| Transformational Leadership Begins With What You Believe
Over the years, I’ve asked thousands of leaders to consider a question that sounds simple but is much deeper than it first appears:
What do you actually believe about people?
Do you believe people can be trusted? Do you believe most individuals want to do meaningful work and contribute? Do you believe people should be developed or simply directed? Do you believe leadership is primarily about authority and results, or does it also carry a responsibility to help other people grow?
Your answers matter because eventually you will lead according to what you believe.
We spend enormous amounts of time teaching leaders what to do—how to communicate, delegate, coach, manage conflict, build teams and execute strategy. Those are important skills, and we’ll explore many of them throughout this Transformational Leadership series.
But before leadership skills come leadership principles.
Leadership Starts Below the Surface
I recently interviewed another leadership professional who made an interesting observation: too many leaders are leading primarily from their heads.
They know strategy. They understand operations. They can analyze financial statements, establish KPIs and develop business plans.
But leadership involves human beings.
You cannot lead people effectively with intellect alone.
Leadership also requires character, emotional intelligence, self-awareness, empathy, values, integrity and a genuine understanding of what you believe about the people you’re leading.
That’s why our Transformational Leadership model at CRG begins with 12 Principles before we ever introduce the 60 leadership skills.
The principles establish the foundation.
Skills answer, “What should I do?”
Principles answer the deeper question: “Why do I lead the way I do?”
People Want Leaders They Can Believe In
Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner have studied leadership for more than four decades. Their research into the characteristics people most admire in leaders has produced remarkably consistent results.
The four characteristics that continue to rise to the top are honest, competent, inspiring and forward-looking.
Notice what’s first.
Honesty.
People don’t simply want an intelligent leader. They want someone they can trust.
Kouzes and Posner make the case that credibility is foundational to leadership. Their simple description of credibility is powerful: Do what you say you’ll do.
That sounds obvious. Yet how many organizational problems begin because leaders say one thing and do another?
They say people are their greatest asset but don’t invest in developing them. They say they value open communication but punish people who challenge them. They say integrity is a company value but overlook questionable behavior from a high performer. They talk about accountability but exempt senior leaders from the standards expected of everyone else.
Employees notice.
And eventually they stop listening to what leadership says and start watching what leadership does.
Today’s Followers Are Asking for More
Gallup recently conducted global research across 52 countries and territories asking people what the leaders who positively influence their lives actually provide.
Four needs emerged: hope, trust, compassion and stability.
Hope represented 56% of the positive leadership attributes people mentioned, followed by trust at 33%.
I find that significant.
People aren’t simply asking leaders for answers. They want to believe there is a future worth working toward. They want leaders they can trust, leaders who care about them as human beings and leaders who can provide stability when the environment around them is uncertain.
That requires more than intellectual capability.
It requires a leader who is grounded in something deeper.
What Do You Believe About the People You Lead?
One of the foundational principles in our Transformational Leadership work is that leadership begins with your view of yourself and others.
If I fundamentally believe employees are lazy and need to be controlled, I’ll build systems around control. If I believe people can’t be trusted, I’ll micromanage them. If I believe my role as the leader means I should always have the answer, I’ll stop listening.
But if I believe people have value, potential and the capacity to grow, I’ll lead differently.
I’ll coach instead of simply command. I’ll listen before deciding. I’ll develop rather than merely direct. I’ll hold people accountable, but I’ll also give them the opportunity and support to succeed.
This doesn’t mean becoming naive.
Transformational leadership isn’t about pretending everyone performs equally, avoiding difficult conversations or tolerating poor performance. I’ve spent my entire career emphasizing accountability and personal responsibility.
But how you hold someone accountable is directly influenced by what you believe about that person.
Your Principles Are Already Showing
Every leader operates from principles. The problem is that many leaders have never intentionally identified them.
Your employees already know more about your actual principles than you might think.
They see them in who you promote, what you tolerate, how you respond under pressure, whether you keep your promises, how you treat someone who disagrees with you and what happens when doing the right thing becomes inconvenient.
That’s why leadership development must go deeper than techniques.
Before asking leaders to change their behavior, we need to help them understand the beliefs and values driving that behavior.
At CRG, this is why self-awareness and assessment are foundational to our approach. Our Personal Style Indicator (PSI) and Values Preference Indicator (VPI) help people understand important aspects of who they are and what drives them. Our Transformational Leadership process then moves from that foundation into the competencies required to lead themselves and others effectively.
Because lasting leadership development works from the inside out.
Dr. Ken’s Leadership Insight
Leadership begins long before you speak, delegate, coach or make a decision. It begins with what you believe—about yourself, about other people and about your responsibility as a leader. Your skills determine what you are capable of doing. Your principles determine how and why you will use those skills. If the principles are wrong, greater leadership skill can simply make you more effective at leading people in the wrong direction.
So before you ask, “How can I become a better leader?” start with a more fundamental question:
What do I believe about the people I have been entrusted to lead?
Your answer is already influencing your leadership. |
