We have six core skills that we, at Defy Expectations, believe are fundamental to success today. 

Transformational leadership is probably the one that resonates the most with today’s leaders. It is a fashionable term, companies advertise for transformational leaders, people describe themselves as transformational leaders. It’s one of today’s buzz words. 

But what is it and why is it different from any other sort of leadership? 
Would you know a transformational leader if you met one?
Is it what they are or what they do? 
What is so special about them and when do you need them?
And what are they transforming?

I think the answers to those questions fall into two categories;
Firstly when an organisation needs dramatic change, not slow evolutionary change. Secondly when an organisation needs to change its culture. 
You can argue that the two are connected, dramatic change needs a leader that is committed to it and prepared to drive it and the same is true of cultural change. But there are plenty or organisations that are comfortable with slow evolutionary change because that is what is needed to stay successful but would still like to improve their culture.

The culture change leader is today’s fashionable transformational leader. 
A leadership style that focuses on inspiring and motivating followers to achieve their full potential and achieve organizational goals. The transformational leader seeks to create a vision for the organization, inspire and motivate followers to commit to the vision, and encourage creativity and innovation to achieve it.

They focus on developing their followers' skills and abilities, and they provide support, encouragement, and recognition for their efforts. They also create a positive and empowering work environment, where followers feel valued and motivated to contribute to the organization's success.

These skills are key components of leadership and can transform an organisation in the eyes of its customers and employees, but they are equally desirable whether you need to dramatically transform your business or simply evolve it.  In fact, they are all components of good leadership in the 21^st century.

But I would argue that the true transformational leader leads an organisation in a disrupted market, or in internal crisis, or a country at war where what is needed is a true transformation at speed to respond to the serious challenges it faces.
You need a leader who can drive transformation, who has a vision for how the company or country needs to respond and has the power to take people with them. Such people are inspiring but they are rare and are rarely comfortable to work with.

One thing to recognise is that the life cycle of the Transformational Leader may be short. They do not always stay for long; as transformation settles into business as usual they can become rather bored, in the same way that entrepreneurial leaders, or wartime leaders do not suit a quieter, more evolutionary future.  An alert Board will recognise this and will move the leader on.  A self-aware leader will recognise it too.

@Defy Expectations we help you to identify what is most important for your organisation and build the right competencies to create winning edge.