Page 153 - Appreciative Leadership

126 Appreciative Leadership

but what if we …” or “I have a creative idea that I need your help
thinking through …” or “I would love to …,” they are expressing their
creative spirit. Some of the clues that tell you when people are inspired
include joy, enthusiasm, energy, intuition, and creativity. An inspired
workplace hums with the sounds of creative collaboration, synergy,
and the surprise of collective wisdom unfolding.

Grounded in the Realities of the World

Inspiration, like a tree of life, grows with two large branches forking
outward. One branch reaches out, drawing people in and attracting
them to the good, the true, and the beautiful. It is the positive power
of inspiration that stems from appreciation, beauty, awe, grace, love,
and wonder.

The other branch reaches out over the hardships and distress
of the world and gives hope. It is the positive power of inspiration
that grows from compassion, deep belief in a better way, personal
calling, and dedicated service to society. It is a loving determination
to collaborate with others to do whatever it takes to change things for
the better—one life at a time, one day at a time, one world at a time.
Both branches grow out of and draw us into the deep well of life-

affirming energy that pervades everything. They awaken us, connect

us, and help us become vessels of creation. They enable us to do our

part in the cocreation of a world that works for all.
Appreciative Leadership holds a unique view. Looking out
from the fork in this tree of life, it enables us to see the goodness,
beauty, and excellence in the world, along with the distress, pain,
and injustice. This unique perspective gives power to the inspira-

tional practices of Appreciative Leadership. They are not naïve.
Appreciative leaders are grounded in the realities of the world. It
is their compassion and dedication that sends them seeking best
practices and exemplary scenarios to adopt, adapt, and disseminate.
Their belief—indeed, their insistence that things can and must be

better—gives them courage and credibility to join with and inspire
others: