What are Transformational Leadership Characteristics?

Transformational leadership characteristics relate to the ability to motivate and inspire followers, employees, and students. It’s one of the most modern forms of leadership and is widely accepted as one of the best. Read on to learn more about the characteristics of this leadership style.

Transformational Leadership Characteristics

Transformational leaders inspire others through their vision and work alongside their followers toward achieving shared goals. They break the rules and generally don’t adhere to the standard conventions of any given domain, creating innovative solutions to the world’s problems.

People like Thomas Edison, Steve Jobs, and Elon musk were relentless hard workers, ambitious individuals, and dreamers. They paved a path for people to follow them in creating revolutionary technologies that were barely imaginable before them.

The power of transformational leaders doesn’t simply lie in their own strengths but in their ability to ignite the intrinsic motivation of their followers, nurture them, and help them collaborate toward achieving the best outcomes.

What is transformational leadership?

A transformational leader imparts an inspiring vision of the future

Definition

The transformational leadership style is characterized by a high level of coordination, collaboration, and communication between the leader and the followers. It is based on inspiring and motivating others. In addition, this leadership approach emphasizes the significance and worth of the leader's aims, enhances a follower's intrinsic drive, and works well in close supervisory relationships.¹

The characteristics of transformational leaders

Transformational leaders are charismatic, provide inspirational motivation to their followers, and can even be seen as role models. They nurture their followers’ talents and encourage creativity and open-mindedness.

Transformational leaders use a style of leadership that works very well for achieving projects in the long term. The leaders impart a clear shared vision with their followers, helping them find meaning and purpose within their actions.

Given that they have common goals with their followers, they are open to their team members’ feedback. As a result, followers feel heard and are willing to commit to working for a shared vision with the leader.

In addition, transformational leaders know their followers' strengths and weaknesses and organize their efforts to maximize efficiency.

There are four fundamental transformational leadership characteristics that make it an effective type of leadership:²

Idealized influence:

The leaders develop a relationship that is founded on trust with their followers as well as presenting high ethical and moral standards

Elon Musk is a transformational type of leader and founder of SpaceX, a company dedicated to building rockets that travel to space. Musk demands a lot from his employees and expects them to work as hard as they can because he also works extremely hard.

Musk is well known for sleeping at his factories at SpaceX when there were critical moments for the company. He explained in various interviews that he works 80 to 100 hours weekly. His dedication established trust between him and his employees because they could see Musk working alongside them.

Inspirational motivation

Transformational leaders help followers find meaning and purpose in their work by presenting a clear shared vision and helping them nurture their intrinsic motivations. Furthermore, they encourage the personal development of their employees and provide growth opportunities.

Steve Jobs's leadership embodied some of the best transformational leadership characteristics. He imparted a clear vision to his employees, which implied creating technological innovations. He encouraged creativity, and he coordinated the efforts of designers and engineers to release products such as the iPhone or the personal computer.

Intellectual stimulation:

The leaders encourage followers to pursue the leader’s goals using innovative and stimulating approaches.

Google founded a company called Google X, which would later be named simply X. The company aims to research and create revolutionary technologies. The X company created a highly stimulating context for its employees due to the creative and challenging nature of the projects the employees are working on.

One example of X’s creations is “Project Loon,” which aims to provide internet in areas with challenging geographical circumstances. They achieved this by sending a network of balloons in the sky that would carry small computers in polystyrene boxes powered by solar energy and sending the internet down to the ground.

This project was extremely useful in early 2017 when catastrophic floods hit Peru, affecting hundreds of thousands of people and knocking out the communication network across the country. Using the technology created through “Project Loom,” many people from Peru benefitted from basic internet connectivity, despite the tragic circumstances.³

Individualized consideration:

Transformational leaders provide personal guidance and mentor their followers to help them pursue their passions and develop their talents.

