Transformational Leadership – What is it?

Breaking away from traditional leadership is transformational leadership that inspires, brings change, and positively drives the organization forward. A leader that fosters a spirit of passion, enthusiasm, and a drive to perform is a dream for an organization. Every organization yearns for a leader who can set an example. A transformational leader would reflect energy, passion, and a drive to excel.

James MacGregor Burns, a leadership expert introduced this leadership concept. An organization is a unit committed to a vision and a goal. Only a leader, who believes in positivity and encouragement, can bring about the best in a team. Transformational leaders are driven by an indomitable spirit that connects them to employees. These leaders inspire, encourage, talk, believe, and let the employees sparkle at their best. Let us see a few ways transformational leaders execute their leadership.

Inspire by Example

A transformational leader would set an example to drive the team towards achieving the goals by inculcating a passion for the task. Such a leader shows herself how to achieve a goal with dedication and passion. The zeal to follow a short-term goal and a long-term goal is reflected in such a leader. The co-workers will feel motivated enough by this sort of leader to make a transition towards new thinking. The example-based leadership brings significant changes to the organization. When you practice it yourself, it will be easy for your followers to adopt.  

Develop Leaders

A transformational leader would let her followers shine. This style of leadership will influence the followers to develop into leaders on their own. Transformational leaders will allow their followers to grow by imbibing their own leadership styles. Followers will easily absorb the traits of such a leader. In a way, transformational leaders prove to be mentors for their followers.  

Communication is the Key  

Transformational leaders will be firm believers in effective and open communication. Communicating effectively implies listening attentively to co-workers. Listening builds trust. The two-way communication leads to some brilliant ideas emanating from team members. Such innovative ideas could be game-changers for the entire organization. An organization is a cumulative work of all team members and their energy. A transformational leader will always try to harness this energy through effective communication.

Team First Attitude  

An organization thrives on the synergy of its co-workers. A transformational leader understands it well.  She will always put the team first. This spirit will generate enough trust for the co-workers to deliver with boundless energy and enthusiasm. A characteristic feature of a transformational leader is to give due credit to the person responsible for the task. Such a leader will even celebrate and reward the team's achievements. This encourages the team to genuinely deliver to their best.  

Instilling Trust  

When the team is driven by trust in the leadership, it has multi-pronged benefits. Transformational leadership inspires team workers to speak, confide, resolve issues with confidence, and work for each other. Trust drives extraordinary performance. Transformational leaders will always generate a positive ownership mindset amongst their co-workers. Since there is trust, the team members will not get discouraged from sharing their genuine emotions. This is important to make them responsible for the outcomes of their actions.

Focusing on Major Goals

A leader has umpteen responsibilities up her sleeve. It is expected that the leader devotes herself to the more significant objectives and goals of the organization. A transformational leader will delegate responsibilities. She will not micromanage and let the team make decisions. This increases the efficiency and productivity of the entire organization.

Proactive

Being proactive is truly a characteristic of transformational leadership. Being proactive is a trait of an efficient leader. This translates into a proactive approach throughout the entire organization. When a team member adopts a proactive attitude towards work, this helps her and the organization immensely. A transformational leader will be modest and reachable. This is crucial for open communication, which is helpful in conflict resolution too.

End Thoughts

Inspiring, exuding trust, and encouraging are traits of transformational leadership. Such a leader brings positivity and an open culture through the organization, breaking barriers of inhibition. Aligning the team with the vision and goals of the organization is what a leader is supposed to do. A transformational leader will do it with trust-building, encouragement, delegation, and ownership.

Such leadership inspires loyal and productive teams. Transformational leaders remain committed to bringing out their teams' best through open communication, suggestions, ideas, and everything that enhances trust. Such organizations tend to retain their employees with low churn out. An employee would not like to leave an organization where she is valued. The same stands true for an employer who would not want to lose an employee full of potential.