At Bain & Company, being inspiring is as much a part of the company's product as it is a leadership goal, so Bain took a bottom-up approach to find out what makes people within its ranks feel inspired. The resulting inspirational leadership program helps employees identify and cultivate their own special sauce.

For a firm that needs to motivate not just its own employees but also the clients they shepherd through difficult business decisions, being inspiring "is not just a nice to have, it's a have to have," said Mark Horwitch, the San Francisco-based partner who, along with senior manager Meredith Whipple, sculpted Bain's inspirational leadership program.