This week, my friend Lisa Haneberg at Management Craft had a great post on ways to inspire others.  Here are some of the highlights:

• Take a stand. Share your perspective and be open.  The most inspiring leaders have a strong vision for how things ought to be.
• Listen more, speak less.  Show that you value input and collaboration.  This applies to your team members and peers.
• Represent your employee's needs to senior management and with your peers. Take the initiative to make things better. That will speak volumes about your intention to serve them.
• Reject over the top perks. OK, so you earned the promotion.  Don't flaunt your trappings and take a stand to reject perks that separate you from your team.  Think about how you felt when you were in their positions.  Try to spread the wealth on great experiences like conferences, trainings, product offerings, and other perks.
• Be the best expression of your unique style.  We are all different, so don't turn into a corporate clone.  That said, be the classiest version of you possible.  Like a fine grape varietal, be the fullest expression of you.

As you can tell, these particular tips are mostly geared toward those at the managerial level.  But what about junior-level employees – can they be inspiring too?  Absolutely!  Junior-level employees can inspire their colleagues and their managers by having a vision for their career and future and then setting and achieving goals that make that vision a reality.  They can also strive to be positive and enthusiastic in the midst of difficult circumstances, and can always have a “can do attitude” even on days when it seems like the tasks will never stop raining down on them. 

And finally, they can lead others in taking steps to further their professional and personal development – such as organizing an entry-level outing to an industry conference, coordinating a brown bag networking event in the conference room, or getting a group together to volunteer at the local homeless shelter.  These are the qualities of the twenty-somethings who are destined to become tomorrow’s leaders.