What is Transformational Leadership?

Transformational → leadership is about implementing new radical ideas. These individuals continually change themselves; they stay → flexible and adaptable; and continually improve those around them. The transformational leader encourages followers by acting as a role model, motivating through inspiration, stimulating intellectually, and giving individualized consideration for needs and goals.³

Overall, transformational leaders balance their attention between → action that creates progress and the mental state of their followers. Perhaps more than other leadership approaches, they are people-oriented and believe that success comes first and last through deep and sustained commitment. 

Why Transformational Leadership?

Transformational leadership empowers people to greatly exceed their previous levels of accomplishment. This dynamic and innovative leadership style challenges and motivates an entire organization – top to bottom. They put passion and energy into everything. They care about people and want people to succeed. The result is individual, group, and organizational achievement beyond expectations.

Developing and Selling the Vision

As a Transformational Leader, you must start with the development of a vision, a view of the future that will excite and convert your potential followers.

→ 3Bs of Strategic Creativity

"The next step, which in fact never stops, is to constantly sell the vision. This takes energy and commitment, as few people will immediately buy into a radical vision, and some will join the show much more slowly than others. You must take every opportunity and use whatever works to convince others to to climb on board the bandwagon."⁴

In order to create followers, you have to be very careful in creating trust, and your personal integrity is a critical part of the package that you are selling. In effect, you are selling yourself as well as the vision.

Your Emotional Task

To be a transformational leader you must arouse emotion and tap into the emotional and spiritual resources of your organization. Make continued efforts to motivate and rally your followers, constantly doing the rounds, listening, inspiring and energizing.

One of the methods the Transformational Leader uses to sustain motivation is in the use of ceremonies, rituals and other cultural symbolism. Small changes get big hurrahs, pumping up their significance as indicators of real progress.⁴

Leading by Example

As a transformational leader, you must always be visible and show by your attitudes and actions how everyone else should behave. Seek to infect and reinfect your followers with a high level of commitment to your vision... More

 Steve Jobs

When → Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, he looked at the number of proposed research and development projects. Then he stopped most of them. Today, the Apple brand is known for its → lean venture strategies, small but value-added product range and great launch program... More

 Jack Welch

Jack Welch has been with the General Electric Company (GE) since 1960. Having taken GE with a market capitalization of about $12 billion, Jack Welch turned it into one of the largest and most admired companies in the world, with a market value of about $500 billion, when he stepped down as its CEO 20 years later, in 2000.

→ 25 Lessons from Jack Welch 

Although Jack Welch is "the celebrated leader of a global manufacturer often noted for its technological prowess, he has utilized a very human process to drive change through GE's vast organization. Having respect for the individual as a pivotal force in organizational change, Welch created a model of exceptional performance every corporate leader can learn from... More