There would be very few leaders in today's fast-paced world who would not want to give their organisation the gains or lift that they instinctively know is possible, through creating a positive or proactive strengths-based, solutions-enabled environment. But to work more effectively as a team, leaders need to first develop themselves. Harvard Business Review states that leadership's first commandment is to know themselves better. That's why self-aware leaders who understand behaviour are transforming businesses and changing the way employees interact.
In an era when we are too often promised new-found ways to success with this or that fad, leaders have reason to be somewhat sceptical. Significant fact-based research, together with actual experiential practice, tested in the day-to-day cauldrons of real experiences lies at the heart and application of transformative leadership behavioural styles.
Transformational leaders are doers and enablers
Socially driven transformational leaders, are trusted and respected for their strength of character, resilience, strategic awareness, empowerment of others, creative contributions and a strong sense of purpose. Imaginative and open-minded, they are more charismatic and capable of inspiring others to grow and fulfil their dreams, to make a difference, while promoting improved wellbeing, connection, and longevity.
Employing meaningful visionary strategy, transformational leaders influence more secure workplace environments where employees have greater clarity about their development objectives and are inspired to grow, especially when the organisation's goals positively influence future security and their community.
Coaching and providing clarity around what the vision is, what the main strategic platforms are, and therefore what each tribe's mission is, is more than commanding.
Employees are inspired to grow when respected and are willing to engage where trust is present and are included as sounding boards alongside their transformational leaders. Too often administrative or compliance functionaries manages financial outcomes, often to the detriment of growth.
Their greater environmental awareness, critical reasoning and emotional intelligence (Ei) capability help transformational leaders build the right skills and mindsets to implement new initiatives and systems, and even products and services to achieve superior profits.
Employees in open, agile, safe cultures, are more likely to experiment, grow and innovate solutions for strategic success, setting transformational leaders apart from transactional leaders who tend to focus more on short term outcomes and shareholder returns. Additional to logic and good judgement, transformational leaders are masters of their right brained futurist attributes of Ei and cultural (environmental) awareness (Ci).
Transformational leaders express optimism in the search for opportunity
Environments not constrained by limitations and problems, become more about opportunity to better focus on delivering solutions, switching from protectionist endeavours to manage our esteem to shared objectives for the betterment of the collective. Self-assurance and collaboration are essential for constructing effective strategy. At this level of leadership ability, the whole is worth substantially more than the sum of its parts.
Secure, collaborative leadership styles that can express optimism, visions and strategy are a requirement for transformational change and will enable a proactive culture. The major factors inhibiting employee change and growth is the failure of leaders and managers to exhibit trust, inspiration and purposeful objectives. Ei in leaders positively transforms people's lives by motivating employees to change and grow accordingly, to supercharge business performance.
Emotional intelligence sets effective leaders apart
Ei deepens our coaching, reasoning and relationship skills where personal one-to-one attention is preferred, such as:
- Learning and development
- Realising innovation
- Planning
- Aligning roles to capability
- Ei and social engagement, and
- Change (for growth)
Ei is a learnt quality and can be coached. Appreciation of a big-picture future awareness is fully dependent on how much we empathise and engage with all aspects of life. What broadens our awareness is a future focussed doing and application mindset rather than relying on our reflective logical learning and knowing ability.
Our environment dictates our success or failure. On a personal level, behaviours influence our thoughts, our emotions, which in turn influence our behaviours. Behaviours are how we learn. Being respected, accepted and challenged to grow enables high-performing workplaces.
Leaders who understand behaviour are transforming businesses and changing the way employees interact. Values-based organisations inspired by social purpose help employees to embrace change. With inclusive, respectful organisations, employees appreciate how and why their contributions enhance their organisation's success.