What skills do the most successful transformational leaders share in common?

1. Top 5 Traits of
Transformational Leaders
…and what to avoid
By Rowena Everson

2. Team-Builder
Directing a motivated, multi-disciplinary team to achieve high performance results
Trophy winner
• Know individual’s strengths and play to them
• Know your team’s weak spots and fill them
• Establish an energised, supportive culture
• Be clear about lines of accountability
• Encourage achievement by recognition of wins
Bottom of the league
• Playing people out of position without support
• Hiring the same skills again and again
• Being too dictatorial or too hands free
• Creating excess overlap in responsibilities
• Allowing bias to breed unhealthy competition
& mistrust

3. Soar & Swoop
Transformational leaders must retain oversight of the field of play & know each position
Achieving your objectives Dropping the ball
• Too detailed: risks missing the pivot points
• Too detached: risks missing the blockers
• Poor planning leads to constant catch-up
• Confused teams lose confidence & motivation
• Inflexible solutioning hinders delivery
• Elevate yourself to see the big picture
• Dig into the weeds to understand the issues
• Knowing when to be at 30,000 ft or 3 inches
• Communicate your approach to your team
• Apply creative solutions; maintain momentum

4. Listening
A strong team will have eyes and ears on more than the leader can cover; listen & leverage
Bat-like skills
• Drawing everyone into the conversation
• Acknowledging contributions from the team
• Asking questions (and then staying quiet)
• Encourage constructive discussions
• Never opining first
Muffled
• Allowing bias to platform the same few voices
• Criticising or rejecting inputs in group setting
• Interjecting during thought-gathering process
• Sticking too rigidly to your agenda
• Opening the discussion with your opinion

5. Personality
People follow people, not purely concepts
Revered
• Being authentic
• Displaying and sharing GOOD Energy
• Resilience & optimism in the face of challenge
• Communicating the plan (and changes)
• Being present and accountable
Ignored
• Replace personal reference with consultant speak
• Mistaking gallows humour for levity
• Domineering is not strong leadership
• Only updating the inner circle
• Passing the buck & blame for failures

6. Wisdom
Experience can generate wise leaders, but also fearful or over-confident ones
Wise Sage
• Humility to know they are not infallible
• Servant leaders inspire
• Neither excessively cautious nor risky
• Confident to ask for help
• Determined but flexible
Raspberry Fool
• Missing the pitfalls through arrogance
• Self-aggrandizement alienates the team
• Excessive democracy hinders progress
• Fear of appearing weak or vulnerable
• Failing to leverage collective willpower