When I was 22 years old and recently out of college, I was lucky enough to work with a leader who changed my life by challenging me to take on a role that was a huge stretch for my age and experience. 

I was working at a nonprofit organization in Texas when the executive director, a senior-level leader with a Ph.D., resigned abruptly for personal reasons. Concerned about continuity, I approached the board chair and treasurer with a plan and notes to help the board in their search for a new leader. The next day, the board chair called and offered me the executive director position. I was shocked and immediately demurred, thinking myself quite unqualified to run an organization. But the board chair was confident I could do the job. He was so charismatic and persuasive that eventually I accepted and jumped into the role. Buoyed by his belief in me and supported by the expertise of the board, I learned fast and was successful. That experience ultimately led me to pursue an MBA and prepared me for future business leadership roles, neither of which I had considered until that opportunity arose.

My board chair was an example of a truly transformational leader. An article in Forbes defines transformational leadership as “an approach that results in positive change within individuals, with the end goal of developing followers into leaders.” Some key traits of this approach mentioned in the article include “being a role model for followers; challenging followers to take greater ownership for their work, and understanding the strengths and weaknesses of followers, so the leader can align followers with tasks that optimize their performance.”

While there are many approaches to guiding, motivating and influencing teams or organizations, transformational leadership is more relevant and important than ever in today’s rapidly changing business climate. As a PWC article points out, “Most business leaders now understand that we are living through a ‘great reconfiguration,’ a period in which whole industries, economies, and societies are being reshaped.” This type of environment calls for leaders who have a clear vision, are able to build trust, and develop the talents of each team member in order to contend with the massive amount of change that is happening.

It can be difficult to find time to think about something that sounds as lofty as transformational leadership while juggling shifting economic pressures, adjusting strategies and simply trying to manage day-to-day operations. But taking the time to develop leaders’ skills and optimize team members’ talents will likely yield positive results for the organization and for each individual. At minimum, expressing your belief in your team members and nurturing their growth will advance your culture – and watching them flourish will possibly even be transformational for you as a leader.

I turned to local top leaders and asked them, “What makes a leader truly transformational, and why is that especially important in today’s business climate?” 

Kelly Baum, Ph.D., John and Mary Pappajohn Director, Des Moines Art Center

Based on my 24 years of experience working for civic and university art museums in Houston, Austin, Princeton and New York City, I believe the most transformational leaders are those who consider themselves not just managers but mentors who enable and catalyze the ambitions of their staff, whether creative, intellectual or professional. Rather than a top-down approach, in which my own priorities dominate the agenda, I consistently solicit the aspirations of my team members and provide the resources, whether logistical or financial, to help them attain them whenever possible. A model of leadership like this depends on a commitment to shared governance, in which agency is distributed across the organization, instead of being concentrated in a single office. Such a model unleashes the creativity that organizations need to survive and thrive. Aligning leadership with cultivation also helps create the strong, dynamic organizational cultures that employees in the 21st century demand.

Ray Cole, president and COO, Citadel Communications LLC (retired), author, “Hangin’ with Winners”

I’ve observed transformational leaders (TLs) who understand how the old “management by objectives” approach may no longer be sufficient. While setting goals is important, they know it’s increasingly necessary to motivate team members in ways that deepen the commitment to organizational objectives and lead to performance results that exceed expectations. These TLs recognize the critical need for team members to view the goals as important and, more importantly, perceive them as attainable. Exceptional TLs become role models for their team members whereby they are inspired to reach above and beyond what they might otherwise consider possible. 

Legendary businessman Bill Knapp once told me, “Successful people understand that an ‘I, me and my’ approach to business — and life for that matter — accomplishes nothing. It’s true for almost every endeavor in life that little ever gets accomplished unless it’s done with a ‘we, them and us’ philosophy.” 

 Transformational leadership embraces the latter. 

Tony Dickinson, president, NCMIC Finance Corp.

The world today is transforming faster than we’ve ever seen. My framework for transformational leadership consists of:

Belief – believing in others as much, or more, than they believe in themselves. Then being intentional about creating opportunities for team members to perform, and ultimately, learn and grow. Understanding failure will inevitably be part of the process.

Vision – thinking about the future and creating a vision that’s bigger than one person could imagine, or achieve, on their own. There’s a quote that resonates with me that says, “If your dreams don’t scare you, then they aren’t big enough.”

Culture – caring, truly caring, about team members, customers and the communities you serve.

 Transformational leadership happens when belief, vision and culture come together. When this happens it’s more than words on a boardroom wall, it’s something everyone can feel.  

Scott Jean, president and CEO, EMC Insurance 

 Leadership, in my view, begins by weaving together the diverse visions of the many leaders around you. Then, it’s about clearly expressing those priorities and strategies throughout the organization. You must be open about both progress and challenges, fostering a collective understanding of your company’s journey. In today’s business landscape, that clarity, combined with a servant leadership approach — where we equip and empower team members — creates an environment where motivated and innovative teams thrive, even in the face of change. Trust is the bedrock. When leaders trust the wisdom of those around them, when team members trust in a shared vision, and when we trust our teams to execute, it sets off a positive cycle that can become truly transformational, turning individual efforts into collective success that advances the organization.

Jerrica Marshall, executive director, the Directors Council

Transformational leadership is based upon integrity and fairness, described by experts as recognizing needed reform, creating a vision to guide change through influence and implementation in collaboration, creating a pathway for team members to outperform and new leaders to emerge. Des Moines has been blessed with many transformational leaders who have left legacies and blueprints for future leaders to take and continue the work, but it is important that we evolve our style to fit our new business culture. Leaders will need to be willing to meet their team members where they are and be flexible to changing styles and technology. Being adaptable is especially important as the new pace of change is unprecedented, and inspiring and guiding teams through uncertainty is crucial for sustainability. Transformative leaders who can embrace the change and challenges will have the ability to move organizations forward and create an innovative space for successors to arise.