Transformational Leadership, Part 2

 
 

In our last post, we examined what transformational leadership is and how it works.  Today, we will look at the pros and cons of transformational leadership, plus some practical steps you can take to practice this leadership style.

There are many positives to transformational leadership.  Transformational leaders are excellent at getting everyone aligned and mobilized toward common goals.  They motivate others by casting a vision for their team and helping everyone see how they fit into that vision.  Research shows that transformational leadership promotes team performance and motivates team members to contribute to their team’s and/or organization’s success.

Transformational leadership can be highly effective, but it does have some drawbacks.  First, this style of leadership doesn’t work very well in teams where team members are highly individualistic or motivated by material rewards such as bonuses and vacation hours.  Second, if there is too much focus on the leader, it can cause transformational leadership to seem like a personality trait, where team members think the leader was just “born that way”.  In reality, transformational leadership is actually a skill that can be learned.

Overall, transformational leadership is a great leadership style for encouraging and motivating team members to be the best they can be. Here are some practical ways you can grow in transformational leadership:

  1. If you haven’t already, take time to write down your top three values.  Think about how your values impact what you do each day. 

  2. Take time to learn more about your team members and think about how you can help them fulfill their potential.

  3. Involve your team members in problem solving by asking for their input.

Chew On This:

What would change if you started implementing a more transformational leadership style with your team?