leadership

Transformative Leadership

When an organization needs a major change in direction, or a “paradigm” shift, an essential part of instituting these changes or shifts is transformational leadership. There are points about transformational leadership:

1. Transformational leaders do certain things:

a. They focus on the nature of people and understand people and their strengths and weaknesses. Many leaders make the mistake of trying to work on their own weaknesses or the weaknesses of their subordinates. Instead, a much more productive strategy is to focus on playing to his own strengths or the strengths of his subordinates. A creative and transformative leader will try to construct the situation so that it plays to the strengths of his subordinates. The transformative leader puts round pegs in round holes.

b. They use every available tool to affect the way that people think. Transformative leaders are able to think outside of the box including using tools for a different and yet very effective purpose than their original design. Transformative leaders tend to focus on achieving results and not so much on the process by which they achieve those results. They understand that if they can change the way people think and the way they perceive a problem, they can often solve what might seem to be an unsolvable problem.

c. They then focus on what people do and their actions. Transformative leaders focus on the people themselves. They evaluate people based on what they do and not just on what they say. They view the person as a totality and not just one-dimensional.

2. Transformational leaders display certain characteristics. Those who are not transformational leaders may possess some of these at certain times. True transformational leaders tend to possess all of them and they operate out of them:

a. They consider themselves to be change agents and understand that if they do not initiate and manage change, no one else will.

b. They are courageous and have the courage to follow their convictions even against opposition.

c. They believe in people and understand that people are the true resources. They also understand that people will tend to live up or down to the leader’s expectations. If the leader sees them as a valuable part of the organization with the ability to contribute to the organization’s mission, then they will see themselves that way and they will make that perception a reality. A great example of this was Winston Churchill during the beginning of World War II when Great Britain stood alone and was suffering through the German air attacks known as the “Blitz”. Churchill believed that the British people were heroes who could endure any attack and prevail. Because he believed this so strongly and communicated it so effectively, the British people began to see themselves as heroes who could endure anything and they became in reality the heroes that they envisioned themselves to be. All because a leader gave them a vision of themselves to live up to.

d. They are value driven. Their values drive their lives and their behavior. These values give them a foundation to their lives that is not easily moved or blown about by the winds of change.

e. They are lifelong learners. They learn from every situation they find themselves in. They have a passion for learning new things and for learning new ways of attacking problems.

3. Transformational leaders possess certain competencies:

a. Attention Management – They set clear goals and expectations and then keep people focused on those goals and expectations.

b. Meaning Management – They effectively communicate and ensure that people understand the correct meaning and what the leader means.

c. Trust Management – They are credible and their subordinates know they can trust what they say and what they do.

d. Self-Management – They control themselves and adhere to their own known habits and principles.

4. Transformational leaders manage change by understanding the seven rules of change that should be expected and managed:

a. Change (and stuff) happens whether you want it to or now, so get used to it.

b. Anticipate change.

c. Monitor change.

d. Adapt to change quickly.

e. Change!!!!

f. Enjoy change.

g. Be ready to change again quickly, and learn to like it.

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