Some of the best leaders on the planet know how to harness the power of admiration. They know that admiration is the leadership emotion that turns people into the best versions of themselves.
But the power of admiration isn’t well understood or widely used. It’s time to change that.
Of the 27 emotions identified by psychologists, admiration is perhaps the most underrated and underleveraged by leaders. That’s because leaders are taught to seek admiration, not to find and give it.
Once leaders figure out that admiring others shapes how those people behave, perform, and follow, everything about leadership takes on a different hue.
Admiration is the feeling that arises when a person witnesses someone else demonstrate a quality, skill, or character trait that they highly respect.
Admiration signals what a leader values and reveals what they believe matters most. Being genuinely admired by someone you respect is one of the most powerful motivators in human experience. It doesn’t just feel good. It shapes self-identity.
Admiration felt and expressed by leaders sets the thermostat for how people operate. When a leader admires boldness, people take more risks. When they admire precision, people slow down and get it right.
People strive to become the version of themselves that their leaders admire. In that sense, admiration creates a mirror, and people grow into the reflection.
Unlike praise or flattery, which are things leaders say, admiration is an emotion leaders feel through observation and reflection. It is always highly specific and arises from what leaders find exceptional and impressive in others.
The best leaders are more likely to admire the effort behind what a person does, the way they do it, and what it says about their character rather than just their outcomes or results. They are acutely aware of what they admire and why.
But they go further.
The best leaders make it a point to actively cultivate and express their admiration for others. They look for what is admirable in others and say it out loud, specifically and candidly. They hold a high bar for what counts as admirable, but when something clears it, they are quick to say so.
The open expression of admiration, when it is genuine, can have a profound impact on people.
By mastering the art of admiration, leaders tap into one of the deepest motivators in human nature. Admiration costs nothing, does not require formal authority, and carries no agenda. It is simply honest, specific recognition of what a leader genuinely finds exceptional in another person.
Yet its impact is transformative. It builds cultures where people reach higher, try harder, and invest more fully in their work and in each other. Leaders who learn to look for what is admirable and say so don’t just inspire performance. They expand who people believe they can become.
