ASPIRATIONALLY, AMY
TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP
Transformational leaders inspire and motivate their teams to embrace organizational change by communicating clear achievable goals, investing in their development, and encouraging them to explore new ideas. They seek opportunities to improve processes and challenge the status quo for their organization, for their team, and for their own work. Transformational leaders are known for being charismatic, creative, and values-oriented,
Transformational leaders have a strong sense of mission and vision. They offer encouragement, articulate their big picture goals, and support the skill development of their team in order to achieve meaningful and lasting change. Transformational leaders are known for having organizational and communication skills, for their creative problem solving approaches, and for earning the trust and respect of their team.
A transformational leader's fixation on the future can lead them to overlooking the realities and opportunities of the present. At times, they can lose sight of their team's needs, which can lead to burnout or mistrust, especially when their suggestions are ignored in the pursuit of a specific goal or strategy. Transformational leaders fall short when their team no longer trusts in their vision or their motivation to explore new approaches wanes due to change fatigue.
TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP STRATEGIES
THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX
Explore opportunities to think creatively and work in new, innovative ways. Give yourself permission to be curious about the way things are done and be open to the possibility of discovering more efficient processes.
BE PATIENT WITH PROGRESS
Change takes time. Have confidence in your purpose and vision, and be persistent about making incremental progress toward positive organizational improvements for yourself and your team.
BE THE CHANGE
The best way to encourage your team to step outside of their comfort zones and see what they're capable of is to do so yourself. Model the changes that you seek to implement and motivate your team to embrace new systems by connecting them to their purpose and goals.
LEARN MORE ABOUT TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP
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REFERENCES
Baker, C. (2023, January 5). What is transformational leadership? Leaders. https://leaders.com/articles/leadership/transformational-leadership/
DeFrank-Cole, L., & Tan, S. J. (2022). Women and leadership: Journey toward equity [eBook edition]. Sage.
Herrity, J. (2022, September 30). What is transformational leadership? (And how to lead with motivation). Indeed. https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/transformational-leadership
Lancefield, D., & Rangen, C. (2021, May 5). 4 actions transformational leaders take. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2021/05/4-actions-transformational-leaders-take
Rodrigue, E. (2022, June 14). What is transformational leadership? [+ how it drives innovation]. Hubspot. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/transformational-leadership