Empowering Teams Through Transformational Leadership

Transformational leadership is all about inspiring and energising your workforce, but, how can you start to adopt transformational styles to consistently empower and encourage?

Transformational leaders are defined as “generally energetic, enthusiastic, and passionate. Not only are these leaders concerned and involved in the process, but they are also focused on helping every member of the group succeed.” Transformational leaders have the ability to provide unparalleled support without the risk of suffocation, and equally cultivate loyalty and candour, so teams can work in unison.

Adopting a transformational leadership style can take time for some; we believe the three core barriers are as follows:

Team difficulties in adapting

Transformational leadership isn’t just a set of behaviours that need to change, it’s also a complete change in mindset. Having to consistently adopt an “abundance” mindset, come into work energised and be hyper-aware of others' needs doesn’t necessarily come naturally to all.

Equally, “too much change happening at once can make unified systems fall apart or cause employees to forget standard protocols and best practices [source]. Getting buy-in, particularly in a larger team also requires time and a staggered, slower approach when implementing transformational leadership. You need to be prepared for pushback.

Power imbalance

Transformational leadership can work well with leaders who are already emotionally aware of their own “negative” tendencies and influences, as well as with leaders who are experienced as well as being in tune with their teams' needs.

If a leader knows that adopting a transformational leadership style will create an imbalance - either within the team or themselves abusing that ability to influence, this can create greater problems down the line. Just like any leadership style, it must suit the individual and be a positive impact on the team. Leadership trends are very prevalent and can transcend across industries - but the crux of the issue is a one-size-fits-all approach to leadership never works.

Personality and/or culture driven

To be a successful transformational leader, there has to be a certain charisma and cadence that isn’t jarring to the team and wider business. Transformational leadership can thrive in cultures that embrace this, but factors such as remote working, the current state of the team culture and also the personalities within them can all affect how effective transformational leadership is.

A great transformational leader is able to adapt - and self-indulgence or a personality that is considered too overbearing by some will create a fractured team.

Instead, leaders should look to focus on the four components of transformational leadership

#1 Intellectual stimulation

Transformational leaders not only challenge the status quo; they also encourage creativity among followers. The leader encourages followers to explore new ways of doing things and new opportunities to learn.

#2 Individualized consideration

Transformational leadership also involves supporting and encouraging individual followers. To foster supportive relationships, transformational leaders keep lines of communication open so that followers feel free to share ideas and so that leaders can offer immediate recognition of the unique contributions of each follower.

#3 Inspirational motivation

Transformational leaders have a clear vision that they can articulate to followers. These leaders can also help followers experience the same passion and motivation to fulfil these goals.

#4 Idealized influence

The transformational leader serves as a role model for followers. Because followers trust and respect the leader, they emulate this individual and internalize their ideals.

It may not be possible to adopt all four components for the aforementioned reasons, but instead - leaders can take bits and pieces from each of the four fundamentals and use them to tailor their leadership style. Ultimately, taking inspiration and influence from transformational leadership without having to entirely change “the norm” can be a great preliminary step to identifying whether transformational leadership is for you.

The effects of transformational leadership (when done correctly) can be incredibly powerful, some of the most well-known world leaders are transformational leaders. Barack Obama, Steve Jobs and Oprah Winfrey are described as transformational due to their charisma, ability to command a room, education, and poignancy as well as their ability to influence.

The main effect of transformational leadership when looking at it from an organisational perspective is that the organisation and the teams within them can prosper, grow and keep pace - even through challenging times. Additionally, transformational leadership challenges “old-school” beliefs of leading with fear, rigidity, and negativity to incite change.

To summarise, transformational leadership, when embraced and used correctly can be an incredible business tool for new and seasoned leaders alike, however, nuance and research are key before implementing such a drastic change in a business unit.