Written by: Katie Stoddart, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
The initial concept of transformational leadership came from James MacGregor Burns in the late 70s. The idea is that the “leaders and followers” make each other advance. Transformational leadership is often contrasted with transactional leadership – where the leader directs the followers towards a given result. In this article, I will cover the five fundamental traits of transformational leadership.
Self-Leadership: Key To Transformation
Self-leadership is a natural part of transformational leadership.
A transformational leader has great self-awareness, can understand their triggers and emotional patterns. From this knowledge, they better understand people around them and communicate effectively.
As they are highly invested in learning and growing, they are motivated to better comprehend themselves. Such leaders are proactive, and innovators in their field.
Through better managing themselves, leaders develop resilience, perseverance, emotional intelligence. Such skills are a great advantage when leading a business and a company.
A few essential points to keep in mind when it comes to self-leadership:
It is the most underestimated type of leadership that is often the most necessary. Many external leadership challenges (motivating a team etc.) are resolved when a leader works on their self-leadership.
Self-leadership combines awareness, reflection, and adapting. Learning to adapt the behavior and response to external cues.
Most people are somewhat reluctant to work on their self-leadership because it means confronting inner resistance, traumas, and fears – this explains why self-leadership is so powerful.
Unleashing Potential in Others
In contrast with transactional leadership, transformational leaders care and show their care through one-one interaction. Though it is unrealistic to imagine that they hold one-one with everybody in their business, there is a deeper sense of caring for the team.
Through this caring and intellectual stimulation, leaders support others to reach their potential. ‘Transformational leadership’ is a transformation for the people, the business, and even the leader.
This transformation – or great change – is enhanced through the freedom and stimulation that the leader provides to the employees.
To unleash the potential in others:
Have open and honest conversations with each member. Be vulnerable and trustworthy so they can open up more easily.
Build on the strengths of each employee – the more a person works in their zone of genius, the greater their performance (and fulfillment) will be!
Create a powerful company culture, so that each person is encouraged and supported through the culture.
The Power of Motivation
Transformational leaders motivate through their positive energy, enthusiasm, and care. One can sense the passion they have for a project or a business idea. In contrast with transactional leadership where the motivation is mostly related to self-interest.
As a result, people want to follow them, to participate in that vision and be a part of it.
Motivation comes from a combination of great self-leadership, inner belief, and a clear vision.
Though motivation can be seen as a feeling that varies, there is a deeper source of motivation that is always present: an inner drive that contributes to the company’s growth and progress.
Inspiration as a Role Model
As a leader inspiration is part of your function. Though inspiration and motivation have a lot in common, they are not the same.
Inspiration is that fuel that will motivate others. For instance, a part of inspiration is being a role model.
This term can seem overbearing, yet the idea of a ‘role model’ is straightforward. A role model, simply put, is the ability to incorporate the values & behaviors that are inherent to the company.
Let’s say that the company believes in: transparency, reliability, and generosity. Then, as the leader, you need to show through your actions that you are transparent, reliable, and generous.
This shows integrity and provides trust and inspiration to the employees.
To embrace being a role model:
Be clear on the values and behaviors that are essential in the company. This comes from having a very clear company culture to build on.
Notice when you are not acting with integrity and rectify it. Being aware of your behaviors (self-leadership) and able to modify your behaviour will not go unnoticed!
Ask for feedback from the employees so that you can learn what you need to work on. This is the most straightforward way to improve being a role model.
The Vision to Move Forward
Inspiration, motivation, unleashing the potential in others are all facilitated with a strong vision. The clarity of the direction creates movement and momentum.
It is also easier for a leader to guide a business and others when they are clear on their goal. Being able to communicate your vision clearly – and share your enthusiasm for your business is essential.
The vision is what distinguishes you from other businesses – people can feel a purpose, a sense, a meaning behind the words and actions. The vision is part of your USP, part of what sets you apart.
A few elements are necessary to make a vision compelling:
The vision must be aligned with the company culture & values. If there is a lack of alignment, people will feel it and lose motivation to work towards this vision.
The vision needs to be reviewed at least once a year as the company changes, evolves, and grows.
The vision & purpose are directly correlated. Vision creates purpose and the purpose (or mission) contributes to a powerful vision.
Overview of Transformational Leadership
Though each leadership style has its advantages and inconveniences, there is a lot to be said for transformational leadership.
The beauty of transformational leadership lies in the mutual growth of the leader and their followers – it is a virtuous cycle of growth, co-creation, and progress! From this cycle, perseverance is strengthened and new depths can be reached!
If you want to lead your business through a powerful transition and take it to new heights – transformational leadership might be just what you need to get there!
For more info, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and visit my website! Read more from Katie!
Katie Stoddart, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Katie Stoddart, founder of ‘The Focus Bee’ is an award-winning, international, high-performance coach, speaker and podcast host. Katie supports leaders and business owners to reach & sustain peak performance in their business.
For her weekly podcast ‘The Focus Bee Show’, Katie interviews leading experts in high performance. Passionate about living intentionally; Katie challenges each and every person she works with to re-focus on what matters most. Katie works primarily with entrepreneurs & executives through 1-1 coaching & workshops on: Focus, Leadership & Performance.
