And the opportunities for good leadership can be found everywhere. People can come to the forefront and offer direction in any facet of life that has a set of objectives and a need to get from A to B – so basically absolutely anywhere, from a bar to a boardroom.
Perhaps you’re looking to become a leader too. Yes, there are natural qualities that help, but there’s a whole load of skills you can work on to try your hand at being a transformational leader.
Keep that Ego in Check
Egotistical, arrogant douchebags aren’t high on most people’s list of favorite leaders. Chances are, you’ve got to a certain level for a reason (hopefully!) and have the necessary skills, but that doesn’t mean you’ve got to go throwing your weight around and making sure everyone knows you’re amazing.
Being humble and modest makes you a more approachable leader that employees feel they can confide in. Collaboration is key, so putting a layer of ego between you and everyone else means that you won’t get the best out of your team and drags any possibility of transformation out.
Make it as easy as possible for people to communicate with you and don’t intimidate them with tales of your own wondrous magical abilities…yeah right.
Inspirational
Your ability to inspire your team when times get tough can be the difference between turning a situation back into a success or not.
Being a skilled communicator doesn’t mean doing a big grandstanding speech in the office (Wolf of Wallstreet style) – it can help, but it’s about having one-on-one time with team members or small groups and being able to inspire the best in people and make sure you’re getting 100%.
43% of employees say feeling appreciated makes them more confident and this is a form of inspiring transformational leadership in itself. Taking the time to tell someone they’ve done a good job goes a long way and especially not taking credit for stuff you’ve not done which is a common source of irritation in a workforce.
[bctt tweet=”Your ability to inspire your team when times get tough can be the difference between turning a situation back into a success or not.” username=”@bryankramer”]
Self-Management
A leadership role doesn’t give you a license to do whatever you want whenever you like either.
Managing yourself and holding yourself accountable to principles and values is important because it sets a good example – why should you get away with sh*t that everyone else can’t.
[bctt tweet=”A leadership role doesn’t give you a license to do whatever you want whenever you like.” username=”@bryankramer”]
Upholding standards is part of being a good employee and a good leader, so check yourself before you wreck yourself.
A massive part of this is something super simple which lots of bad leaders don’t do – holding your hands up when you got something wrong.
Risky Business
Taking evidence into account, listening to others and making considered assessments is part of stellar transformational leadership and good decision-making. Impulsive decisions might pay off, but they’re much riskier. Ideally, you don’t ever want to be making ‘risky’ decisions, but you inevitably will.
[bctt tweet=”Sharing decreases the chance of a crappy decision and being humble enough to ask everyone for their input” username=”@bryankramer”]
You can mitigate risk by communicating well with those around you and asking for input and insight from your team, so you can come to the most informed decision possible.
Sharing decreases the chance of a crappy decision and being humble enough to ask everyone for input is part of that equation too.
Core Values That Sound Boring
Leadership that doesn’t align with a company’s core values and principles let it down in the long-term. SurveyMonkey found that 67% of employees prefer to work for a company with a core mission they believe in than one that pays more and is inspirational.
As a leader, it’s your job to communicate and live out the values and core mission of a company every day. You’re a representative and leading by example means that you lead with principles.
Being a leader that contrasts with core values isn’t beneficial to a company or its employees. Be a compassionate leader.
New Ideas and Adaptability
Yeah, we get it, you’ve always done things your way and it’s worked. Being open to new ideas and ways of working is crucial in a modern workplace though.
Times are changing and so new perspectives and flexibility are needed for the best ideas to come to fruition. That means you need to learn to adapt and open yourself up to ideas to do this effectively.
One of the best things you can do? Listen to your team. Not just about work things either – get to know them on a more personal level and you can learn lots and find new ways they can contribute.
Allowing freedom in your team and letting them flourish creates better environments for ideation too. If you put trust in your team then you’ll get it back.
Stop micromanaging every task and decision – some of the coolest ideas come from unexpected places and conversations.
Final Thoughts
You’ll have to spin a lot of plates to be a transformational leader, but it comes down to leading with respect, compassion, and trust.
[bctt tweet=”Being a transformational leader comes down to leading with respect, compassion, and trust.” username=”@bryankramer”]
Creating good conditions means you’ll get the best out of your employees and leading how you’d like to be led is akin to treating others how you’d like to be treated.
Now go get ‘em.
