As nuances in every aspect of life are being challenged, high-quality leadership is more critical than ever. Some leaders are appointed by a higher authority, such as company CEOs. Leaders are also elected, such as politicians. Other leaders rise, such as spiritual gurus like Eckhart Tolle. All leaders, no matter how they achieve the title, have followers.
However, not all leaders are alike, and a significant trend in leadership styles has been emerging over the past three decades. Transformational leadership is the modern leadership style touted as progressive and productive.
Institutions and organizations offer instruction and development in transformational leadership to broaden vision and creativity within systems. In social media lingo, transformational leadership is “trending.” The question is, are we prepared to move beyond it as a trend after more than three decades?
Transformation Leadership Prerequisites
Learning the behaviors and strategies of transformational leadership does not make a person a transformational leader. A commitment to personal transformation makes a person a transformational leader. The practice of transformation shows up as a high-quality spouse, client, parent, or friend, as well as a professional.
Transformational living has been a human practice since the beginning of time. Unfortunately, the longer time humans spend on earth, the less evident transformation becomes.
Transformational leadership is not about strategy. It’s about human development, the leaders’ as well as the followers.
Transformational leadership is an attempt to bring our best human selves into leadership. The idea is not to create a separate self from which to lead. The idea is to develop your best human self as a way to lead. Transformational leadership is not about strategy. It’s about human development, the leaders’ as well as the followers.
Congruence matters
Engaging in a transformational lifestyle is a prerequisite for leadership. Otherwise, as research shows, transformational leadership is confined to a transformational context. When times are smooth, leaders tend to appear more transformational. In high-stress times, leaders fall back to their familiar styles. Training controls our behaviors in ways that don’t transfer to the heart as quickly.
Behaviors are external observances. How behavior is executed is influenced by internal mechanisms. The timing of behaviors, verbal and nonverbal congruence, consistency, and communication surrounding the behaviors are mediated by personal intentionality.
Our authentic selves have less variance.
If the intention is to mimic a behavior, your ability to mimic will vary according to the context. On the other hand, if your purpose is to live a life of transformation, you lean into opportunities to show up in a transformative manner. Our authentic selves have less variance. The toughest of times need to be met with authentic transformational leadership.
Stuck in the Rut of Tradition
Many would-be transformational leaders have gotten too far in their lives to turn away from tradition. They have been reinforced by traditional leadership styles. From the education system to the corporate world, traditional leadership has reigned. The newness of transformational leadership means that today’s leaders are trying to change systems where they have been successful. Thus, motivation is low unless they have adopted a transformational lifestyle.
Some successful people credit only their hard work to their success, no matter how much help they have received. They believe they survived because they were the fittest, not the chosen, lucky, or privileged. They believe, consciously or unconsciously, they are better than everyone who didn’t make it.
When the survival of the fittest mentality is deeply embedded, being a transformational leader is unlikely. A set of complementary beliefs will prevent you from developing transformational patterns.
Finding the Path
Fortunately, life has many ways to drag us onto a path of transformation. Illness, family problems, trauma, job loss, or economic distress can invite us to look differently at how we navigate the world. We may be forced to drop the survival of the fittest mentality when a loved one is ill. I’ve seen people change world perspectives as a result of having bi-racial grandchildren. Many paths can lead to a commitment to transformation.
An intentional shift occurs when we commit to a life of transformation and recognize that it is not a destination. Transformation is a lifestyle that considers our personal contribution to humanity.
The mark of a transformational life is getting rid of the notion of lack. We operate beyond survival mode when we accept that the universe is prepared to support all of its residences. Ultimately transformational people practice new understandings of the world that are not confined to a single environment.
Seven Traits of Transformational Leaders
1) Strength in every person. Transformational leaders look to develop the strengths of people rather than looking for the strongest survivor. When leaders commit to strengthening people’s strengths, their weaknesses matter less. Teachers seek out students’ strengths; parents see their children’s strengths; employers find their employee’s strengths. Research shows that happy couples are marked by their ability to capitalize on their partner’s strengths and minimize their weaknesses.
2) Do not glorify pain. Glorifying pain is a part of the survival of the fittest paradigm. Most pain in the world is human-made. Exalting it often prevents us from holding people accountable or trying to change. People do not need suffering to grow. Research consistently demonstrates that development occurs in healthy, caring environments. Roses grow in the sunniest spot, and you cannot spoil a baby. Transformational leaders seek to eliminate pain, not glorify or justify it.
3) Humanity is destiny. As opposed to a manifest destiny to conquer the world, transformational leaders seek to repair humanity. Transformation is purposeful and inclusive. The goal of marriage is human fulfillment for two people, not fidelity. The purpose of earning a high income is to help others, not accumulate more stuff than everyone else. The goal of being a leader is to guide humanity to a better place, not control the lives of others.
4) The means justify the end. When uplifting humanity is the goal, some choices should reflect that goal. Many professionals leave the workforce to stay at home with their children instead of being in a dual-income household. Many companies continued to pay their workers during COVID even though they were not working. Small businesses engage in personal interactions with their clients online, although it takes a lot of time. Outcomes that appear to be a loss based on traditional profit standards are a big win for people committed to transformation.
5) Lean into vulnerability. Transformational leaders lean into vulnerability instead of trying to appear perfect. The vulnerability could be asking their employees for advice to improve the outcome of a project. Parents confess to their children when they don’t know how to help with homework. Friends apologize when they are wrong. Vulnerability is a strength when it represents transparency and authenticity that build relationships. When leaders lean into vulnerability, followers know they are safe to take risks. Environments that allow safe risks have more creative solutions.
6) The work is messy. Transformational leadership is messier than tradition. When conformity is not demanded, understanding the value of everyone’s gifts at the table can be a tedious process. When the leader invites creativity into the room, the constructivist process may be vague. In a space where anything can happen, a lot of wrongs can happen before the right solution arises. Transformational people create space for messy processes.
7) Empower others. Most importantly, transformational people empower others. In traditional expectations, leaders motivate with threats and punishments, often coded in policy, to maintain a hierarchy. Traditional leaders flaunt their power, while transformational leaders empower others.
Intentionality
Transformational living is not a life of perfection. It is a life of intentionality. Transformational leaders can make ineffective decisions, and traditional leaders can make great decisions. If leaders are only looking for perfect outcomes, then they are not likely transformational leaders. Process and experience matter, inside and outside of the system.
Family, work, social, and political systems need transformational engagement from transformational people. Transformational behaviors without transformational thought will have a minimal effect on environments.
References
Decuypere, A., Audenaert, M., & Decramer, A. (2018). When mindfulness interacts with neuroticism to enhance transformational leadership: The role of psychological need satisfaction. Frontiers in Psychology.
Jina, S., Geo, S. & Shapiro, D. (2016). Do happy leaders lead better? Affective and attitudinal antecedents of transformational leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 27 (1) Pages 64–84.
Niessen, C., Mäder, I., Stride, C., & Jimmieson, N. L. (2017). Thriving when exhausted: The role of perceived transformational leadership. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 103, 41–51.
Tafvelin, S., Nielsen, K., von Thiele Schwarz, U., & Stenling, A. (2019). Leading well is a matter of resources: Leader vigour and peer support augments the relationship between transformational leadership and burnout. Work & Stress: Special Issue: Leading Well: Leadership and Employee Safety and Wellbeing. 33(2), 156–172.
