I’m truly blessed that I love my job and enjoy working with amazing people and leaders on a daily basis. This makes it easy to get up in the morning and start a new, exciting day.

Reflecting on my career and considering the importance of leadership, especially during these challenging times, I wondered: What are the key personal attributes that transform good leaders into great ones?

Looking back, inspiration, driven by passion and purpose, has been and still is what I consider to be an impactful and important leadership trait. While many might think inspiration is the same as motivation, I would argue that inspiration is the more important quality for leaders to have.

Motivation is pushing people to finish a task, driven by a goal. Inspiration is about being pulled towards something that stirs your heart and mind. Effective leaders inspire movements that happen only when people choose to move in the same direction. Without a leader, movements fragment and go nowhere. I believe that it’s the leader’s job to inspire people to work together to achieve something greater than they can accomplish alone.

THE LINK BETWEEN LEADERSHIP AND INSPIRATIONby Christina Struller

Member, Women in Business Steering Committee, AmCham Abu DhabiVice President of Public Affairs, Indian Subcontinent, Middle East and Africa, UPS

WOMEN ON WEDNESDAY

Whenever I have the chance to work with inspiring leaders, I am genuinely dedicated and proud to work for the company. I feel extremely accountable for my contributions and am fully committed to give more than my best. The mark of an inspirational leader is the ability to encourage employees to commit and engage fully, which is the basis for continued business success.

I would like to share with you some of the proven habits that I try to emulate every day in my work. You might also consider them as ways to ensure you’re leading with purpose and inspiring those around you.

1. Show Empathy – Be aware of your employees’ needs, feelings and perspectives. You don’t have to agree with their point of view, but exhibiting empathy shows that you’re willing to understand and appreciate it. This lets employees feel that they are powerful in their own way, helps to build trust, encourages honesty and opens up communication lines.

2. Be Authentic – “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken” – Oscar Wilde. You will never please yourself if you are constantly trying to please other people instead. You need to stand up for what you believe in and show the world the beauty of what makes you unique.

3. Communicate Powerfully and Prolifically – Communication skills are extremely important as the way you phrase tasks and feedback, which can either be a catalyst to growth and to achieving goals or it can stifle and demoralize.

4. Develop Others – Set aside time (and resources) to give your employees meaningful new skills or knowledge in other areas that they can use to leverage their natural strengths for future roles to become the company’s next great leaders.

5. Be Grateful to Your Team – Show people that they matter. When you give love and kindness, you’ll receive it back - which is what makes our lives and what we do mean something.

6. Ignite Passion – Enthusiasm for the mission of your organization is critical. Your passion will remind your team often about the “why” of their work, which is the most critical answer in achieving any goal.

Thank you to the amazing leaders, including those not in traditional leadership roles, who I get to work with, learn from and be inspired by each and every day!

Be inspired and inspire the people around you. Good luck!

MY “SUPER-POWERS” ARE…Agility, resilience and lots of positivity energy! I believe that a superpower is unique and part of your brand. Positive energy is contagious and helps me to take up and succeed in every challenge in life.

MY TWO FAVORITE QUOTES ARE….“If you can dream it, you can do it.” - Walt Disney

and“If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later!” - Richard Branson

LESSONS IN LIFE…Challenges are opportunities, and failures are lessons! Fail fast, extract the learnings from your failure, reflect on the process, identify the root cause, adapt and keep running. Taking risks and not succeeding only results in failure if you don’t learn from them or if you fear taking risks at all! This does not mean that it’s okay to fail all the time, but rather you should create a “safe fail environment” where your employees are encouraged to come up with innovative ideas and test them.

WHAT BOOK DID YOU RECENTLY READ AND INSPIRED YOU?“Lean In” by Sheryl Sandberg, the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook. I enjoyed this book as it challenges everyone to change the conversation from what women can’t do to what we can do. It reminds us of the importance of working together and supporting each other to empower women to achieve their full potential. In the book, Sandberg shares her personal stories, uses research to shine a light on gender differences and offers practical advice to help women achieve their goals, create the lives they want, and champion other women. It’s a book for both men and women and inspires all to become better and more effective leaders.

WHAT WOULD YOU TELL YOUR YOUNGER SELF...Always follow your passion, even if it does not immediately enable you to have the lifestyle you’d like. If you are good at what you do and love your career choice, the money will eventually follow. Remember to give your best effort no matter what, enjoy the journey and embrace all detours you might encounter.

RIGHT NOW, I’D RATHER BE…Hiking a mountain, riding a bike around a lake and diving into the deep blue ocean (in whatever order!).