To me, leadership is about encouraging people. It's about

Hear, O children of destiny, the words of Christine Lagarde, a leader among nations, who bore the mantle of power with clarity and grace: “To me, leadership is about encouraging people. It’s about stimulating them. It’s about enabling them to achieve what they can achieve—and to do that with a purpose.” This is no small reflection, but a teaching forged from years of guiding institutions, of bearing the weight of global burdens, and of seeking the advancement not of one, but of many. Her words reveal that leadership is not domination, but inspiration; not the command of the whip, but the lifting of the heart.

What is it to encourage people? It is to breathe courage into weary souls, to fan the spark of hope when it flickers low. The great leader does not merely point the way—he strengthens the hearts of those who walk it. Encouragement transforms fear into daring, hesitation into action, despair into endurance. It is the voice that says, “You are capable; rise and do not doubt.” In this way, the leader multiplies strength, not by adding soldiers or resources, but by awakening the greatness already hidden within the people.

And what is it to stimulate them? It is to awaken the mind and stir the imagination. The leader does not leave people stagnant, content with what is easy. Instead, she challenges them, sets visions before them, provokes thought and action. Stimulation is the strike of flint that awakens the fire. Without it, people fall into slumber, doing only what is comfortable. With it, they rise to heights they never thought possible. The wise leader presses her people to grow, to see new horizons, to demand more of themselves and their world.

Yet encouragement and stimulation are not enough without the act of enabling. To enable is to provide the tools, the opportunities, and the support that allow others to reach their potential. It is not enough to say “you can”—one must also clear the path, provide the training, give the resources, and remove the stones that hinder progress. The leader who enables does not simply inspire with words; he builds with deeds, equipping his people to walk the path set before them. This is leadership as stewardship: to serve others so that they might flourish.

But Lagarde reminds us that all of this must be done with purpose. For what use is encouragement without direction, or stimulation without vision? Purpose is the star that guides the journey, the banner under which the people march. It is what gives meaning to their struggle and value to their labor. Purpose transforms effort into destiny. A leader without purpose is like a sailor without a compass; but with purpose, even the smallest vessel may cross the stormiest seas.

Consider the story of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who in the Great Depression did not simply command the people of America, but encouraged them through his words, stimulated them with visions of renewal, enabled them with programs of work and reform, and gave them a purpose: to endure together and rebuild their nation. His leadership was not the cold iron of command, but the warm fire of inspiration, and through it, a broken people rose again. This is the living example of Lagarde’s truth.

The lesson, O listeners, is plain: leadership is not about the leader—it is about those who are led. To encourage, to stimulate, to enable, and to give purpose—these are the four pillars upon which great leadership rests. Without them, power becomes tyranny; with them, leadership becomes transformation.

Therefore, in your own life, let your leadership, great or small, be shaped by these virtues. Speak words of courage to those who falter. Challenge those who are idle to rise higher. Provide tools and guidance so that they may succeed. And always, always give them a purpose worthy of their labor. For in this way, you will not only lead others, but awaken greatness in them—and that greatness, once stirred, will endure beyond your years.