What is Transformational Leadership?
Apr 20, 2024
What do these leaders all have in common?
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Nelson Mandela
- Gandhi
- Steve Jobs
- Oprah Winfrey
- Elon Musk
Transformational Leadership: Coined back in 1973 to describe leaders who “seek to change existing thoughts, techniques and goals for better results and the greater good,” transformational leadership is a style of management that centers on systemic, long-term improvements affected by leaders who achieve results via empathetic, mutually trustful relationships with their team members.
10 Questions Transformational Leaders Ask Their Team Regularly
What is Transformational Leadership?
Transformational leadership is a leadership style that focuses on inspiring and motivating followers to achieve more than they thought possible. Transformational leaders do this by creating a shared vision, providing intellectual stimulation, and showing individual consideration for their followers.
The Four Factors of Transformational Leadership
- Idealized influence: Transformational leaders act as role models for their followers. They are honest, ethical, and trustworthy. They also set a high standard of performance and expect their followers to do the same.
- Inspirational motivation: Transformational leaders create a shared vision for the future. They articulate this vision in a way that is inspiring and motivating. They also use symbols and stories to help followers connect with the vision.
- Intellectual stimulation: Transformational leaders encourage followers to think for themselves. They challenge them to question the status quo and come up with new ideas. They also help followers to see the big picture and think strategically.
- Individual consideration: Transformational leaders show genuine concern for their followers' individual needs and development. They provide feedback and coaching, and they help followers to set and achieve their goals.
The Benefits of Transformational Leadership
Transformational leadership has the power to transform organizations. I believe this to be especially true within healthcare, particularly staffing organizations and hospital systems.
Let's start with a study done between 2004-2015 which linked the importance of leadership style to the quality of patient care.
“Effective leadership fosters a high-quality work environment leading to a positive safety climate that assures positive patient outcomes. Failure of leadership to create a quality workplace ultimately harms patients.”
(Sfantou, Laliotis, Patelarou, Sifaki-Pistolla, Matalliotakis, & Patelarou, 2017)
One example of this is in Ohio, in 2010 Cincinnati Children’s Hospital started implementing transformational leadership to achieve their goals. The board of trustees pursued four health goals to improve outcomes for all children within the community. This led to transformation among hospital leaders, according to Monica Mitchell, PhD (Using Transformational Leadership to Move Health Care Upstream, 2017).
Burnout among nurses has increased due to the staffing shortage which causes the nurse-to-patient ratio to go up. As a result, over the last several decades burnout has increased by over 60% (Gutsan, Patton, Willis, & Coustase, 2018). When nurses are burned out, they quit causing high turnover rates which only adds to the shortage problem. Add in the aging population, lack of students entering nursing school, and the many other factors contributing to the increase in patient demand, you are left with a severe problem. These problems added together will keep ratios climbing and each additional patient added has been shown to increase burnout by 23% (Gutsan, et al., 2018).
Within sales organizations, especially healthcare staffing firms across the U.S have been adversely affected by shift in market and increased nursing shortage. Covid caused a drastic shift to the market, companies who were once stable are no longer finding comfort in their old ways of leadership.
When things are great it is easy to overlook problems within leadership teams. One of the lessons we are learning from Covid is that your organization is only as strong as your weakest leaders. Transformational leadership takes an individualistic and holistic approach to how one leads. You are forced to adapt your style within in situation and between different personalities.
10 Questions Transformational Leaders Ask Their Team Regularly
Idealized Influence
- A leader who serves as a role model for their team members, by demonstrating high ethical standards, a commitment to excellence, and a passion for their work.
- A leader who is honest and transparent with their team, and who builds trust and respect.
- A leader who inspires their team members to achieve their full potential and to reach for their goals.
Inspirational Motivation
- A leader who has a clear vision for the future and who is able to communicate that vision to their team in a way that is both inspiring and motivating.
- A leader who sets challenging but achievable goals for their team and who provides them with the support and resources they need to succeed.
- A leader who celebrates the team's successes and learns from its failures.
Intellectual Stimulation
- A leader who encourages their team members to think critically and creatively.
- A leader who fosters a culture of innovation and experimentation.
- A leader who challenges their team members to step outside of their comfort zones and to try new things.
Individualized Consideration
- A leader who gets to know their team members on an individual level and who understands their unique strengths and weaknesses.
- A leader who provides their team members with the personalized support and coaching they need to grow and develop.
- A leader who creates a safe and supportive environment where team members feel comfortable sharing their ideas and taking risks.
How to Become a Transformational Leader
- Be a role model: Set a high standard of behavior and ethics for yourself and your followers.
- Create a shared vision: Articulate a clear and inspiring vision for the future of your organization.
- Challenge your followers: Encourage them to think for themselves and come up with new ideas.
- Provide feedback and coaching: Help your followers to develop their skills and achieve their goals.
- Show genuine concern: Take an interest in your followers’ individual needs and development.
Want some examples of transformational leadership in action?
- Idealized Influence: A CEO who is known for her integrity and her commitment to social responsibility. She serves as a role model for her employees and inspires them to be their best.
- Inspirational Motivation: A team leader who has a vision for a new product that will revolutionize the industry. He is able to communicate his vision to his team in a way that gets them excited and motivated to work hard.
- Intellectual Stimulation: A sales manager who encourages her team to come up with new and innovative ways to reach their customers. She provides them with the resources they need to experiment and learn from their mistakes.
- Individualized Consideration: A teacher who takes the time to get to know each of her students individually. She understands their learning styles and interests, and she tailors her instruction accordingly.
Transformational leaders are able to create a positive and productive work environment where team members feel valued and respected. They are also able to inspire and motivate their team members to achieve great things.
Simply put when you start becoming a transformational leader you start to see these things:
- Increased employee engagement and satisfaction
- Improved performance and productivity
- Increased innovation and creativity
- Stronger organizational culture
- Reduced turnover and absenteeism
Transformational leadership is a challenging but rewarding leadership style. If you are willing to put in the effort, it can help you to create a high-performing and innovative organization.
These leaders all had a clear vision for the future and were able to inspire and motivate others to achieve it. They were also willing to challenge the status quo and think outside the box.
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10 Questions Transformational Leaders Ask Their Team Regularly
References
Gutsan, E., Patton, J., Willis, W.K., & Coustasse-Hencke A. (2018, April). Burnout syndrome and nurse-to-patient ratio in the workplace. Management and Health Care Administration. Presented at the 54th Annual MBAA Conference, Chicago, IL.
Sfantou, D. F., Laliotis, A., Patelarou, A. E., Sifaki-Pistolla, D., Matalliotakis, M., & Patelarou, E. (2017). Importance of Leadership Style towards Quality-of-Care Measures in Healthcare Settings: A Systematic Review. Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 5(4), 73. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare5040073
Using Transformational Leadership to Move Health Care Upstream. (2017, February 16). Moving Healthcare Upstream. https://www.movinghealthcareupstream.org/using-transformational-leadership-to-move-health-care-upstream/