Individual consideration can be seen in the relationship between Lerodoardo Da Vinci and his master Andreea del Verrocchio, a renewed painter and sculptor in Florence during the later fifteen century. He created enduring monuments of bronze, stone, clay, and other materials to honor the city's beauty. He also created paintings such as the “Maddona with seated child” and the “Virgin and Child.”

Verrocchio took da Vinci as his apprentice, teaching him the art of sculpting and refining his painting skills. Leonardo and other disciples that worked with Verrochio developed a desire for experimentation and a spirit of inquiry in the making of art.

He provided da Vinci with opportunities to grow as a painter in the early years of his life. They worked together on paintings such as the “Baptism of Christ.” Those opportunities paved the way for Leonardo to become one of the greatest painters.

Examples and evidence supporting transformational leadership

Examples:

SpaceX is an example of a company where transformational leadership is essential. Elon Musk created it, aiming to create a “Multi-civilization species.” He believes that endeavor is essential for the survival of our civilization, and his current goal is to send people to Mars.

Musk’s challenged the assumptions regarding the price of the rockets when he decided that he would build them from scratch. That drastically reduced the costs of the rockets, and he even succeeded in making them reusable. He helped create innovations that would change the entire field of rocket science.

Another example of transformational leadership is company X,  founded by Google to create revolutionary technologies, such as “ Project Loon.” The company’s employees feel encouraged to be as creative as possible, break the rules, and devise solutions to world problems. Failure there is considered a normal part of the process, and employees are rewarded if they stop a project that shows signs that it won’t work.

Transformational leaders can guide their followers to achieve great results. However, there are certain situations where transactional leaders would do better. For example, transactional leadership can be effectively used to achieve a company’s short-term goals. Employees can be encouraged through rewards and punishments such as a better salary or lack of bonuses to have a good performance.

Empirical evidence

The leadership skills transformative leaders use to reach seemingly impossible goals are supported by research, showing that transformational leadership creates a context that favors innovation and growth as a professional.⁴

Furthermore, a review of 22 studies revealed that transformational leadership is beneficial for the individuals and the organization they are working for. The workers take greater ownership of their work, show higher levels of commitment, and even develop a greater sense of acceptance toward their colleagues.⁵

In addition, a study that investigated the effectiveness of transformational leadership in complex and international settings involving a gas and oil corporation showed that the workers had improved levels of performance and satisfaction with their work.⁶

A search for great leaders

A great leader can lead others toward achieving the impossible

According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report, “85% of employees or not engaged or actively disengaged at work”. The estimated economic consequences of this “global norm” negatively impacting workers' productivity indicate a $7 trillion loss for companies.

Given such findings, the leadership team of any company would benefit from helping their employees find meaning and purpose in their work.

Transformational leaders can successfully create a context for innovation and ignite the intrinsic motivation of their followers, working alongside them toward achieving common goals. They can nurture their employee’s talents and guide them toward becoming better professionals.

There is a search worldwide for great leaders, significant innovations are needed to solve our world’s problems, and transformative leaders could create those revolutionary solutions. If you want to learn more about leadership and becoming a great leader, consider checking out our Integral Development and Leadership course or email an advisor.

References:

1. Aarons, G. A. (2006). Transformational and transactional leadership: Association with attitudes toward evidence-based practice. Psychiatric services, 57(8), 1162-1169.
2. Homrig, M. A. (2001). Transformational leadership. Retrieved December 5, 2008.
3. Varol, O. (2020). Think like a rocket scientist. Ebury Publishing.
4. Xenikou, A. (2017). Transformational leadership, transactional contingent reward, and organizational identification: The mediating effect of perceived innovation and goal culture orientations. Frontiers in psychology, 8, 1754.
5. Saad Alessa, G. (2021). The dimensions of transformational leadership and its organizational effects in public universities in Saudi Arabia: A systematic review. Frontiers in psychology, 12, 682092.
6. Gundersen, G., Hellesøy, B. T., & Raeder, S. (2012). Leading international project teams: The effectiveness of transformational leadership in dynamic work environments. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 19(1), 46-57.

