Have you ever been a part of a group when one person asserted dominance by articulating a distinct understanding of the objectives, a palpable love for the task at hand, and the capacity to energize and rejuvenate the others? This someone may be what is referred to as a transformative leader.
Positive improvements in those who follow can result from a leader’s use of transformational leadership. In a nutshell, transformational leaders are energetic, passionate, and enthusiastic – the qualities we can associate with modern-day innovations transforming the way we live and work. Today’s transformational understanding is that innovation is a by-product of creativity. Creativity can only foster at the workplace if leaders take the onus to ensure that each team member grows and succeeds. Hence, transformational leadership is very relevant in today’s innovation-driven world.
Why is Transformational Leadership Encouraged in 2022?
Transformational leaders inspire and motivate employees to develop a creative work environment. According to the philosophy of transformational leadership, leaders support effective staff change. They prepare workers to act bravely and innovatively in the face of uncertainty.
Leaders who are transformational value flexibility. They periodically alter their working procedures to develop and create their future while managing their leadership vision.
We continuously see a change in today’s world because of the digital revolution or shifting market trends. The leading market growth factors are mobile technology, applications, and rising cloud service use. Due to this change and shifting dynamics, leaders struggle to establish a sustainable leadership style. However, transformational leaders know how to navigate today’s circumstances by focusing on agility, sustainability, and inspiration. They have a talent for anticipating demands and unpredictability in the future and molding employees and people into more than the sum of their parts.
Let us take a closer look at the transformational leadership model and illustrate it with a few examples of famous transformational leaders who have led their companies to the top in a world full of innovation and disruption.
Model for Transformational Leadership
James V. Downton introduced the idea of transformative leadership in 1973. He extended the concept in 1978. Bernard M. Bass, a researcher, expanded on the idea in 1985. He discussed how to assess the performance of transformative leadership.
According to the transformational leadership approach, leaders should exhibit the following traits:
- Genuineness
- Able leadership
- Capacity to motivate subordinates.
What constitutes Transformational Leadership’s Four Elements?
Understanding the four pillars that support this leadership style is essential for becoming a great transformational leader. The following are the four pillars of transformative leadership:
1. Idealised Power
One of the chief transformational leadership characteristics is the ability to forge idealized influence within one’s organization. Such leaders are highly charismatic and well-respected, resulting in ardent followers who look up to them and are always looking to emulate them.
The first example that comes to mind when thinking of charismatic, transformational leaders who are viewed as role models is Elon Musk – the founder of SpaceX and CEO of Tesla. As one of the most outspoken leaders and brilliant innovators out there, Elon Musk’s personality inspires not only employees but millions of tech enthusiasts worldwide. He leads ambitious businesses at a breakneck pace as they chart new frontiers in technology for humanity to prosper.
2. Individualised Thought
Understanding each employee’s demands means giving them personalized consideration. These managers listen to their staff members and are sensitive to their activities. Transformational leaders demonstrate consideration by showing greater empathy for their workforce. They can establish enduring interpersonal bonds with them.
A great example is Narayan Murthy, the founder of Infosys, who is frequently referred to as the “father of the Indian IT sector”. He is among our day’s most influential and progressive figures. His assistance in launching India’s IT boom had a long-lasting effect on the sector and the nation’s economy. His primary transformative leadership maxim is that “transparency must be valued above all else if confidence and trust exist.” Therefore, in his opinion, the greatest transformational leader is someone who can foster an atmosphere where every employee and leader feels free to discuss mistakes, provide recommendations, and develop creative solutions.
3. Stimulation of the Mind
It promotes invention by stimulating the mind. It also involves the ability to think creatively and solve problems. Transformational leaders think their staff members should have access to all the information. They support leadership that is open and honest.
Here is an example. Sanjiv Bajaj, one of India’s top transformative leaders, is Bajaj Finserv’s Chairman and Managing Director. He has guided Bajaj Finserv to become the nation’s most reputable and prosperous financial services provider. As one of India’s most accomplished young transformative leaders, Sanjiv Bajaj has revolutionized finance by making it more technologically advanced, customer-focused, and open to everybody. The key was changing employees’ perspectives by instilling a sense of ownership and motivating them to take chances and think like owners.
4. Motivational Inspiration
Workers are motivated by transformational leaders. They also inspire people with exceptional communication abilities, ethics, and honesty. They set an example for others to follow and concentrate on the work.
Ratan Tata, the Founder of the Tata Group, is among those forward-thinking entrepreneurs who have demonstrated how to use motivation to inspire success in a business. Ratan Tata has consistently encouraged managers and staff to be creative, cooperative, and communicative. It gives everyone more authority and makes it possible for every employee to make a valuable contribution that helps the organization realize its mission. Thus, he has been able to drive Tata to reorganize its organizations, revamp its businesses, and become a 500,000-member conglomerate dispersed over 6 continents by implementing a motivating culture.
The value of transformational leadership in the workplace
There are several advantages to putting transformational leadership into practice. First, it helps not just in the job but also in other contexts like leadership vision. The four pillars of transformative leadership are linked to joyful feelings at work.
Higher levels of employee performance and work satisfaction are also linked to the four components. Positive emotions such as excitement and happiness are brought on by intellectual stimulation and inspiring motivation.
People are inspired by transformative leaders who act in their self-interest. Therefore, aligning the organization’s teams with transformational leadership is crucial. In addition, it will result in greater work satisfaction, staff morale, and employee motivation.
Wrapping Up!
Do you follow or wish to lead others in this digital age? Whatever it may be, it’s critical to expand your repertoire of leadership skills and lead with a vision. Taking care of your staff and inspiring them is crucial. As a result, employees are better able to handle change, maintain attention on critical days, and work with a sense of purpose and creative freedom to produce real, game-changing innovations.
Ultimately, suppose you are the leader of an organization whose vision hinges upon innovation and differentiation. In that case, transformational leadership is the way to go. It motivates your employees to have a shared vision, synchronizes a person’s objectives with their leadership, and leads to a wonderful synergy that can produce exceptional results for an organization’s success.
Today’s world is constantly changing thanks to innovation and disruption across various industries and facets of life. In such a hyper-dynamic environment, 21st-century leaders and entrepreneurs need to lead with a vision that involves syncing people around them with the same vision. This is where transformational leadership comes into the picture as a leadership model that focuses on motivating and upskilling the right people to grow and make the company grow with them. In this blog, we look at why transformational leadership is so important in an innovation-driven world, its key tenets, who are some of the most famous transformational leaders, and more.
