Inspire, Don't Infuriate: Lessons in the science of leadership from Adam Galinsky
Issue 160: Adam Galinsky shares a sneak peek of his new book, Inspire
Being known as an effective, inspiring leader is an identity anyone can embody and emulate. It takes practice and an understanding of the needs of the team you are leading and what it takes to achieve collective goals. Whether you’re a manager, a member of a team, a spouse, or a parent, the science of inspiration is relevant to everyone. Through compelling stories, research, and practical tips for addressing the common dilemmas we face daily, Inspire reveals how all of us, regardless of our status or circumstance, can be more inspiring more often.
Adam Galinsky, a professor at Columbia Business School and an expert in leadership, negotiations, and group dynamics, has spent his career uncovering the psychological forces that drive influence. His research has found that leadership is not an innate quality but a cultivated skill, shaped by behaviors that either inspire or infuriate. He has also shared his research and ideas in a popular TedTalk, How to Speak Up For Yourself and an excellent prior book “Friend & Foe: When to Cooperate, When to Compete, and How to Succeed at Both”. Adam was also instrumental in helping us get a start with our own book by introducing us to his book agent.
In our interview, Adam shares his biggest research-backed tips for becoming a leader who inspires, instead of infuriates. He explains the Leader Amplification Effect and shares an assessment link where anyone can assess their score on the inspiring-infuriating continuum. A leader’s highest categorical scores can reveal clues for how they can be more visionary, a better exemplar, and an exceptional mentor.
When we are in a position of leadership, we have power and status, i.e., people look up to us. That means that those around us will be paying close attention to our every move, keenly listening to our every word, interpreting our every expression, and analyzing our every interaction.
-Adam Galinsky
You can learn more about Inspire and order the book here.
What does your book teach us about social identity or group dynamics?
Leaders powerfully shape group dynamics through their expressions, their actions, and their interactions. When we are in a position of leadership, we have power and status, i.e., people look up to us. That means that those around us will be paying close attention to our every move, keenly listening to our every word, interpreting our every expression, and analyzing our every interaction. Our words and behaviors generally send signals of meaning and intention. When we are leaders, those signals not only get amplified, but the reactions we produce in others get intensified as well. I have coined the Leader Amplification Effect to capture the concept that all expressions—verbal and nonverbal, positive and negative, small and big—get amplified when we are leaders.
The Leader Amplification Effect also leads to the Leader Silencing Effect, where people feel uncomfortable sharing their honest perspective to those in authority. Power, by its very nature, makes it risky for the less powerful to speak up. Even when imparting one’s insights could save lives, including one’s own, the mere presence of more powerful others often silences our voices. The good news is we can leverage the Leader Amplification Effect to positively change group dynamics and to encourage other group members to speak up. By empowering, elevating, and empathizing with others, we can gain access to a diverse set of perspectives that will help us make more wise decisions.
What is the most important idea readers will learn from your book?
There are two key foundational ideas in INSPIRE.
The first big idea is that, whether we like it or not, our actions as leaders have a big impact. The Leader Amplification Effect teaches us that neutral reactions are not an option. Nothing is ever offhand as a leader. We will either inspire or infuriate.
To understand this impact, I have asked tens of thousands of people around the world to tell me about a leader that inspired them and a leader that infuriated them. I have discovered that leaders move along a continuum from inspiring to infuriating, and where we land at any given time depends on how well we play three key roles: visionary, exemplar, and mentor. Regardless of country or culture, people want to see leaders embody that trifecta.
As I explain in INSPIRE, these are the three universal factors for inspiring others because each fulfills a fundamental human need: vision gives us meaning and purpose; exemplars provide us with passion and protection; and mentors brings us belonging and status.
Why did you write this book and how did writing it change you?
INSPIRE represents my heart and soul. It distills a quarter century of my research and teaching. It also allowed me to share real-world and personal stories that illustrate the core themes of the book in ways that I find captivating.
Writing INSPIRE changed me in numerous ways. It made me a better writer and it made me a better thinker on the topic of leadership. More importantly, my hope is that it will also lead me to be more inspiring to others.
What will readers find provocative or controversial about your book?
Some people find the Leader Amplification Effect and the idea that leaders are made and not born provocative. But in many ways INSPIRE is intuitive in that it provides a clear but digestible roadmap for becoming more a inspiring person, from leader to spouse to parent to friend.
One profound implication of my research is that we are not born inspiring or infuriating. No one is inherently inspiring or infuriating. Instead, our current behavior determines where we fall on the continuum. Because there is a universal and systematic set of inspiring attributes, those skills can be taught, they can be nurtured, and they can be developed.
Do you have any practical advice for people who want to apply these ideas (e.g., three tips for the real world)?
The first practical tip is to find out where you fall on the inspiring-infuriating continuum. Are you able to stay calm in stressful situations? Do you micromanage others? Can you see the big picture? To help people assess where people land on the continuum, I created the Am I Inspiring? assessment.
This short survey both assesses your inspiring/infuriating tendencies and gives you a preview of the foundational tools you need to be more visionary, a better exemplar, and an exceptional mentor. You can also ask others to gauge your inspiring tendencies by sending them the Am I Inspiring assessment; this will allow you to compare your index to how others view you on the inspiring continuum.
The second step is to engage in a series of reflections. Reflections are a simple yet effective tool for becoming a more inspiring person. Each of the three universal factors can be activated by a particular reflection.
To get into a more visionary state of mind, you can reflect on your values. My colleagues and I have shown that reflecting on your values—why they matter to you and how you demonstrate them in your life—helps people see the big picture while infusing them with optimism.
To get into a more exemplar state of mind, reflect on times when you felt powerful and in control. Hundreds of studies around the globe show that this reflection makes people calmer and more courageous, authentic and more creative.
To get into a more mentor state of mind, reflect on the perspectives of others. This helps people empower, elevate, and empathize with those around them.
More generally, we need to reflect monthly on when we were inspiring and infuriating.
Ask yourself: When didn’t I see the big picture or offer a sense of meaning? When was I cowardly or inauthentic? When did I fail to empower or empathize with others?
We can turn these reflections into a small commitment that we practice the next month. If we turn our reflections into commitments that become habits, we will spread the seeds of inspiration.
News and Updates
We have created a new meeting series for Spring! These meetings are a chance for paid subscribers to meet one-on-one or in small groups with Jay and Dom to talk about anything you want (e.g., our book, the topics we cover in this newsletter, our latest research, a problem you’re struggling with, or whatever else you want).
If you’re a paid subscriber, look out for a sign-up form in your inbox this week! Upgrade your subscription using the button at the bottom of this newsletter to join these meetings and recieve more benefits.
April 3rd 3:30-4:00pm EST with Jay
May 1st 3:30-4:00pm EST with Dom
June 12th 3:30-4:00pm EST with Jay
Last week, Jay virtually visited the Social and Affective Neuroscience Institute book club to discuss the Power of Us! Thank you to SANI for hosting and for the engaging discussion and questions.
If you’d like either one of us to visit your book club or class, please complete this form.
Catch up on the last one…
Last week, Jay shared some reflections on disagreement and how to actually talk in a productive way with people who think, feel, and act differently than you.
