4 Characteristics of Transformational Leadership
What makes a transformation leader? Many things actually, but there are some key points that have been identified. So who exactly is a transformational leader? It is just like it sounds.
A transformational leader is one who inspires the people he or she is leading, to work harder, increase their skills, and to perform better as a team in order to maximize the effectiveness of a company's infrastructure.
Here are some key points to remember when you want to make sure you are a transformation leader in your field.
1. Identifies Strengths and Weaknesses to Encourage Team Members in Mutual Support and Individual Growth
A leader needs to know the people that he or she is leading. It is a simple fact. Know their strengths and weaknesses and you can assign work more efficiently. To help them grow, you can pair team members where one has a strong skill and the other is weak, so that the weak one can learn from the stronger.
When teamwork isn't an option, you can throw the one with the strongest skill that you need at the time into the task and be sure that it will be done efficiently. It is just simple good sense. A leader who doesn't take the time to learn about the people he is leading, will frustrate his team more than anything and affect productivity. So take some time to learn about the people you are working with.
2. Communicates Effectively and Often to Build Rapport and to Maintain Continuous Assessment of Individual and Team Functionality
Daily communication, private whenever possible, is paramount to your success as a transformational leader. This makes the people you are leading feel important, as it gives you a chance to assess them and to provide feedback. It also ensures that you are continuously redefining your profile in regards to their strengths and weaknesses.
This means, when someone has earned a promotion, you will know and they will get it. It also means that if a formerly reliable employee is going through a time of sudden stress, you will lessen their workload to help ensure they can work through it without affecting the company productivity. Communication is very important in transformational leadership.
3. Makes Team Feel Included in the Larger Picture by Providing Status Feedback on Their Efforts/Achievements
Communication at a team level is important as well. A weekly meeting to praise them on the progress made or to remind them what needs to be done helps them feel less like a robot and more like an organized solution to a problem. We're all working together to get things done! Don't neglect this.
People need praises and team meetings help to remind your employees that they are working together and are more effective as a team than as individuals. This helps to create synergy and improve morale, which boosts your productivity. We cannot stress it enough, communication is important!
4. Works Harder Than Everyone Else to Encourage Productivity
You might not like this one but it's true. You can't just keep assigning work and then get into the practice of leaving before anyone else. A transformational leader leads by example. If you are the last one to leave every day, who can say that they are working harder than you? If your employees know that you work harder than anyone else, they will be less likely to complain when some extra work is needed.
After all, how hard could a few extra work hours be? You do it every week! Be at the front of your army like Alexander the Great and the people you are leading will be inspired to give their best as well.
We hope these tips will help you to be the transformational leader that you wish to be. Read these tips over and over until they sink in. Leadership is hard and often thankless but you are a leader, it is simply what you do. Now inspire those you lead to their full potential and ride off in a blaze of glory!
