How to Be Awesome at Your Job 2025 GREATS: 1020: The Three Keys to Being Inspirational with Adam Galinsky
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Dec 11, 2025 
Adam Galinsky, a renowned social psychologist and professor at Columbia Business School, shares powerful insights on inspiring leadership from his book, Inspire. He reveals that inspiring leaders are made, not born, and highlights the importance of perspective-taking and generosity. Galinsky introduces three keys to inspiration: being a visionary, an exemplar, and a mentor. Practical tips include a simple values-reflection exercise to boost clarity and recalling powerful moments to enhance performance. He also promotes the value of written praise to deepen positive impact.
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Inspiration Is Learned, Not Innate
- Inspiring leaders are made, not born, because a universal set of behaviors exists across cultures.
- Those behaviors can be learned, practiced, and improved over time.
Generosity Raises Your Status
- When people feel status-insecure they hoard credit and avoid praising others, which backfires.
- Generosity in acknowledging others actually increases your own status.
The Three Pillars Of Inspiration
- Three universal factors create inspiration: visionary, exemplar, and mentor.
- Each factor satisfies a fundamental human need: meaning, safety/energy, and belonging/status respectively.
