In a world obsessed with social media and virtual reality, Mark Dickinson of DONE! Hospitality Training Solutions examines how managers can create a corporate culture that inspires each and every employee.

Inspiration is not just a buzzword to be thrown around by motivational speakers or to be found in YouTube videos. Inspiration is an essential part of a full and complete life.

Who killed our inspiration?
In our oversaturated world, we can find it difficult to be inspired. The oversupply of wonder can cause us to become somewhat immune to life’s magic moments. Then there’s work to consider; just the thought of it makes us feel uninspired, as the frustrations of rules, deadlines and expectations loom large. Our minds create a comparison between the “inspiration” we have seen online and the real world. We begin to look around and ask: “Why can’t I work for an inspiring person? Why can’t I live in one of these rose-tinted worlds where everything is awesome?” And so our boredom with the ordinary increases, our desire to perform decreases, and we become lost in a state of averageness.
We live unaware of our comfort zone until an event occurs — or someone or something comes along to shake our world — to make us realize that we are far from where we had originally intended to be. In fact, we are uninspired.

Getting inspired
Because inspiration matters, we need to know how to reach a state of being inspired, and that requires a change to our status quo. We must move, for it is in movement that we progress and in progress that we find our growth. Growth feeds inspiration, and inspiration powers performance. The more that someone feels the wind in their sails, the faster they will go, the more creative they will become, the more they will unleash their potential, which in turn will accelerate the growth of an organization. It is counter-intuitive to traditional ways of managing, but to those rising up to positions of leadership today, it is far more natural.
Managers must invent ways of creating progress, showing others the value of progress. Abundant rewards and celebrations must be encouraged to promote a culture of constant recognition of great achievements among the team.
• Create crazy goals
• Launch collaboration moments
• Bring a bag of candy for everyone
• Buy donuts once in a while
• Do the unexpected
• Dream up simple things that thrill and do them together

The more that progress and success is anchored into an organization’s DNA, the more likely it is that the team will be inspired. Adding the unusual and unexpected to the work environment, inviting team members to create, play and participate will create an inspirational atmosphere where people believe that their contribution makes a difference. As they progress, they will be inspired to contribute more.

Go after it; don’t just think about it. Fight to be an inspiration and lead the powerful change that your organization needs to inspire others.

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