Is Your Leadership Style Up to the Challenge of Change Management? Organizational change and leadership go hand in hand — you can’t have one without the other. But to achieve success, organizations need both an effective leader and an effective team of leaders to pull off change management strategies, which involve motivating employees, encouraging collaboration, ensuring that everyone understands the vision and mission of the organization, and more. What’s the best type of leadership style when it comes to leading organizational change? One approach that works well as part of a larger strategy is transformational leadership (TL). So what exactly is transformational leadership? And how does it help with implementing organizational change?
What is Transformational Leadership
Transformational leadership is a style that goes beyond just motivating people. Transformational leaders not only get employees to want to work harder, they change people’s lives and inspire them. It takes a lot of qualities and skills to be a transformational leader, but here are some common ones: -The ability to make tough decisions for both short-term and long-term success. -The confidence and charisma that inspires trust in others. -A drive for excellence that never settles for mediocrity.
What Makes a Good Leader, Great (from Forbes)
A good leader is a confident, compassionate, efficient and effective person. A great leader is all of that, plus a visionary who inspires others with their knowledge and conviction. There are many qualities that contribute to being an exceptional leader but these are some key ingredients:
A sense of empathy that lets you see things from another’s point of view
A compelling vision for change that energizes people
A willingness to listen and act on others’ input
An ability to build consensus among disparate groups
The guts to take necessary risks in order lead change effectively
What Makes a Good Leader, Great (from Harvard Business Review)
What makes a great leader, great:
- Leaders need courage. The courage to admit when they’re wrong and make tough decisions in order to do what’s right for their team.
- Leaders must have humility. They are constantly aware that their power doesn’t come from themselves but is given by others who believe in them and follow them on their mission.
- Leaders must be compassionate, empathetic, and understanding, always striving to see things from other people’s perspective before judging or blaming them.
How to Become an Effective, Transformational Leader (from JB Training Solutions)
Identify your strengths and weaknesses as a leader, and then decide on a style that will work best for you. You may lean more towards transactional or transformational leadership. You may be more team-oriented, or you may like to lead from the front. Identify what is most important to you, and use this as your guide. For example, if it’s not just about getting the job done but doing so in a way that enhances your employees’ development, try being more transformational with them.
3 Components of Effective Transformational Leaders
The three components of effective transformational leadership are: developing a vision, empowering others, and creating an environment for change. Effective leaders create a culture that encourages innovation and experimentation. They develop a vision that inspires people to think differently about the future and empowers them with knowledge, resources, and skills they need to act on this vision. And finally, they create an environment in which change is welcomed as an opportunity rather than feared as a threat.
How Transformational Leaders Respond in Times of Crisis
- Understand what is needed and why it is needed: Transformational leaders understand that their job is not just leading a team through change but also guiding them in understanding the reason for change. In this way, they can help their teams make sense of the shift and feel confident about moving forward into new territory.
- Lead with confidence: Transformational leaders know that they are capable of getting their teams through tough times and so they act accordingly. This means taking charge, staying positive, and reassuring people who may be anxious or uncertain about what lies ahead.
- Make it safe: Transformational leaders help make change more palatable by providing an environment where people feel comfortable asking questions without fear of judgment or criticism.
Conclusion
Transformation needs leaders who are able to motivate and inspire change. The best way for a leader to do this is by being an example of how to live with change, not just by telling people what has to happen. Leaders need to be courageous and lead from their strengths, so that people can connect with them. When a leader understands their own limitations, they will be better equipped to help others work through theirs. Finally, leaders need a strategy for navigating uncertainty which includes systems thinking and understanding how organizations evolve over time. Organizations don’t succeed because they have good ideas or talented people; they succeed because they have leaders who understand that leadership is about making difficult decisions in the moment
