The Inspirational, Adaptive Transformational Leader

This article is part V of our 12-part series on the different leadership styles. You can check out October’s Monthly Huddle to get a general overview and follow along each week as we explore them in-depth. 

Working with a transformational leader would best be described as having a personal motivational speaker who truly believes in your abilities and potential. They are cheerleaders, providing guidance through enthusiastic partnerships. 

What Defines a Transformational Leader?

Transformational leaders are aptly named, as their passion for a positive, goal-oriented work culture can completely change a team’s dynamic for the better. 

They are clearly in control, without ever using it as a weapon to make others feel lesser. Instead, they take their role as an opportunity to help each team member blossom on a personal and professional level. 

Personality

Because they are brimming with empathy, transformational leaders can create an environment where each person feels safe to be themselves and speak their minds. Their teams are constantly engaged in the productive ebb and flow of conversations, laughter, encouragement, and collaboration.

According to Bernard Bass, the father of transformational leadership theory, there are four key pillars:

• Idealized Influence, meaning that the leader must hold themselves to a high standard of ethics, values, and convictions. This encourages their team to follow the leader with confidence, knowing that they have everyone’s best interest at heart. 
• Inspirational Motivation, or the ability to craft a powerful, precise, and optimistic vision. A transformational leader must be an excellent communicator who is enthusiastic about the team’s work, finding ways to inspire innovation and spark creativity. 
• Intellectual Stimulation refers to a transformational leader’s responsibility to provide challenging, worthwhile endeavors for the team, then stepping back to let them flex their minds and find creative solutions. 
• Individualized Consideration recognizes the importance of knowing each team member as an individual, including what drives them forward, their passions in and out of work, and personal growth areas that will aid in their professional expertise.                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Decision-Making

Transformational leaders skillfully balance humility with confidence by being willing to admit when someone else would be a better fit to lead a particular project, client file, or sales goal. They want to do what is suitable for the whole team, never putting themselves over the common good. 

They are very open-minded and revel in watching their teams develop brand-new ideas. They know that the best way to achieve a goal is by ensuring all stakeholders are invested in the process, so every person must have the chance to speak or provide feedback before a decision is made. 

Situations Where Transformational Leaders Thrive

• Companies that need significant revamping would benefit from having a transformational leader at the helm to roll out changes with enthusiastic buy-in from employees.
• “The modern office” setting, where there is less hierarchical and process structure, meets the talents of transformational leaders to a T. 
• In a workplace full of burnt-out teams who need encouragement, the effectiveness of a transformational leader is undeniable. They bring an effervescent enthusiasm that is contagious to those around them.

Wrap Up: The Pros and Cons of Transformational Leadership

Transformational leaders can completely change the dynamic of a workplace. Their ability to build teams with firm foundations in mutual respect is unlike any other kind of leadership. But, transformational leaders are not always the answer, especially in offices that aren’t ready to handle this more modern idea of who’s “in charge” of a team. 

Pros

• Tend to produce satisfied, valued employees who enjoy their job.
• Keep the workload challenging but manageable. In turn, that encourages collaboration and rapport to solve problems as quickly, easily, and efficiently as possible. 

Cons

• Not all company cultures are built to accommodate a transformational leader, and they may rub traditionalists the wrong way. 
• As with any empathetic leader, there is always the chance that people will try to take advantage of the freedom. 
• Requires a team who is already highly self-motivated and is willing to get things done without structured guidance.