Читать книгу Inspirational Presence - Jeff Evans - Страница 8

Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be.

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Buddha. Jesus. Mohammed. Mahatma Gandhi. Nelson Mandela. Aung San Suu Kyi. His Holiness the Dalai Lama. John F. Kennedy. Indira Gandhi. Sequoyah. Abraham Lincoln. Sir Winston Churchill. Eleanor Roosevelt. Desmond Tutu. Maya Angelou. Mikhail Gorbachev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Oprah Winfrey. Al Gore. Jeremy Gilley.

What do they all have in common?

Each of those people is known for the difference he or she made in the world. They made contributions through their ability to follow a passion and inspire others with their commitment and connection with people. They were clear and engaging with others. While in every case, there were people who did not agree with them or did not follow their lead, there also were plenty who did. They have each made big differences in the world. In every case, they can inspire us to become more of who we truly know we could be. Their passion can ignite ours.

There are also other leaders—each of us can name someone—who have made differences through the expression of personal passion and their ability to engage others in their direction. I can think of a small number of teachers and people in industry who stand out for me as having been real leaders in their sphere of influence. I would bet that you can, too. You probably had the teacher whom you fondly remember because of how you were changed forever by him or her at a critical point in life. Or maybe you remember the one boss who truly had purpose and connection, who inspired you to achieve. I know I can.

The moment that these special people opened themselves to the world and allowed others access to their passions and purpose, they became leaders. When we engaged their connection with humanity, we experienced a personal transformation. Through that contact, our world was irreversibly changed. Those people remain in our minds because of the impact they had on each of us as a person. We can still feel the emotions associated with them. We remember the experience of being with them. They had inspirational presence. So can you.