My view on Transformational Leadership

I have had an opportunity to speak to our Crop Science leaders in Latin America recently. This team is highly charged, driving some amazing programs to change the culture of the organization. The question they asked me to address is, what’s the role of a leader in times of transformation? What a great question. I have given it quite a bit of thought. Together with what I have read from many experts in the past, I thought I’d share my view on this topic here.

The leaders of tomorrow create environments for teams and their team members to thrive. They are both people and outcome focused, rather than driven by policies, procedures, and financial results. They dedicate time to learning and coaching and they are obsessed with building an inclusive culture. They are decisive, they call-out bad behaviors, they encourage experimentation, and they learn from mistakes. The leaders of tomorrow- transformational leaders- truly embrace a human centered mindset. Building more transformational leaders within companies benefits our people, our society, and our planet.

Traditional leaders use authority and coercive power to lead. They rely on an organization’s hierarchy and on the experiences of the past. In fact, they manage, but do not lead. Transactional leaders focus on delivering what’s needed today and are often strong in achieving financial results. Their focus is often too much on today’s business performance, instead of the company’s future success. We need more transformational leaders, who pave the way for a stronger tomorrow.

“Remember that your teams are looking to you for direction. Verbal and nonverbal cues matter. What you say or don’t say and what you do or don’t do, influences their behavior.”

To me, transformational leaders have the following attributes:

• Inspire their teams: Through a shared vision and by leading from the heart, they bring people along on the journey. They communicate with authenticity, sincerity, and with integrity. At #TeamBayer, our vision “Health for All, Hunger for None” guides all of us, but it is the role modeling of our leaders and the actions we take as a company that bring this vision to life.
• Remove roadblocks: They challenge processes, making them better through a continuous improvement mindset. They are not married to their own ideas, but instead invite others’ creativity to design better solutions. Leaders build organizational capabilities to experiment, fail fast, and learn.
• Create an inclusive environment: A workplace where everyone can bring their authentic selves to work and reach their full professional potential, drives innovation. Leaders leverage the unique insights and experiences of all employees, applying an inclusive lens to their decisions.
• Build a learning culture: “Grow yourself and others,” an attribute of Bayer’s LIFE values, is essential for creating sustainable personal, professional, and company growth. Transformational leaders develop their people while also investing time in their own learning and development.
• Embrace sustainability: Contributing to sustainable development is a core element of Bayer’s corporate strategy. Transformational leaders recognize the impact their decisions have on the company, on people, and our planet.

To change from transactional to transformational leadership, we need to foster a culture where both financial results and people results have equal importance. Starting from the top, our leaders must role model the expected behaviors. They cast a long shadow, where their actions, their words (or lack thereof), set the expectation for the entire organization.

I will hold myself and my colleagues accountable for developing more transformational leaders within Bayer and creating a culture where everyone can contribute to achieving our vision. How are you creating transformational leaders in your own organization?