The Transformational Leader

Most people, leaders included, listen to people in order to reach a conclusion rather than out of curiosity. This may seem like a harmless thing but it can actually have a significant impact on one's leadership. For starters, leaders who are listening for a conclusion already have an agenda in mind. That being said, it becomes impossible for them to be genuinely curious about why people are showin...

While two totally different things, many people often think leadership and management are one and the same. While it's easy to mistake one for the other, leaders should be able to distinguish which of the two they are currently practicing. Otherwise, they will surely encounter problems along the way. In today's episode, I discussed the distinction between the two, the importance of knowing what yo...

Transformational leadership involves expanding and increasing one's capability to be with whatever is showing up. However, this is often hindered by one's tendency to stop doing something as soon as it is brought to their attention. While not everyone can see it as it actually is, the desire to "stop doing it" is one of the early roadblocks to growth. What impact will this have on your leadership?...

Transformational leadership is about creating a result that exists beyond the realm of the current paradigm. That being said, if you want to achieve something outside of the current paradigm, doing what you are currently doing, better, just won't cut it—it won't create the breakthrough you are looking for. At the very least, all it does is create the results you are hoping to get. However, it will...

Talking about leadership versus developing leadership is synonymous to mastering information versus mastering being. Make no mistake about it, talking about leadership and learning all there is to know about it won't make you a leader. True leadership can only be developed in the actual practice of leadership. However, leaders focusing on mastering information as opposed to mastering being is a co...

In today's show, I'll be discussing some of leadership's best practices. These practices are simple approaches you can use to deepen your leadership and help develop the leadership of those around you at the same time. Make no mistake about it though, many of these practices can seem obvious, simple, and no brainers. However, you'd be surprised how often they've been overlooked. As a result, leade...

While assessment tools give leaders the opportunity to get an insight into how they (and others) are, how they operate, their default tendencies, and what might be getting in their leaderships, it also has major downsides. For starters, they can also provide bottlenecks and clogs when you as a leader is not actively doing your own work. Also, while it can help conveniently categorise people, asses...

Feedback is an integral part of being a leader. While providing and receiving feedback can seem straightforward, there is actually more to it than meets the eye. Why? People have different relationships to feedback. And that relationship they provide and receive feedback. This can be extra challenging if you're a leader since you have to be aware of your relationship with feedback. Otherwise, you...

For the most part, developing transformational leadership will require going against human tendency. If you're a leader, it is crucial that you are able to point out patterns in yourself and in others that prevent you from moving forward. The challenging thing however is there will always be this trap of the specific. In a nutshell, it is your tendency to defend and justify your actions. So what d...

When something is not working, the human tendency is to do the opposite. This tendency is present in even the most powerful of leaders. However, when you as a leader fail to recognise this tendency in yourself, you won't be able to get the help you need so you can see beyond what is in front of you. In addition, you can offer solutions that seem to work but in reality, won't really accomplish the...

You might not be aware of it but what you might believe as the "right answer," is nothing more than a product of your beliefs. When you're a leader working on shifting ground, providing the "right answers" based on what you currently know can become a trap that can keep you stuck. If you examine it closely, being right is actually nothing more than your resistance to things you don't really know....

Every leader has a strong suit, something they're reliable for, the very first thing they reach out for whenever they encounter challenges. While relying primarily on your strong suit can bring about the results you are looking for, it won't create exponential results. Why? For starters, you won't be able to expand your range as a leader. Also, while your strong suit allows you to stay efficient,...

In leadership that truly transforms, things are not always what they seem. For instance, you can have a leader that seems to be on top of everything but is actually hiding. Make no mistake about it, some leaders hide in plain sight. While they get things done, they are actually stuck and playing it safe. In the process, they are not doing their leadership or the people the are leading any favours....

Many leaders may not realise it but they have something in common that they struggle with—being where they are. Unfortunately, it does not help that so much of the current world is designed to move them away from where they are including developmental, leadership, and transformational work. So what happens when leaders have this resistance to be where they are? How will it affect their team and th...

Transforming one's life can be challenging for many, even powerful leaders. While people have different reasons for their inability to change their lives successfully, not many are aware of the root cause of said inability—they can't see and take on their blindspots on their own. Understandably, this is something not everyone is going to agree with, which is why I'm inviting you to join me. This i...

At first glance, leadership and coaching can appear one and the same. However, nothing can be farther from the truth. In fact, leaders who use coaching techniques can run into problems because coaching and leadership are two different things. For starters, coaching is totally client driven while leadership entails supporting a colleague or client to take on a task within the context of the declare...

Many high performing leaders have the tendency to operate with a scarcity of time. While this type of mentality can get a lot of things done, it can also be an indirect way of avoiding failure. Keep in mind that transformational leadership happens at the edge of failure. That means each time you resist failure, you are also resisting the opportunity to grow and develop your full potential as a lea...

While it might not be obvious to many but the way people relate to themselves can have a significant impact on their leadership. For instance, if you consider yourself fragile/precious, looking after your well-being might get in the way of what you're supposed to do as a leader. So why is this challenging? Why is it important that you notice these things in yourself? If you are oblivious to these...

As a leader, you are either having people be attracted to you or you're enrolling them in something. The former will create fast yet short-term results while the latter will create long-term and lasting transformational results. In addition, while attraction feels good and appeals to your ego, it's actually enrolment that really causes people to want to travel forward with you. So how do you make...

Regardless of who you are or what you do in life, people will always have a listening for you. And since this listening is always present, it can be challenging for you as a leader as whatever it is that you say can be filtered through this listening. While you always have the option to not care about the listening, it will also leave you powerless to do anything and that's not what powerful leade...

While undeniably exhausting, there is no denying standing for people is part of any powerful and transformational leadership. The sad thing however is not everyone is aware what standing for people truly means, let alone the costs of doing so. So when do you know you have stand fatigue? Why is it a challenge for many? Why is it important that you as a leader are aware of the different ways it mani...

People, including powerful leaders either make empowered choices or disempowered ones. Obviously, the former brings them power, makes them feel like they are in alignment with what they want, and that they are living a life by design. The latter on the other hand will leave them feeling victimised, frustrated, resentful, sad, and angry. Unfortunately, people have the tendency to reach for the vict...

As people step more deeply into their roles as leaders, they also fall victim to the tendency of losing their humanity. They believe it's not right for them to judge, regardless if it's others or themselves. While this may seem like the right thing to do, the refusal to judge also comes with some major downsides. For starters, if you refuse to judge yourself or at least notice the judgements, you...

Part of a leader's job is to be impeccable. Unfortunately, even some of the most brilliant leaders equate impeccability to perfection. And nothing can be further from the truth. On the contrary, impeccability does not mean you are perfect. In essence, it means you are responsible for your edges, you recognise them when they show up, and you address them accordingly. Of course, this is all better s...

One of the most challenging things brilliant leaders face is owning their impact without making themselves wrong. Unfortunately, since many people have been raised to apologise and acknowledge their impact from a place where they make themselves wrong, this type of approach can also manifest in their leadership. However, an approach like this will not only affect relationships significantly, it ca...