Go to any bookstore around the world, you will find an entire section devoted to works on effective leadership. The question of what makes a person a good leader is an open-ended one, with new trends and hypotheses redefining things faster than anyone’s imagination. Such a newly-minted term is “Transformational Leadership.”
Transformational leaders come with the ability to encourage, inspire and motivate employees to perform in ways that create meaningful change (be it operational or financial) within an organisation. A “Transformational Leader” can help the workforce to innovate and shape an organisation’s future success.
According to organisational change and leadership development expert Kevin Ford, while “Tactical Leaders” focus on solving straightforward problems with operations-oriented expertise and “Strategic Leaders” remain future-focused with an ability to maintain a specific vision while forecasting industry and market trends, “Transformational Leaders” focus less on making decisions or establishing strategic plans, and more on facilitating organisational collaboration that can help drive a vision forward.
Leaders aren’t confined to a single leadership style. In many cases, combining different approaches can enhance organisational outcomes. Take “Transactional Leadership” as an example, which is based on a system of exchanges between the leader and each employee. Employees receive positive reinforcement for meeting specific goals.
In contrast, “Transformational Leaders” inspire employees in ways that go beyond exchanges and rewards. They work towards increasing a team’s intrinsic motivation by expressing the value and purpose behind the organisation’s goals.
Important Traits Of A Transformational Leader
Ability To Embrace Uncertainty
What COVID-19, global inflation and the resultant interest rate hikes, and last but not the least, escalations in geopolitical conflicts have taught us is that there is no solid ground, when it comes to estimating where a business will stand in the next few years.
Changes occur swiftly, sometimes overnight, requiring project plans to adapt or face failure. Those who resist change and uncertainty will struggle to keep pace.
If a business possesses a fearless transformational leader (or a bunch of such individuals), they remain in a safe space, as the person gets excited about setting out for new lands while drawing the maps along the way. He/she practices agility and constantly looks to the future to plan (or modify plans) accordingly, when it comes to assessing various operational risks, market headwinds and drawing out a suitable progress path (or stay ahead of the carve) compatible with the business environment.
They Run Towards The Problem
A firefighter who runs away screaming from a burning building will likely find themselves out of a job. Some roles demand that you roll up your sleeves, put on a fireproof suit, and confront the chaos head-on.
To bring order to this chaos while moving quickly requires a strong desire to create structures and measurements. This mindset involves breaking down problems into causal chains and understanding networks of relationships. By synthesising these components, one can identify multiple paths of least resistance when quick decision-making and problem-solving are necessary.
“Transformational Leaders,” while dealing with chaos, also thrive on personal growth, as they get to know their strengths and weaknesses. They often take time to reflect and set daily or weekly goals, with the firm belief of everyone, including themselves, should be continually learning and improving.
They also handle headwinds better than others by indulging in proactive decision-making, rather than playing the waiting game.
They Possess Vision While Building Teams
Building a great team requires finding dynamic utility players, and requires going beyond grabbing the cleanest cookie-cutter resume. In fact, the well-treaded path is rarely where you find the right people.
If a company needs to identify a “Transformational Leader,” it needs to see an individual’s potential beyond what his/her LinkedIn profile narrates. Businesses, when it comes to hiring for leadership roles, should need to watch out for people with a wide range of varied experience that has provided them with a reservoir of general intelligence and an aptitude for succeeding at doing novel things.
A business writer who is an expert in a specific niche area may not be helpful to a company’s project on paper, but if he/she can take that analytical framework and port it over to the business’ data strategy and technology architecture, it will end up helping the venture in the long run.
A former hockey coach who only focuses on hockey may not seem like a fit for a consulting role. However, someone who understands how to build effective teams and guide individuals to perform at their best can be a valuable asset for driving a global team in a remote work environment.
Businesses need to seek individuals with strong problem-solving skills and a proven track record of addressing new or challenging situations, even if those challenges are unexpected.
When building a team that will tackle problems that may not yet be clearly defined, it’s essential to prioritise candidates with high levels of executive capacity and emotional intelligence. They will need to lead diverse groups of people in stressful situations and be able to translate various concepts and perspectives into effective solutions.
Transformational Leaders Foster A ‘Why Not?’ Environment
Transformational leaders foster a culture of continuous improvement and are never satisfied with the status quo. This mindset drives both businesses and their leaders toward success. They prioritise quality and do not compromise it for mere novelty. When communicating this message, it’s important to convey that this is the expected standard of performance. However, if anyone has a better approach, they are encouraged to share it.
Additionally, if someone is stuck on a similar issue, remind them of the saying, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results.”
Encourage the exploration of new ways to address the problem.
Transformational leaders consistently ask themselves and their teams, “What are we really trying to accomplish?” and “What is our ultimate goal? Let’s forget about the methodology for now.” They break down problems thoroughly and do not stop until they gain a fresh perspective.
Simultaneously, they are comfortable admitting that they do not have all the answers. While they remain confident in their goals and abilities, they keep their egos in check and prioritise what is best for their team and organisation.
Such Leaders Come With Soft Skills
Soft skills go beyond someone having a certain leadership style to accommodate his/her staff. They’re what determine whether the team is willing to go into battle with its leader or not.
Compare two bosses: one is tough and demanding. Productivity is high, but people on the team are stressed and overwhelmed. The other boss is equally as demanding but makes time every day to chat with each team member about their life. He/she even takes them out weekly for happy hour/s. They respect and trust her, and therefore, are more willing to put in the hard work she requires.
Authenticity is essential. We all possess unique quirks, limitations, strengths, and weaknesses. It’s important to be genuine and to encourage authenticity in others. Ultimately, you hired intelligent and dynamic individuals, so it’s vital to honour the commitment to fostering authentic professional relationships with them.
Transformational leaders focus on understanding what their team members need and want. They make their managerial job about enabling the team’s success. They remain open to new ideas and fresh perspectives. Rather than jumping to conclusions, these leaders regularly gather feedback and ideas from a range of sources before making strategic decisions.
They Understand And Respect Technology
It is essential to communicate the message “no Luddites allowed” clearly among your team and incorporate it into your culture. We live in a highly technological world, and having an interest in, appreciation for, and understanding of how technology works is vital. This mindset is a key indicator that everyone is aligned on the importance of continuous learning, embracing new subjects, and having a willingness to explore and understand the systems at play.
Transformational leaders understand the above-mentioned reality, and they hire a well-balanced team of tech-savvy people who understand both the intricacies of the technology as well as the importance of it from a business perspective. Transformational leaders speak all of the languages used by their team, including tech.
They focus more on building a core trusted team (individuals who worked together successfully before), which can keep the project on track and minimise personnel conflicts. Going into a new, large-scale business transformation, no manager can simply do everything himself/herself. So transformational leaders bring with them the people they know will work in productive ways, understand the organisation’s expectations, and cover as much territory as quickly as possible.