For years, we saw autocratic leadership prevail in companies, where decisions were made by the boss, and subordinates were only limited to receiving and following orders. However, today, new leadership concepts place people or collaborators at the center of the equation and recognize the importance of leaders who inspire and motivate, making their influence shared by the entire team. Esto es lo que plantea el liderazgo transformacional, una nueva forma de gestión que busca dar a los empleados más espacio para ser creativos, que hagan más innovación y que creen nuevas maneras de hacer las cosas, para que la empresa alcance sus objetivos. This is what transformational leadership proposes, a new way of management that seeks to give employees more space to be creative, innovate, and create new ways of doing things so that the company can achieve its objectives. Good leadership is vital for organizations to connect their collaborators with the value and purpose of their work and how their efforts can contribute to the company’s future success. In short, it is about leadership that guides and opens doors for employee commitment, enabling their work to contribute to achieving the organization’s goals. Do you want to know more about transformational leadership and how it can help your employees reach their full potential while making your organization more profitable? Then keep reading because we’ll explain it all below. What is Transformational Leadership? Transformational leadership is a style of leadership that seeks to inspire positive changes in the workers who follow it. This form of leadership aims to inspire growth, instill confidence, and promote loyalty among each team member. Therefore, leaders who practice it are usually passionate, energetic, and enthusiastic professionals who do everything possible to develop strategies, behaviors, and actions guided by leadership theory. Transformational leaders not only care and get involved in the process but also focus their efforts on helping each of their collaborators succeed. In this way, they can inspire their followers to change their perceptions, expectations, and motivations, and work towards common goals. What Underpins Transformational Leadership? To implement effective changes, transformational leaders rely on communication, charisma, adaptability, and empathetic support to inspire their employees. But in practice, this translates into a set of key components, such as: – Intellectual StimulationTransformational leaders constantly question whether the way they do things is the best or if there is a more efficient way to do it. They try to foster this same mindset in their collaborators or employees. This involves encouraging workers to learn to think differently. For example, how they can do their job more efficiently, economically, or in a completely innovative way. In a way, this leadership emphasizes the opportunities workers have to learn and grow rather than focusing on the results of their work. In this manner, employees are trained to always be learning, seeking, and seizing all opportunities instead of always taking the safe path. – Individual ConsiderationThis involves addressing the individual needs of each worker or collaborator and is achieved by sitting down and seeing what that professional needs to grow. Thus, transformational leaders do not limit themselves to transmitting ideas from a bubble, expecting employees to carry them out. Instead, they care about the professional development of each employee and do everything possible to foster positive relationships with them. In a way, this means maintaining communication channels with collaborators, addressing their individual needs, continuously advising them, and recognizing the individual contributions they make to the organization. This can only be achieved by a leader who conveys a clear vision and creates a workplace where the employees’ ability and experience are trusted to make decisions in their respective areas. – Inspirational MotivationThis concerns the influence a leader can have on a worker through effective communication of their vision and how well they can instill in each collaborator the goal of achieving that vision. In this case, the leader must question whether that collaborator wants to follow, emulate, or even take pride in having them as a leader. Therefore, transformational leadership must be based on example rather than on fear of authority. This implies that leaders must first set high standards and expectations for themselves and then convey them to their employees and the organization. This way, employees can have a strong sense of purpose and handle their tasks with a “mission” mindset, which greatly commits them to achieving the organization’s goals. – Idealized InfluenceLeaders must learn to speak to their workers with positivity and enthusiasm about the company’s projects and goals. In this sense, transformational leaders must serve as role models so that employees feel inspired and motivated to achieve the organization’s objectives. When a worker is committed, they are more likely to work harder, meet deadlines with high quality, have a greater sense of belonging to the organization, and not frequently be absent. But perhaps most importantly, this attitude translates into better customer service and, consequently, increased sales and profitability for the company. If you want to improve your leadership skills or are interested in learning more about transformational leadership and how it helps companies better serve their customers and become more profitable, Westfield Business School can show you. We offer our 20 years of experience in providing online and Spanish MBA programs at your disposal. Visit our website and choose any of our three programs: Executive MBA, International MBA, or MBA, and propel your professional career to the highest level.
