All good businesses are personal. The best businesses are very personal.
–Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks
Lately we’ve had a theme around relationships. That’s because without relationship building, we as leaders would not obtain desired results, we wouldn’t have effective and productive teams, and the morale, commitment, and dedication of the team members would be diminished.
Dr. Greg Halpern says: Transformational leadership is about implementing new ideas, continual change to maintain relevance, staying flexible and adaptable, and continually improving relationships with those around them.
He also feels that transformational leaders build relationships by applying or possessing the following behaviors and traits:
- Charisma
- Inspirational motivation
- Intellectual stimulation
- Individual consideration
- High morals
- Trustworthiness
- Creates an actionable vision
- Treats everyone as individuals
- Coaches, mentors, and provides growth opportunities
- Creates a culture of self-fulfillment and self-worth
- Provides constant and candid communication
Dr. Terry Jackson adds to this list in his 7 Principles For Developing Quality Relationships where he defines what in his opinion constitutes quality relationships:
- Acceptance
- Respect
- Understanding
- Transparency
- Non-judgment
- Empowerment
- Trust
This is quite a list and one that even a seasoned leader will need to review in depth to assess up-skill needs.
We suggest you rate each one on a scale of 1 – 5 to help narrow down areas for development. You can even ask your peers and direct reports to rate you and compare how aligned you are.
The results may prove interesting!
Manipulative Leaders-Create Distrust and selfishness
Transactional Leaders-Create Mediocrity and complacency
Motivational Leaders-Create Positivity and Action
Influential Leaders-Create Growth and Empowerment
Servant-Leaders-Create Authenticity and Explosive Growth
Transformational Leaders-Create Change and Leave Legacies
― Farshad Asl