Conquests, adventure and exploration are the elements that make the human race admire their thoughts and push themselves to the limits, to achieve greatness. Though few people who like the puppet master like to control everything below them, there are the strings that define their actions. Keeping the metaphorical language aside, such is a leadership style that allows this human race to achieve everything they set their eyes on.
Though the men and women who cross the threshold of greatness are often seen on the top and are considered great leaders, there are different leadership styles adopted by them in the process to pull the right strings to get things done.
To understand these leadership styles, one must first understand what a leader is! So, let me ask you a question,
‘Who is the most influential leader that changed the face of the world we live in today?’
The answer to this question varies, but in the bracket of pure leadership, one cannot agree that Adolf Hitler is one of the greatest leaders and a transformative one, who not only influenced millions on the path of conquering the world and making Germany great again.
However, there is no justification for the actions Hitler chose to accomplish his conquest, but history is the standing witness—The Treaty of Versailles—that somewhere justified the actions that groomed him into a complete transformative leader.
Leaders are the ones who are often in the spotlight, where they fight the wars, making others the KING OF THE HILL. A leader is a person who guides people to achieve a collective common goal.
The Uncovered Discovery of Transformation Leaders
Over the course of centuries, even in the lost pages of history and manipulated tales of heroism, a constructive leadership style that has remained common and unique is the transformative leadership style.
Connecting the dots of all the song of fame and name, Adolf Hitler once said, ‘What luck for rulers that men do not think.’ And believe it or not but this is the hidden trust that every transformative leader discovers and builds his leadership approach on principle.
Agreed, that what Hitler once said is contradictive in many senses, but when decrypted, a leader forces men to think towards a common goal. Discovering this fact is just not enough to make a transformative leader, and of course, some qualities are crucial for a transformative leader, irrespective of the industry.
Fundamentals of Transformative Leadership
A few of the fundaments of a leader are common in transformative leadership, and that has been constant in every leader ever to walk the face of the earth. To list down a few of them are listed below:
- Visionary
Well, a leader must be visionary because it is the vision that inspires people to follow that path. It shapes and defines the journey of the leader and the team he carries.
- Team-centric
This quality is not as often seen in all leadership styles, but in this modern world where being woke is the call of our day-to-day activities, team-centric leadership is something that a leader should have.
- Engaging & Inspiring
A fact that every man agrees is the trigger of the human mind that carves for engagement and inspiration. Give a man these two things and see his take over the world. And that is what exactly a leader does, just in a goal-oriented approach.
- Emotionally Intelligent
Believe it or not, human beings, being social animals, are driven by emotions. Being emotionally intelligent is a must for every leader wishing to inspire. Though some leaders naturally inherit this quality, people with experience can develop it.
These are some of the many fundamental qualities that a leader possesses. Moving ahead in the spectrum and narrowing it down to one leadership style demanded by the market, transformative leadership styles also have some distinctive features that define their leadership style.
A Transformative Leadership Quality
Though the leadership qualities of a transformative leader can be listed easily, since the leadership style is all about connecting the dots, this particular leadership deserves a descriptive explanation.
Transformative leadership can be defined as a leadership style that works on inspiration, motivation and passion for the work at hand. This process of taking the whole group forward as a whole requires precession and clear communication.
That is the reason that even the most prominent transformative leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Abraham Lincoln and arguably even Adolf Hitler are proficient and influential speakers. They communicate clearly for a purpose and connect with every listener on a personal level, inspiring and motivating them to do the work.
These leaders also lead by action, setting an example for everyone, which is heavily embedded with reaction and empathy. Keeping this philosophy of leading with empathy and example, many giant companies worldwide showcases a standard of exemplary transformative leadership. Companies like Google, Microsoft, Apple, Walmart, IBM, etc., have included this philosophy of leadership style in their company culture.
Embracing Transformative Leadership for Corporate Success
As the word suggests, transformative leadership is a leadership style that inspires to transform. Opening the bracket of corporate success through transformative leadership style, an organisation can heavily benefit from its inclusion in the culture.
Inspiring the employees at the workplace for a purpose—generally progress—of the company and individual growth. Moreover, the transformative leadership style is not just strained to a single road moving at a constant speed. Assessing the situation and players present in the structure, the leadership style demands to be different.
Making leaders address a mass crowd with sympathy and an individual with empathy. Leadership with different purposes requires different leadership styles. Moreover, it also depends on the leader, as every person has a different philosophy. Restricting this leadership style for people is not a roadmap to success. However, the transformative leadership style is best suited for corporates who dwell in creative fields and allows the system to lead by example.