5 systems of Inspired Leadership

Here at PotentialSquared we believe in measuring our leadership through the strength of our systems.

We define systems as “a defined set of principles, practices and habits that are applied to specific activities to achieve a specific result”

Our Inspired Leadership model is based on five systems that impact different areas for leaders.

Purposeful Impact
Engaged Connections
Inspired Energy
Fresh Ideas
Intentional Growth

What are the habits and practices that we have in place as a leader and how do they impact our systems?

“We don’t rise to the level of our goals. We fall to the level of our systems.”

James Clear

The 5 Systems of Inspired Leadership has a 360°assessment diagnostic tool built around it, where leaders complete a self-assessment and get feedback from key people within their network.

Participants receive a 360° Profile, providing them with a detailed breakdown of their results alongside descriptions of the components and reflection questions throughout. The assessment provides a tangible and meaningful contribution to the growth and development of leaders.

The 5 Systems of Inspired Leadership

Purposeful Impact

How can leaders create the impact they want in the moment?

Purposeful impact is about how leaders bring to life the other systems with their team, organization, and clients. It focuses on how you show up as a leader in conversation with all your connections. How can leaders create the impact they want and not have to settle for the impact that others perceive of them?

How do I show up? How do we change the brand or identity we have as a leader? What impact do I make and how does it compare with the impact I want to make? How agile am I in how I connect and engage with people?

The answer to the questions above lies in deep work and practice on the three interconnected dimensions of Confidence, Conviction, and Connection. These dimensions are interdependent, and the leader needs to fuel all three to create a conversational impact that is true to them and engages the others in front of them.

Engaged Connections

How can leaders create the environment and relationships for their team to thrive?

Engaged Connections builds on the work from the “Connection” segment that we cover as we explore Purposeful Impact. It shifts the focus from the individual relationships leaders hold to the conscious creation of a network of diverse relationships they have with their team, stakeholders in the business and their contacts externally.

This system uncovers the role and opportunity that leaders have to strengthen their relationship with their team, creating the best environment for them to be their true selves and do their best work.

This system is about two things:

Building a network of connections that is diverse and challenges yours and others’ thinking, and;
Engaging them in your journey.

Leaders focusing on this system are consistently looking to be more progressive in their networking, team recruitment, and employing diverse and rigorous strategies in team engagement and communication to allow everybody to have their voices heard and understood.

Inspired Energy

Building resilience and maintain high energy.

The system of Inspired Energy is about the leader’s own energy. It is built on them finding a way to increase personal resilience and maintain high energy levels. Leaders focusing on this system are always looking to experiment with and adopt habits and new practices that sustain their personal energy. The aim is to be fit to lead and to allow others to see you role-modelling resilience fuelling habits and practices.

They are looking to craft and tell a compelling story that others see their part in and that they source their own personal energy from. It is a story that holds a True North for them when they are facing challenges and obstacles. Leaders focusing on this system are always taking time to reflect on their own story and purpose, and how they can engage their team and clients in the story.

Fresh Ideas

How can leaders experiment and challenge their thinking?

Fresh Ideas is focused on equipping leaders with the skills and experience of how to innovate by developing an experimental mindset and the confidence to challenge their thinking. This system is all about encouraging a culture of fast learning, where new ideas are generated through an experimental mindset.

New ideas, practices and approaches are experimented with, rigorously tested and maintained, or discarded, based on their effectiveness. Leaders focusing on this are embodying that experimental mindset, creating feedback loops on ideas, and encouraging risk-taking and fast learning.

Intentional Growth

How can leaders develop the capability of their team through coaching and mentoring?

This system could be described as a culture of learning, which is enabled by the skills of coaching and mentoring. Leaders exploring this system are focused on consistent personal growth through encouraging their team to experiment, stretching themselves, and adopting new habits and practices. They will be role modelling this for their team by the development of deep, focused subject matter expertise, and regular coaching and mentoring.

Leaders focusing on growth are proactively seeking opportunities for themselves and their team to learn, seek and act on feedback supported by coaching and mentoring. They are actively pushing their boundaries to expand their capabilities.