Elon Musk. Richard Branson. Nelson Mandela. Henry Ford. Whether they are universally admired or not, the names above are often cited as transformational leadership examples. A transformational leader is defined as someone that inspires fundamental changes in individuals and in the systems they work within. They inspire their teams to go beyond self-interest and to reach & achieve improbable goals.
A great transformational leader facilitates collaboration to pinpoint problems, identify improvement opportunities and coach teams to develop their own strategies. They exemplify high standards of excellence within the company and encourage the same of others. By continuously reminding their teams of the future’s possibilities, these leaders inspire meaningful change and set transformational leadership examples worth following.
How To Set Transformational Leadership Examples?
Transformational leaders care about their team, they have a vision, and they know how to achieve it.
You can adopt similar traits in your workplace to lead your team to success, and this begins with your approach. Although transformational leadership doesn’t come naturally to everyone, a good place to start is with the following 5 steps.
1. Gather a team of like-minded people.
In order for your vision to be met, it’s important that everyone is aligned and each individual shares the same ambition. As Jim Collins states in his book “From Good To Great” start by getting the right people on the bus. Every person in your team should be up to take ownership of their actions. Through this process of setting "ambitious accountability", you'll also likely discover that some of your current team are either unable or simply unwilling to support your vision. This is an opportunity for those team members to "find a new seat on the bus" (i.e. a different role in the organisation) or "find another bus" (i.e. look for a new organisation that better suits their skill set and level of motivation).
(For further reading learn why people are not taking ownership of their actions anymore)
2. Address the problem(s).
How do you get the team you're leading to shift their performance and change their current paradigm? By solving problems. It really is that simple.
What problems should the organisation focus on? For most organisations starting out on a tranformational journey the best problems to solve are those that are right in front of us.
Take the problems your team and customers are experiencing and commit to solving them. Transformational leaders are able to admit issues and relentlessly seek out ways to solve them.
If its a pressing issue, that has been persistent over time and well known to your staff and customers then you'll win a lot of credibility by getting it fixed. Solving even small but tangible problems, can earn you social capital that you can utilise for future, more significant changes.
3. Drive a Fearless, Team-Based Problem-Solving Culture
Share your vision with your team and brainstorm ideas with everyone about how problems can be solved. Take the time to consider each team member’s ideas, just as seen in transformational leadership examples, and get them on paper. Evaluate each potential solution by listing its pros and cons, and costs and benefits. Ideally deciding together which solution is the most viable will prevent roadblocks and accelerate the change.
However in some instances solutions are evenly tied and a decision about which path to take is delayed. In those instances, you may as a leader, be required to encourage a "circuit-breaker" action. Working together in teams has the advantage of collective experience and a variety of ideas. On the flip side, decisions made as a group can sometimes be slower. Empower your teams with the authority to fail, encouraging faster action.
"Even a wrong decision is better than indecision."
— Maimonides
4. Transformational Leadership is realised with a plan (not just a vision).
Write down what you need to execute your chosen solution, taking note of costs, time and tools needed. Tasks should be actionable and measurable, so break down large tasks into smaller ones if necessary.
Set responsibilities and a timeline. Put in place a oversight mechanism for the execution of this plan and watch to ensure results are delivered.
When reviewing genuinely transformational leadership examples, its clear that the detail mattered.
Nelson Mandela had a clear picture of what a post apartheid south african government would look like.
Elon Musk has his critics; however, no one can dispute that he is incredibly knowledgeable about the underlying technology, design choices, and customer impacts of every company he leads.
Henry Ford intimately understood the design and manufacturing processes of his business and was able to lead his organisation to achieve world class performance.
Transformational leaders don't "fluff" the detail.
5. Engage and empower your team through effective communication
No leader succeeds alone. Transformational leaders foster trust, open communication, and teamwork by involving their team in decisions and listening to their input. Share updates, seek feedback, and ensure everyone feels valued.
Empower your team by encouraging autonomy and providing opportunities for growth. Recognize achievements to build confidence and give constructive feedback to drive improvement. Focus on creating proactive problem-solvers who feel motivated to contribute. Ultimately, transformational leadership isn’t about dictating solutions. When your team is engaged and inspired, they’ll help turn ambitious goals into reality.
How Can Transformational Leaders Impact Those Around Them?
Transformational leaders know how to use their position for good. By giving their whole selves to their team, they are able to expand the thinking of the people around them and encourage them to believe in their own abilities.
Truly transformative leaders represent their entire teams with a disregard for titles. Their passion for the goal encourages others and compels them to act autonomously for the benefit of the company.
By adopting this style of leadership, you make others around you more powerful. In the words of Richard Branson,
“Train people well enough so that they can leave, but treat them well enough so they don’t want to.”
To learn more about implementing new strategies and exploring transformational leadership examples for your organisation, start a conversation with the team at OE Partners. You can leave a message in the form below, and we’ll get back to you to arrange a consultation.