Revolutionise The Way We Do Business

6 Key Areas In Developing Successful Transformational Leaders

Developing the Vision of a Leader

Transformational leadership starts with the personal development of a clear and simple vision, how leaders view the future and how they will motivate future leaders that they mentor.

There are many ways to develop a vision. The important point is that the vision is easily understood and excites the organization. Please note that I’m not talking about a ‘digital’ vision but a company vision that is relevant for the whole company. Real change cannot be compartmentalized – it can only happen if the whole organization is involved. Once the leader develops this vision they need to be consistent and follow through relentlessly.

Selling The Vision

The next step, which in fact never stops, is to constantly engage the organization on the vision and ‘sell’ the vision to the leaders that they want to develop. This takes a lot of time and serious commitment. When people understand the vision they buy into it. But others will take more time before they buy in. Some will never buy in.

When the transformational leaders move forward on projects, they take every opportunity presented to pitch their vision, and will use these opportunities to convince others to climb on board.
Transformational leaders have to be very careful in creating trust, and be aware that their personal integrity is a critical part of the vision that they are selling. Leaders sell themselves as well as their vision.

Willing To Be A Risk Taker

In developing great transformational leaders there comes a time when you have to trust them to take calculated risks on their own. Empowerment is key! Without it there will be no Transformation or change. Transformational leaders will accept that there will be failures and successes, which go along with risks. As long as they feel progress is being made, they will be happy. When you fail you learn, then learn to fail faster, because failure is the best teacher of all.

To keep the progress moving into the right direction transformational leaders anchor it on the vision and a clear set of company values that are aligned with the vision.

Reverse Millennial Mentoring

One of the most important parts is to put the right people into the right place. One area which is sometimes overlooked though is to learn from the new young leaders storming into the organization,
One of the biggest workplace demographics coming in is the Millennials, and in large numbers. By 2020, they will account for 75% of the company workforce that brings up the point of “Reverse Mentoring Millennials”.

”Which means transformational leaders should listen and work with millennials on their innovative idea’s to further the leader & the millennials progress”, like a two-way street transformation exercise, and extremely important for companies to recognize and empower millennials in the digital transformation era. Transformational leaders are open for this reverse mentoring. It is a continuous give and take.

Connection from senior company leaders and the millennials being mentored will be very key when restructuring their workplace going through a transformation.

Be a Role Model

Transformational leaders always act with sense of integrity and high ethical standards; with both your behaviors and the way you act. They role model change every single day! As leaders, your actions happen automatically and subconsciously, whether the behavior is positive or negative—people will follow your example. People will strive to be like Transformational leaders that have strong integrity & ethics, and that carries right through the company, in work performance and a positive company enviroment.

The Leader Is Ready

Last step in transformation development is taking charge of the situation and lead. Now they have the confidence that they can motivate & rally the troops, listening, mentoring & reverse mentoring millennials, and being the committed Captain at the helm of the ship, and last but not least empower the team.

It is their continuous commitment, particularly through the tougher times – the many ‘valleys of tears’ in transformations – when some will question whether the vision can ever be achieved. If the people do not believe that they can succeed, then their efforts will show it. The Transformational leader constantly seeks to emphasize and link his vision to champion in success, and that’s what makes him a leader.

Perhaps most importantly is they are people-oriented and believe that their “student in transformation employees” comes first in the transformational process, not products and technology, as most would think. Strong leaders build strong innovative companies on well-mentored transformed, hard working employees.

What’s really interesting is when the CEO’s of companies “get it” tend to spend a lot more time with their core consumer and digital project teams, and become more actively involved. They are all over consumer and digital trends, and are obsessed in knowing what is trending. It’s their job to know how the marketplace is changing, and now have the ability to bring people along on the transformational journey, and develop them into great company leaders. It’s what leaders do best.
Successful leaders engage with people at all levels of the company on the need for positive innovative change, willing to admit what they know and don’t know, and have a sense of great vision.

“A bold, well-articulated strategy puts the organization on notice that transformation is coming. A bold and clear vision to digitize the business is one of the most important decisions the board and management team have to make.”

“Typically at the start, people smile when presented with a transformational vision and do not believe it; but when they see how much you invest into pursuing the new area and the new talent joining, they realize that there was no turning back.” – Wolfgang Baier of Luxasia

The greatest characteristic of transformational leaders is the ability to create lasting, meaningful change that will make a difference in the their companies and societies. Leaders today have a great unique opportunity and the real possibility to see it’s true potential, to create not just extraordinary results but extraordinary – transformational –leaders of the future.