Intro
What is transformational leadership? Is it just another buzzword like “Authentic?”
Not quite.
Transformational leadership is a leadership style where leaders inspire others by “leading by example.” Their toolkit is filled with encouragement, inspiration, support, and motivation.
What makes this leadership style unique is that it focuses on developing individuals as the priority. As transformational leaders, we value the culture of the group we are collaborating with. We ask ourselves question such as;
- How can I help to create a sense of belonging and purpose within this group?
- How can I encourage others to take ownership over their experience, their desires.. Their roles?
- How can I communicate a vision that people are inspired by?
Why it works
Transformational leadership is looking at the long term. We are looking at the needs and desires of those in this group and making them an important part of how we move together towards a shared vision.
Unfortunately, the kind of leadership we see so often in groups, corporations, and organizations is a “transactional” model of leadership; which incentivizes people with rewards or punishments. This tends to lead to burnout, and feelings such as a lack of purpose or fulfillment.
Instead, transformational leaders tend to focus on four key areas: vision, values, relationships, and action. By focusing on these aspects of leadership we are often able to achieve better outcomes, allowing everyone in our network to grow and flourish, find a sense of fulfillment and purpose in their work, and grow as individuals throughout the processes.
This leads us to a question… how do we become a transformational leader? We did the research and came up with 7 of the most prominent qualities of these transformational leaders which you can find in our next article HERE