DEVELOPING LEADERSHIP TRANSFORMATIONAL CAPABILITIES
GUIDE
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What is the difference between mediocre and strong leaders?
Outstanding leaders, even in moderately challenging environments, perform 225% better than their “average” peers. This difference is achieved through the transformational capabilities you’ll learn about in this guide.
The guide is based on data from the HARTHILL article, and consists of theory and practice worth paying special attention to.
There is a connection between a person’s deep meaning-making and their capabilities, which can be developed through practices.
Every capability that transforms a leader is accompanied by regular practices. Their main objective is to connect the “invisible” part of thinking with visible strategies and behaviors. By practicing, you expand your abilities and meaning-making skills.
With the expansion of practices come new, enhanced capabilities.
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“Only 5% of leaders working in large organizations are at the level that allows them to best handle complex challenges”
(Harthill Leadership Development Framework)
By creating conditions for leaders to continue developing their awareness and skills through the development of transformational capabilities, the organization will inevitably increase the number of strong leaders who are capable to address complex tasks at a new, high, level.
6 key transformational Сapacities (hereafter referred to as TCs):
Inquiry based experimentation
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A core trait of TC is the tireless exploration of self, others, and systems.
With this ability, leaders must become masters at creating clever experiments and discovering new paths to success.
By weaving action and exploration together, one improves outcomes
Practices to develop this capability:
Self-reflection questions:
Courageous use of power
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Leadership is the exercise of power; formal and informal, institutional and personal. Power can be used for personal benefit or to benefit the whole.
It can be used kindly or harshly. Courage is often needed to push forward with what is new and creative. Courage is often needed to resist what is mis- judged or
unethical.
This capability requires leaders to exercise power courageously and with consciously positive intent.
Practices to develop this capability:
Self-reflection questions:
Positive use of language
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Speaking is the primary tool of leadership.
Speaking with skill means structuring one’s speech with the intent of enabling collaborative dialogue and the generation of optimal solutions.
Proficiency in this capacity implies that leaders will express themselves positively, emphasizing what:
– is working
– has value
– may become possible, even in challenging circumstances
Practices to develop this capability:
Self-reflection questions:
Passionate detachment
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This is a paradoxical expression of both passion and detachment.
Leaders need to be passionate – they must be passionately connected to what is important and to convey this to others. They also need to be able to stand back
and detach themselves, particularly from their own ego. Leaders lose the hearts and minds of followers if it is “all about me” and forcing compliance to “my way”.
Being detached is not the same as not caring, it is about generating objectivity in which good judgment thrives.
Practices to develop this capability:
Self-reflection questions:
Exercising systems leadership
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This requires that leaders seek to influence the systems in which they work. Leaders recognise that the organisations in which they operate are multi-layered
political, social and economic systems. They act to bring about positive change.
Strategic leaders look for the leverage and ‘nudge points’ in the system in order to create movement. They operate between the levels of vision, strategies and actions – moving fluidly between the everyday details and the big picture.
Leaders accept personal responsibility to create change through formal and informal channels. They seek the simplest route through, but no simpler than is
needed, accepting the reality of complexity.
Practices to develop this capability:
Self-reflection questions:
Enabling differences
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The ability to see current issues, complexities, and opportunities from different perspectives enables success precisely because differences are acknowledged and
positively integrated. Leaders need to learn to recognize their habitual behavior styles and biases, consciously seeking how this limits effectiveness and the inclusion of differences.
In their development, leaders create space for people with different viewpoints.
Practices to develop this capability:
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