Have you ever been in a conversation and realized that the person you are talking to is thinking about their response and is really not listening to you? Do not be guilty of this yourself. You don’t have to respond immediately once the other person stops talking. In fact, leaving a moment of silence lets the person talking know that you listened and are thinking about what was said. The moment of silence can be a validation that you have listened.

One of the important traits of Transformational Leadership is being authentic. If you are not aware of what others on your team are thinking, then how can you be an effective leader? Another Transformational Leadership trait is building leaders on teams. Building leadership skills is a key to delegation. If there are good communication standards, then there can be minimal conflict in the workplace due to misunderstanding or missing information.

A clear vision is followed by clear goals and a solid communication plan. Communication consists of two functions: 1) Delivery and 2) Reception. We must be aware of our words when speaking. There is power in the choice of words. The wrong choice of words will communicate a different message than intended, so choose the words for communicating very carefully. Along with the choice of words come the other factors in communication – the inflection in the voice, the physical stance and posture, and certainly the pace of the conversation. Do not be afraid of silence. Silence in a conversation can give clarity.

As an effective Transformational Leader be aware that there are important elements in every communication. Be active in listening. Be careful in your choice of words. Be present in the conversation – physically (look at the person), emotionally (focus on the intent of the conversation without emotional baggage), and mentally (give the other person your full attention without distraction).

Effective listening is a basic element effective leadership.

The Transformational Leader is the champion and cheerleader of the cause. The cause itself must be worthy in the long term or the transformation and the organization will suffer. This becomes apparent as the process unfolds and the process will break down. For example, the current economic situation in the world is not about faulty economic systems, it is about failure in leadership!

It is of primary importance for the Transformational Leader, in order to prevent conflict in the workplace and team conflict, to be clear on the foundations for the vision. The vision must come from the core values of the organization and resonate with the core values of the leader himself or herself. If there is a conflict in these core values (the personal values of the leader vs. the core values of the organization) failure is inevitable. Creating a solid foundation is a way to validate and clarify the leader’s vision for the organization and to create systems for others to follow. The Transformational Leader empowers leader on teams to utilize their varied leadership skills, talents, and perspectives to be successful and transform the organization as well as the lives of the people involved both internally and externally.

A solid foundation consists of the following: 1) a written list of core values; 2) a written description of long-term strategic objectives; 3) a written list of short-term goals; 4) a written set of action plans for each goal; and finally, 5) team involvement in all of the processes listed above. It should be clear from this list that written plans separate dreams from accomplishments. First write the draft, and then revise it. Continue to evaluate the process steps and the time line throughout the implementation process and make the needed changes. The vision is clear. You develop the pathway as a continuing process, and not just a single planning event.

Is it worth the time to create a solid foundation in order to maximize success?

Learn more about creating a solid foundation with Hugh’s article on Goals Process.

Yes, you read this correctly. Organizations hire me to run meetings, team planning sessions, board retreats, etc. Never once in over 22 years have I ever used an agenda for a meeting! I promise.

This is not just semantics. It is a paradigm shift. Think about meetings you have attended in the past. Think of a boring, unproductive meeting that you experienced. Maybe that particular session was not planned thoroughly. Maybe that particular session was planned with unclear outcomes. This is the nature of the problem – AGENDA = activity and DELIVERABLES = results. Reframe your thinking and focus on outcomes and not on activity.

This is one paradigm shift that makes leaders more effective. Create and maintain an culture of excellence in the organization you lead. Focus on outcomes and excellence in every activity and every process. The Transformational Leader constantly build leadership skills in their inventory of leadership tools. Conflict management and conflict resolution become less of an issue when clarity of purpose takes away some potential for conflict.

Success is a mindset. Think about what you want to achieve and make it happen.

Start now!

Learn all about productive meetings with Hugh’s article Conducting Power-Packed Meetings.

- Nadia Boulanger

In his post, The Art of Balance, the Art of Leadership, Don Frederiksen commented, “I have always thought that my music background brought creativity, dimension and balance to my thinking and work.” Wow, that really resonates with me having been a musical conductor for over 40 years. I realize daily how important the leadership skills that a conductor knows are really valuable to leaders in other fields.

Art is sometimes as giving attention to detail. Striving for balance does not only mean that we keep the trumpets from covering up the rest of the orchestra. It also means that we give attention to the details to be faithful in implementation of our vision as the leader. Balance does not mean making everything equal. Balance means creating consistency and quality in all systems, relationships, and in the culture itself.

Listening is a skill musicians bring to leadership. As a business coach, I have discovered that listening is the key skill in order to know what is really happening.

Remember your past. I gain much from remembering my musical skills and experience. It give me perspective for creating value in the lives of others.

- Lily Tomlin

How bad does it need to get before you do something about it (“IT” is the processes and systems in your organization)

In reading a post by Guy Kawasaki on the American Express OPEN Forum site, I found this comment, “Act like a prospective customer and call your company to see how the phone system and receptionist treat you.” It made me think about checking on systems that I have implemented. Are the system going as I perceive, or are they just appearing to be effective? Hmmm… Now I an wondering how I can really check. This comment really gave me a paradigm shift. It’s time to play the part of a customer or church member and look at the systems in my organization from their point of view. What a great idea!

So, develop feedback system that are authentic and consistent. Don’t check once and think that it’s done. Develop a balanced scorecard to constantly evaluate your systems. This is not a reflection on you, the leader personally. It’s not a sign of failure. It’s simply a process check. Authenticity in leadership (an important Transformational Leadership trait) means that you eliminate the “elephant in the room” where everybody knows something is wrong, but nobody talks about it.

To be effective as a leader, you must establish systems to evaluate your systems.

By the way, be sure to develop strategies for changing the things that need changing and monitoring the change.

- Henry Ford

In reading a blog post by Jeffry Harlow in Unpacking Ideas, I was motivated by this comment, “In short, the heart of transformational leadership is that everyone involved in our organization has confidence that our leadership team believes in, clings to, and tenaciously implements our mission.”

We as leaders must be confident in the mission that God has called us to lead. Going from believing to knowing is a maturity in leadership that comes from clearly articulated goals to accomplish the mission. Trust comes from the authenticity manifests and creates trust within the team.

We strengthen relationships by building trust with those whom we lead through clarity of vision and authenticity of commitment.

- William James

I just read a post by Mac Lake titled When Leaders Fall into Maintenance Mode. Which reminded me of some leaders I have net recently who have given up on the church and on themselves.

Each of us is called to lead from where we are – now. Each of us is called to give God our best – regardless of the situation.

Some leaders give up and fall into maintenance mode because of the situation they find themselves in. Our vision comes from God, so it is our duty and delight to continue to grow as leaders and be the champion for the vision God has given us.

Create a solid foundation by  writing down your goals and sharing those goals. We are in a community of faith, so share with those in the community. Enthusiasm and motivation are both given and received by leaders.

What will you do today to be sure that you are motivated?

What will you do today to be sure that those you lead have a chance to be motivated? – by you?

As Paul said, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Romans 12:2

How will you transform yourself and those whom you lead today?

The Definitive Leader program is a 13-module, 52-week intensive program on all aspects of Transformational Leadership. Resolve conflict while building leadership skills and learn to build consensus.

The Definitive Leader program is a 13-module, 52-week intensive program on all aspects of Transformational Leadership. With 52 downloadable lessons, 13 bonus lessons, 10 templates, and instructional teleseminars. The program is downloadable so that the leader ends up with a full notebook of leadership resources for future use. The content is delivered by weekly email linking the leader to a web page with an instructional video and PDF lesson download.