“Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It’s about the choice to show up and be real. The choice to be honest. The choice to let our true selves be seen.” – Brené Brown
Transformational Leadership is the style of leadership I embrace and teach. In the process of creating my unique curriculum, I studied the writing of Burns and Bass who defined this paradigm for leadership in the 1980s. I have tightened the focus by creating a paradigm that utilizes the skills of the musical conductor as Transformational Leader.
In my definition of Transformational Leadership, the musical conductor is the most visible and easily embraced example of what Transformational Leadership is in action. It’s not theory. It’s reality! Therefore, my work doesn’t qualify for academic standards. It does, however, qualify for being useful and practical. I’ve been a serious student of leadership for most of my life, and developed my systems and processes over 40 years as musical conductor in church music ministry and 25 years of working with leaders, including social benefit leaders, entrepreneurs, and corporate CEOs, in various enterprise settings.
Here are my ten traits that define a Transformational Leader*. A Transformational Leader…
- defines and articulates a clear vision;
- defines what others can do;
- provides information for others to succeed;
- celebrates success and cheerleads when needed;
- delegates and doesn’t micromanage;
- coaches;
- gets out of the way;
- respects individuals;
- encourages boldness and builds leaders on teams;
- is authentic and models what they preach.
So, what does being authentic mean? Here are four categories that I have come to appreciate as I grow into my full awareness of leadership:
- Genuine: The Transformational Leader is anchored in core values and has a written set of guiding principles for themselves and for the organization they serve. A major part of genuineness is transparency. Being transparent means not pretending to have all the answers. Your team knows when you are bluffing, so why pretend? Authentic leaders have good questions and listen carefully to the answers.
- Integrious: We have heard the quote, “Do as I say, not as I do.” The work hypocrite comes to mind as a definition of one who pretends to know, but really does not know. Be yourself. Model what you want others to do. Set the bar high by being the example. Live your vision.
- Thoughtful: In my leadership coaching practice, I use 3 seconds of silence after a client stops talking to think, verify that I have heard them, and to let any stress or tension subside. It’s amazing what happens when we equip ourselves with the time to think. Is thinking time on your calendar as a separate activity? Is thinking after listening a practice in your leadership tools? Making thoughtful decisions also means staying away from emotions. Being emotional in decision making colors the decisions. Empathy, worry, and overfunctioning emotionally all have major negative liabilities. We respect the individual and care about them. We cannot, under any circumstances, be emotional about their personal circumstances. Set good boundaries and enforce them.
- Aware: Effective leaders observe how things happen and respond, rather than react. Leaders surround themselves with high-functioning individuals who have specific skills that complement and contrast with the skills of the leader. The Transformational Leader is centered in the present and guided by the long-term vision, with specific objectives for each phase.
Ultimately, this topic needs a lot more discussion. This top-level view is to create a paradigm for authenticity. The top leaders continually work on their personal skills.
Hugh Ballou
The Transformational Leadership Strategist TM
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(c) 2014 Hugh Ballou. All rights reserved.
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* My language continues to migrate over time in response to what I learn.