Transformational leadership: how to encourage your team to reach their full potential

By Felipe Leonard, CEO and President of S.I.N. Implant System

In 1978, American historian James MacGregor Burns used the term "transformational leadership" to describe a process whereby "leaders and followers help each other to advance to a higher level of morale and motivation."

Nearly 50 years have passed since then, yet it is essential that we continue to discuss this topic today, given its current applicability and urgency.

Indeed, transformational leadership brings together exceptional characteristics. For starters, it is driven by a passion to encourage people and create impactful solutions to the challenges they face. At the heart of this philosophy is an understanding that inspiring employees can lead not only to transformation, but to social changes as well. Of course, this process is not always easy, as it demands time and energy, but it is extremely gratifying.

It is through a culture based on trust and positivity that transformational leaders motivate and help their teams when it comes to nourishing skills and talents that may even be undiscovered. They foster personal and professional growth among their followers and establish solid bases for continual improvement, in a work environment that ensures quality of life for all. This is a leadership style that opens up space for a more creative team, with an eye to the future and focused on finding new solutions to old problems.?

Generally speaking, this is a manager who is a visionary and is 100% focused on the strength of their team and on being inspirational, inclusive, emotionally intelligent and collaborative. They moreover make efforts to put others before themselves, without ever thinking about their own power or how their actions will benefit them individually.

Studies show a strong correlation between the mood and happiness of employees and an organization's results. And a positive environment is precisely what is needed to create motivation. Here is something else interesting: Marcial Losada, a psychologist and economist, spent a decade studying team performance. He created statistics on variations in performance connected to positive and constructive feedback versus negative feedback, the result of which is now called the "Losada ratio." The result? The ratio of positive to negative interactions needs to be at least 2.9013 for a corporate team to be successful. Once it falls under this critical level, performance in the workplace will be significantly compromised.

That is why transformational leadership should be a given and a priority at organizations that intend to improve their results; although unfortunately this concept does not go beyond a few nice sentences added to the corporate Statement of Principles and Values. Quoting Richard Branson: "Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients."

Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, Margaret Thatcher and even Branson are icons of this management style. They have really fascinating biographies, don't they?

And look, the good news is that it isn't hard to exercise this type of leadership. Its foundation is basically empathy, good sense and ethical awareness. Below are some tips:

1)???Show passion and positivity. Nobody wants to follow a leader who is not actually concerned about their goals. That is why transformational managers are not solely focused on performing tasks, but are also enthusiastic and genuinely interested in their work, making it clear to others that their progress is important. After all, every contribution should be valued. In this sense, it is even worthwhile for you to gain learn about each employee on your team in depth, understanding their values and motivations. When this happens, professional partnerships naturally grow stronger and, consequently, results improve. Remember: transformational leadership concerns the winning of hearts and minds, but it also concerns doing work together.

2)???Encourage team members to have an active voice. Employees should feel welcome to share their ideas. Even if leaders have the last word when it comes to decisions, this stimulus offers a chance for each person to be able to effectively contribute to the company's day-to-day. Crowdsourcing of ideas needs to be promoted, since this will make it possible to get the best out of collective learning. And just between us: it's no secret that a democratic leadership style fosters more commitment, it improves productivity and it inspires innovative solutions.

3)???Regularly ask for feedback. You must keep in mind that the people "in the trenches" have a good view of what is working and of what is not very effective. So a transformational leader should regularly ask for opinions and insights, ensuring that they are always giving people chances to express themselves.

4)???Personalize tasks based on your team's skills. Part of being a transformational leader is recognizing each person's strengths and weaknesses. This means being capable of adapting work flows and delegating activities, in real time. If someone shows a talent or enthusiasm in a certain area, it is worth rewarding them with compliments, incentives and additional responsibilities. On the other hand, if an employee is failing to fulfill their duties, perhaps you need to find other tasks in order for that employee to develop their potential.