring Trifecta (being visionary, an exemplar, and a mentor) along with the leader amplification effect. Additionally, they explore actionable strategies from Adam's research, including the importance of perspective-taking, the impact of the leader amplification commitment, and techniques for improving self-awareness and daily practices for sustained inspiration.

Looking for practical advice to inspire those around you? This episode is for you!

Sound Bites

  • “It’s not, ‘Are you inspiring or infuriating?’ It’s, ‘Are you currently inspiring or infuriating?”
  • “Your passion can become their passion. Your calmness in a crisis can become their calmness. But on the flip side, your anxiety can become their anxiety.”
  • “Never tell someone, ‘We need to talk,’ without telling them why.”
  • “What if every single morning, over a cup of coffee, you sent one email just thanking someone for something they did?”
  • “Shame turns us into ostriches. Guilt moves us toward action.”
  • “To be visionary, you don’t need to be loud—you need to be clear.”
  • “Your leadership isn’t just what you say—it’s what people see.”
  • “The question isn’t ‘Are you a great leader?’ The question is, ‘What are you doing right now that makes you one?”

Chapters

  • 00:00 Introduction
  • 01:37 Start Of Interview
  • 01:45 What Inspired You To Get Into Psychology?
  • 02:51 What Are Some Common Myths About Inspiration?
  • 03:49 Do You Have to Be Extroverted to Be Inspiring?
  • 05:51 What's The Difference Between Inspiring and Infuriating Leaders?
  • 08:48 Why You Should Never Say "We Need to Talk"
  • 13:45 What Is the Leader Amplification Effect?
  • 19:07 How Can I Better Get Someone Else's Perspective?
  • 22:59 How Does Adam Overcome Feeling Insecure?
  • 25:21 What's The Role of Self-Talk In Helping Us Be Inspiring?
  • 29:15 How Does Ranking Our Values Help?
  • 30:56 How Does Adam Practice Being Inspiring (Introduction to REAP)
  • 32:43 Advice for Parents
  • 36:11 End Of Interview
  • 36:34 Andy Comments After The Interview
  • 42:11 Outtakes

Learn More

You can learn more about Adam and his work at AdamGalinsky.com.

For more learning on this topic, check out:

  • Episode 362 with Ayelet Fishbach about her book on motivation.
  • Episode 94 with Heidi Grant and Torry Higgins about their work on motivation.

Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast!

Talent Triangle: Power Skills

Topics: Inspiration, Leadership, Communication, Self-Awareness, Emotional Intelligence, Parenting, Project Management

The following music was used for this episode:

Music: Echo by Alexander Nakarada
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Music: Tuesday by Sascha Ende
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license