People also ask questions:

What is the main focus of transformational leadership?

The transformational leadership style is based on inspiring and encouraging others, and it is linked with a high level of coordination, collaboration, and communication. It functions well in close supervisory relationships and, by emphasizing the significance and worth of the leader's objectives, raises the followers' intrinsic motivation.

The four main characteristics of transformational leadership are the following:

• Idealized influence: Building a relationship founded on trust with their followers and presenting high moral and ethical standards.
• Inspirational motivation: Helping their followers find meaning and purpose in their work by providing them with a clear and exciting vision for the future.
• Intellectual stimulation: Granting followers the flexibility to pursue the leader's goals through innovative approaches that foster their development.
• Individual consideration: Offering personalized mentoring and coaching to their followers to help them nurture their talents and passion.

Transformational leaders can be people like Thomas Edison, Steve Jobs, and Elon Musk. They were relentless hard workers who inspired others to help them create innovative technologies that were hardly imaginable before them.

What are the four characteristics of transformational leadership?

The four characteristics of transformational leadership are the following:

• Idealized influence: Building a connection based on trust with their supporters and upholding high moral and ethical standards.
• Inspirational motivation: Providing their followers with a clear vision for the future and assisting them in discovering meaning and purpose in their work.
• Intellectual stimulation: Granting followers the freedom to pursue the leader’s objectives through original and creative approaches that support the follower’s growth.
• Individual consideration: Nurturing the talents of the leader’s followers by providing them with personalized coaching and mentoring.

One example that could show the effectiveness of these leadership characteristics is “Project Loon,” created by X, a company founded by Google. This project is highly creative, and it is the result of X’s employees' innovative ideas.

The goal of Project Loon is to bring internet access to remote locations. They achieved this by launching a network of balloons into the air, each carrying a series of tiny solar-powered computers housed in polystyrene boxes and transmitting the internet to the ground. The technology was used in early 2017 when catastrophic floods hit Peru, affecting a large number of people. Project Loon helped tens of thousands of Peruvians gain basic internet connectivity despite the tragic circumstances.

What are the eight attributes of a transformational leader?

The eight attributes of a transformational leader are the following:

• Charismatic
• Inspiring
• Creative
• Moral and ethical
• Encouraging
• Open-minded
• Visionary
• Hard-working

Transformational leaders have grand visions of the future and manage to motivate others to follow them in making the vision a reality. They create systems with flexible rules and provide constructive feedback and encouragement to their followers.

A famous example of an individual that embodies most of the characteristics of a transformational leader is Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX. Musk aims to make humanity a “multi-planetary species.”To achieve that, he created a company called SpaceX, which focused on building rockets and sending them to space.

He questioned the established beliefs regarding acquiring rockets and decided that he and his team would build them from scratch. Musk successfully created the rockets and made them several times cheaper than their market value. In addition, he even made them reusable. He achieved all with the help of passionate employees who were moved by his vision and decided to assist him in his mission to colonize other planets.

What are the characteristics of transformational?

Transformational leaders are inspirational and highly ambitious. They provide their followers with a clear and exciting vision for the future and encourage them to be innovative. They are also very receptive to suggestions from their team regarding critical decisions. As a result, followers feel heard and are eager to collaborate with the leader toward a common goal.

Transformational leadership can be highly effective for achieving long-term projects. Leaders can guide their followers to find meaning and purpose in their work by providing them with a clear and exciting vision for the future.

An example where transformational leadership can be seen as essential is in the development of the company Apple. Steve Jobs is an iconic entrepreneur who revolutionized our relationship with technology and brought to the general public innovations such as personal computers, iPhones, and others. He envisioned creating valuable products people love, encouraged his employees to be creative, and was actively engaged in designing Apple’s gadgets.