Sunday, January 5, 2014

Transformational Leadership is the Answer

Patricia is someone everyone respects. Patricia is someone everyone respects. Her team members are fiercely loyal and they are highly successful as individuals, and as a team. In contrast, other leaders in the organization report that their people seem disengaged. They experience high staff turnover and their results are often disappointing. So, what does Patricia do that other leaders don't? To begin, she regularly reminds her team members of the purpose of their work. She knows that she is a role model for her team so she demonstrates integrity in all of her working relationships. Patricia is a “transformational leader.” She sets high expectations but also "walks the walk" to demonstrate her commitment to the standards that she expects. What is transformational leadership? Leadership expert James McGregor Burns introduced the concept of transformational leadership in his 1978 book, "Leadership." He defined transformational leadership as a process where "leaders and their followers raise one another to higher levels of morality and motivation." Bernard M. Bass later developed this concept further. According to his 1985 book, "Leadership and Performance Beyond Expectations," this kind of leader is a model of integrity and fairness. --Sets clear goals. --Has high expectations. --Encourages others. --Provides support and recognition. --Stirs the emotions of people. --Gets people to look beyond their self-interest. --Inspires people to reach for the improbable. More than 25 years after Bass' book, transformational leadership is often argued to be one of the most important ideas in business leadership. To become a transformational leader, you need to: --Create an inspiring vision of the future. --Motivate people to buy into and deliver the vision. --Manage delivery of the vision. --Build ever-stronger, trust-based relationships with your people. Follow me on Facebook to learn more: Like us @ https://www.facebook.com/LeadershipConAmor