Uncovering the Value of Transformational Leadership & Establishing Authenticity

During times of transition, transformational leadership becomes essential. Without it, people become lost, overwhelmed, apprehensive, and too paralyzed to move forward. While most of us have experienced transitions in our lives before, without a doubt, the number and intensity of transitions made in the past year have tested even the most effective leaders. If there has ever been a time to transform your leadership growth strategy intentionally, it is certainly now.

Elevating Transformational Leaders should be a primary focus of your own growth. This type of leadership effort requires a dramatic change in the approach and character of how you lead and how you help others do the same. It is the method in which a leader inspires and motivates others toward positive change within an organization and leads to higher morale, rapid innovation, effective conflict management, lower turnover, and deeper levels of ownership amongst a team. Some key characteristics of Transformational Leaders include:

foster clear values, priorities, and standards;
guide others to migrate from an attitude of self-interest to a mindset for the common good;
model fairness and integrity; and
provoke positive emotions in others. This one is non-negotiable for embracing transformational leadership.

We focus on four pillars of leadership impact that support transformational outcomes, each of which is derived from the research of Dr. Steven Stein and his work in Emotional Intelligence. The four pillars include Authenticity, Insight, Innovation and Coaching. Each Pillar forms a balanced environment to allow trust, credibility, and inclusive thinking to thrive amongst a team.

While we need all four pillars to create a solid foundation for leadership, the first to gain momentum is establishing Authenticity in the eyes of those you lead. Like many elements of leadership, the path to true Authenticity takes time and has many components. It is the core of effective leadership and without it, every other action is at risk of being less effective. In its truest form, Authenticity is the alignment of the heart (feeling), head (thoughts), mouth (words), hands, and feet (action). Or simply stated “walk the talk.” When delivered consistently, it naturally builds trust and encourages others to follow you willingly.

The EQ-i 2.0 Model wheel of Emotional Intelligence Within Stein’s EQ-i^2.0 model of Emotional Intelligence (EI), there are key EI skills required to establish your Authenticity. They include having high levels of Self-Awareness, being Self-Actualized, having a solid base of Self-Regard, mastering Reality Testing, establishing an environment for Social Responsibility, and being able to function Independently.

When considering your current level of Authenticity, take a moment to self-assess your own behaviors in these six areas of Emotional Intelligence. Ask yourself:

Emotional Self-Awareness: Do I use my internal and external radar to catch what is going on in the moment: emotions being experienced, triggers that caused emotions in self and others, and can I effectively use that information to respond strategically?
Self-Actualized: Do I find purpose and fulfillment in what I do and am I taking time to understand the mission, vision and values of the organization and translating them in order to establish validity and connectedness for others?
Self-Regard: What is my level of comfort with both my strengths and development areas and being vulnerable? How does my Self-Regard impact my Authenticity as a leader (positively or negatively) today?
Reality Testing: How often do I overcome my bias to ensure I am using an objective lens to see things as they really are rather than how I wish them to be as I form my decisions, behaviors, and responses?
Social Responsibility: How often do I think about the impact of my efforts on others compared to how often I think about the impact on myself? How am I supporting the greater good? Am I a “Servant” Leader?
Independence: Do I know when to dial up my Independence and not bog down resources compared to when I should moderate my Independence, so I do not risk losing collaboration?

Text: Transformational Leadership: AUTHENTICITY | Insight | Innovation | Coaching Answers to the above questions help establish a baseline of how we are doing with our own Authenticity. And, when strategic EI skills are applied often and delivered in a balanced way, we create an environment for credibility, trust, and rapport. Once those three exist, it becomes much easier to get others excited about goals, brings greater confidence to the work, and develops more consistent, positive outcomes in the workplace.

The good news is, no matter where you are with your Authenticity today, we all possess the power to change our approach and transform our skills. Given the recent challenges and the high amount of stress, boosting your skills as a Transformational Leader can make a world of difference for you, your team, and your organization.

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