Transformational Leadership

The #1 contributor to project success is strong, visible and effective support of change from upper level management.

Middle managers resist change because of fear of losing control and overload of current tasks and responsibilities.

Set an example
As the top person in your business, others look to you for direction, not only in terms of business needs, but also related to behavior, ethics, and standards. If you want others in your business to change, you must set an example for them to follow.

Transition Leadership
Given the impact that change has on employees, it is clear that managers must learn to proactively manage employees through the many changes that are inherent in most organizations. In geospatial environments, managers and other key stakeholders often focus on technological and process changes that will make their businesses competitive in the 21st century. These issues are important, but the changes ultimately will not be implemented successfully without the cooperation of employees. Only through effective transition leadership are employees able to effectively cope with and accept the changes they are presented with.

1. Gains support from and confidence of others. Change is not accepted and work cannot be done without the buy-in of key stakeholders. For this reason, it is imperative that transition leaders gain the support and confidence of other key employees in the organization.
2. Listens and collaborates effectively. No matter how good a manager is, people will not follow without a sense of ownership in the organization. One of the key ways to secure this ownership and trust in employees is through listening and collaboration.
3. Takes accountability. As with any effective manager, successful transition leaders take accountability for their own work as well as that of the entire organization that he or she manages.
4. Provides constructive feedback to others. Transition leaders also provide constructive feedback to employees and colleagues. This type of feedback enables employees to be more effective in adapting to and accepting change.
5. Builds relationships with customers, peers, and project team members. Effective transition leaders are also successful in building relationships with customers, peers, and project members. This alliance building enables leaders to effectively delegate and gain the buy-in from key resources, which further enables change within the organization.
6. Inspires and motivates. In order to manage change effectively in the organization, transition leaders need to have inspired employees and stakeholders.
7. Communicates openly, early, and often. Since change is such a complex and fearsome idea for most people, it is important for transition leaders to open the flow of communication. This holds true on a day-to-day basis as well (and especially) during times of change.
8. Provides clear direction. In order for the organization to get to where it needs to be, employees and stakeholders have to understand where they are and where the organization is going. With this in mind, transition leaders need to clearly communicate the organization’s vision and goals to stakeholders and clarify individual roles and responsibilities within that context.
9. Models the way for the team. Successful transition leaders do more than just delegate work and build relationships. They also lead by example in order to build credibility and trust.
10. Creates opportunities for small wins. The change involved in large scale and complex IT implementations often appears insurmountable to employees. Therefore, it is important to frequently reward and recognize team members to help boost morale and to keep change initiatives from failing due to a burned-out staff.

These 10 characteristics of a good transition leader ensure that change is implemented successfully and that major obstacles and resistances to change are minimized.

The Roles of Transition Leaders

The first and arguably the most difficult role that a transition leader faces is that of Catalyst. While many organizations are content with the status quo, it is the transition leader’s responsibility to create and communicate the need for change within the business. This involves instilling a sense of urgency and purpose for the change and overcoming organizational inertia. In addition, this role entails acknowledging areas of resistance and addressing them appropriately. Change will not happen successfully if key stakeholders do not realize and understand the need for change, and it is the responsibility of transition leaders to make this need evident.

The second role of a transition leader is that of a System and Process Helper. Once the need for change has been recognized by the organization and change initiatives are created, it is the transition leader’s responsibility to ensure that the organization is assimilated into the process and IT changes that ensue. This involves understanding the process and IT changes, the impact these changes have on jobs and policies, and effectively communicating these changes to the individuals impacted. The tasks performed by the System and Process Helper helps permeate the required change throughout the organization.

The third role that a transition leader plays is that of Solution Giver and Gatherer. This role is needed to identify and resolve issues that may hinder the success of the implemented change. In particular, the Solution Giver and Gatherer will promote the use of an issues resolution mechanism, provide solutions that benefit the entire organization, and assist in the development and implementation of solutions. In addition, an important element is the need for leaders to listen to suggestions and provide feedback and recognition when appropriate. As discussed above, effective transition leaders communicate, provide feedback, and celebrate small wins, which is important to inspiring and motivating project teams.

The final role of a successful transition leader is that of Resource Linker. This role involves the more traditional management like delegating tasks, and most experienced managers are capable in this arena. In short, the Resource Linker brings people and resources together, recognizes resource constraints, leverages skills and resources across site locations, and acts as a communications link between resources. This role is important, but it is the three roles described above that most managers overlook when implementing change initiatives.

