Transformational Leadership

The definition of management that is generally accepted is the process of "getting work done through the efforts of others."

One of the major difficulties of well intentioned manager is to get the time to sit down and actually think about their roles, core responsibilities , and their own personal and organisational effectiveness.

Often managers get caught up in day to day activities and are pre-occupied with operational problems and the need for efficiency. They are focused simply on what it take to get the work done. Their attention is immediate rather than visionary, short term rather than long, medium, and short term. They are caught up in survival and maintenance of a system that to varying degrees is seeking to respond to the market place, customers, employees and principals. This can be described as TRANSACTIONAL Leadership - dealing with tasks and activities.

Often there is a sense that external factors such as the economy, bosses, other departments, other levels within the organisation, and the structures, policies, and procedures of the organisation are larger than their own ability to shape their destiny. Yet, managers are the vehicle with which organisations must move forward. In order to do this, managers need to regularly stand back and assess their own context in which they hold their organisation, their own role, and their own personal and organisational effectiveness. Shifting to this broader context gives them the power to shape the future and develop as TRANSFORMATIONAL Leaders.

The transformational leader manages change and is not managed by it. They are a model of the attitudes, behaviours, and skills required for success in implementing the purpose, values, and vision of the future. The transformational leader communicates the broad purpose, mission and values of the organisation in such a way that the people in the organisation voluntarily commit their time, energy and resources to produce desired outcomes.