When we focus on developing leaders in our practice, it's important to realize that who we are being as leaders will directly affect the leadership behaviors we see reflected back from our people, our clients, our vendors, and others.

Idealized Influence

Inspirational Motivation

Intellectual Stimulation

Individualized Consideration

At ConvergenceCoaching, LLC, we have seen a concept called transformational leadership:

• Create united teams out of dysfunctional parts;
  
  
• Allow problems that have not been addressed to be creatively resolved; and
  
  
• Generate results that no one believed possible.

As a result, we have a vision that calls for us to lead the charge to develop powerful, transformational leaders in all areas of the accounting profession. And, we're expending considerable energy developing leadership skills and building coaching programs to help our friends in this profession and our own team members realize this vision.

Much of the strategic planning and tactical implementation work that we do is transactional in nature. However, the clients we see really outperforming in their segments have incorporated aspects of transformational leadership behaviors with their transactional ones. In this article, we'd like to share the foundation of transformational leadership so that you can begin to distinguish transformational behaviors in your own organization.

Transformational leadership appeals to the higher ideals and moral values within our people,

motivating them to set aside their own self-interest for the greater good of the organization, the community or the world. President John F. Kennedy and Jack Welch of General Electric are both considered excellent examples of transformational leadership at work.

In their book, Improving Organizational Effectiveness Through Transformational Leadership, Bass and Avolio defined transformational leadership by defining four dimensions. We've taken those four dimensions and attributed some leadership behaviors that can serve as examples of each. Take a moment now to review these behaviors and see how your own leadership behaviors compare.

Idealized Influence

In this dimension, you're working to earn the respect and trust of your followers (Transformational Leadership or Effective Managerial Practices? by Tracey and Hinkin). When you're exhibiting transformational leadership behaviors related to idealized influence, you are:

·       Placing your people's needs before your own:

o        Making sure they are taken care of—before you are;

o        Letting them get the credit and shine, sharing the spotlight vs. glory seeking.

·       Exhibiting ethical and moral behavior:

o        Keeping your word—doing what you say, when you say it;

o        Taking the high road—doing the "right" thing, not the "legal" or "by the rules" thing.
 

·       Following the golden rule:

o        Acting accountably and then developing a culture of accountability.

·       Sharing risk with your people:

o        Being honest about the good and bad—sharing the key numbers with your people, letting them understand the facts of running the business and involving them in problem solving.

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Inspirational Motivation

In this dimension, you're providing challenge and meaning in the work of your people ("Fairness Perceptions and Trust as Mediators for Transformational and Transactional Leadership: A Two-Sample Study," Pillai and others). Transformational leaders in this domain are:

·       Instilling team spirit:

o        Making internal communication a priority;

o        Holding team meetings, putting out emails to update all;

o        Holding company socials and events;

o        Encouraging fun;

·       Clearly outlining expectations and goals for your people (this means in writing!):

o        Building and updating a roadmap for the business;

o        Sharing it;

o        Clearly defining (in writing) each person's role, responsibilities and measures of success—including your own (let others input to yours!);
 

·       Demonstrating your own commitment to achieve the goals outlined:

o        Working as hard, being as diligent and following the processes as thoroughly as you expect others to.

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Intellectual Stimulation

In this dimension, you're enhancing your people. As a transformational leader focused on intellectual stimulation, you are:

·       Rewarding innovation:

o        Holding problem solving and brainstorming meetings;

o        Focusing on old issues as well as new opportunities;

·       Fostering an environment that is free from risk and ridicule:

o        Laying strict ground rules that foster a safe haven;

o        Avoiding "nixing" ideas and being the biggest safe haven offender;

·       Encouraging new ideas and new approaches to solving existing challenges:

o        Developing rewards and recognition for those who innovate and generate solutions.

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Individualized Consideration

In this dimension, you listen to and care about your people. When you're showing individualized consideration, you are:

·       Showing a genuine interest in your people's needs, growth and overall achievement:

o        Meeting with your people regularly;

o        Cutting the chain of command in terms of interaction;

o        Finding out what your people want and need (and finding out again and again—it changes!).

·       Putting your people's needs before your own (see previous comments under Idealized Influence);

·       Making assignments based upon the potential to provide challenge and growth:
 

o        Thinking about how you can challenge each person next;

o        Delegating vs. hoarding;

o        Making sure that each person is adding new skills each year.

So, how do your current leadership strategies and tactics stack up? Some of you may feel that several of these behaviors are second nature, while others aren't happening. Others of you may be exhibiting some of these behaviors some of the time—but none of them all of the time.

To achieve incredible results in your firm, we encourage you to try new behaviors and take new risks. Lead the way by making a resolution to identify at least three of the transformational leadership behaviors we've explored. Then, commit to exhibit them yourself and to make them a core tenant and value of leadership in your firm.

If it will help you, drop us a note at jen@convergencecoaching.comand share your commitment with us. We're interested and we'll check in with you periodically to see how you're doing.

Transform yourself and your practice today!

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