Transformational leadership Issues
A typical problem of owners and high level leaders

• To continue to meet the needs of their customers, organizations must evolve through a particular life-cycle change.
• This change is from typically entrepreneurial, seat-of-the-pants growth to well-planned and managed leadership and development.
• However, this development cannot occur without first establishing a stable administrative infrastructure with clear leadership.
• Developing this infrastructure often requires a transformation in the nature of the founder's leadership from that of a highly reactive, individualistic style to a more proactive, consensus-oriented style.
• Many founders cannot make this transition. As a result, the organization remains managed, not in a manner that provides reliable services to customers, but according to the personality of the founder.

Problematic Traits
Owners are dynamic, driven, and decisive. They carry clear vision of what their organization can be. They know their customer's needs and are passionate about meeting those needs. Often these traits are strong assets for getting the new organization off the ground. However, personality traits of owners, entrepreneurs and other high level leaders too often become major liabilities.

For example they can:

• Be highly skeptical about planning, policies, and procedures.
• Believe they've found a new way to get things done.
• Make reactive, crisis-driven decisions with little input from others.
• React to most problems with the lament "if only I had more money."
• Attract Board members and other upper level employees through their dynamic, often charismatic personality -- not through focus on organization's mission.
• Count on whomever seems most loyal and accessible, and motivate by fear and guilt, often without realizing it.
• Hold occasional staff meetings to report crises and rally the troops.
• In the case of nonprofit's, executive directors usually see their Boards mostly as a source for fund-raising, and work to remove Board members who disagrees with them.
• Have a very difficult time letting go of the strategies that worked to quickly grow the organization, despite evidence that the organization can no longer absorb this rapid growth without major changes.

Transformation leadership
Typical Traits of Well-Developed Leaders
Leaders of lasting, well-developed organizations who hold up well under transformation have experienced numerous changes, and managed to develop their organizations and themselves along the way.

Developed transformation leaders:

• Appreciate plans and budgets as guidelines, and realize these ultimately make their organizations more responsive to the needs of their customers.
• Make proactive decisions based on mission and affordability.
• Make staffing decisions based on responsibilities, training, and capabilities.
• Value Board and staff members for their strong expertise and feedback.
• Sustain strong credibility among customers and service providers.

Leadership Development
Basic Principles

• Don't take recurring problems personally
• Be willing to ask for and accept help.
• Communicate often and honestly (this is sometimes difficult for crisis-driven, "heroic" leaders).
• Engage in stress management, especially forms not related to their jobs.
• Exercise patience with themselves, their Boards, and staff.
• Take time to reflect and learn, particularly about their value in service to others.

Transformation Action Steps for Leaders
The major actions below are intended to help the organization become more stable and proactive.

1. Accept a mentor outside the organization and an advocate within. Founder's syndrome comes from doing what's natural for you. Changing your leadership approach may be rather unnatural. Seek and accept help.
   
2. Ensure a customer-driven organization. Always focus on customers. Regularly ask customers what they need and how the organization can meet their needs. Establish straightforward and realistic means to evaluate services. Start with basic questionnaires to gather customers' impressions. Interview some customers to get their "story".
   
3. Set direction through planning. Support the Board to carry out strategic planning. Ensure staff input as well. Conduct regular staff meetings to hear staff input. Cultivate strong finance (and in the case of non profits, fund-raising committees), and help them to fully understand the organization's finances and fund raising plans.
   
4. Organize resources to meet goals. Develop job descriptions with staff input to ensure mutual understanding of responsibilities. Develop staff-driven procedures for routine, but critical tasks.
   
5. Motivate leadership and staff to meet goals. Delegate to staff members by helping them understand the purpose of tasks. Get their input as to how the tasks can be completed. Give them the authority to complete the tasks. In regular staff meetings, celebrate successes! Bring in customers to tell staff how the organization helped meet their needs. Conduct regular performance reviews with staff to ensure organizational and staff needs are being met. In regular staff meetings, share status information and conduct day-to-day planning.
   
6. Guide resources to meet goals. Share management challenges with the Board and ask for policies to guide management. Work from the strategic plan and develop an associated budget to earmark funds.
   
7. Think transition! Help the Board to regularly undertake contingency planning, including thinking about what the organization will do if/when you're gone. Have the Board pretend that, for some unknown reason, you were suddenly gone. What would they do? How?

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