The referee versus the conductor

The referee is the one who makes the decisions and decides what happens next; the conductor is the one who guides and makes sure that everyone takes their role and place in order to create a beautiful harmony. The image is strong.

Who would you rather follow: the referee or the conductor? The referee is often perceived as authoritarian, not inclined to discuss. When he makes a decision, you have to follow it! The conductor is able to inspire and guide others towards a common goal: harmony!

For me, the answer is simple. The conductor. He is a good example of what a transformational leader is.

How is transformational leadership defined?

One of the things that sets great leaders apart in this world is their ability to inspire others to reach their full potential. Transformational leaders are those who motivate, guide, and inspire people to bring their best selves to work, to be the best version of themselves. If you are looking to become a more effective leader, this type of leadership is definitely worth your time and energy.

Transformational leadership focuses on the individual growth and development of team members. This means that its main goal is to help each person reach their full potential, both professionally and personally. It also has the ability to step away from personal interests in order to be more connected and flexible with his team.

To do this, transformational leaders create an environment where everyone feels supported and encouraged to take risks, learn new things, and grow in their careers. This contrasts with transactional leaders who focus more on the task at hand and less on the individual development of team members.

Benefits of Transformational Leadership

Additionally, research has shown that teams led by transformational leaders are more productive and innovative, partly because these leaders create an open environment where new ideas are welcomed and mistakes are seen as learning opportunities rather than failures. As a result, team members feel comfortable taking risks, which often leads to results that exceed expectations. Their level of psychological safety is high!

Finally, transformational leadership has also been linked to increased business profitability. This makes sense considering that companies that invest in the growth and development of their employees are more likely to retain them long-term, reducing the costs associated with recruiting and training new employees.

5 tips to develop your transformational leadership

• Foster an open environment where everyone feels comfortable sharing ideas, comments and suggestions.

• Encourage risk-taking and give people opportunities to step outside their comfort zones.

• Invest in the professional development of your team members by providing them with resources, mentoring and training opportunities.

• Take an interest in your team members' personal lives and offer them support when needed.

• Be passionate about what you do and let your enthusiasm be contagious!

In short, to do his job, the leader must sometimes be in the transaction but, as you have seen, he has every advantage in exercising strong transformational leadership in order to be able to focus not only on the current task (i.e. short term) but on the whole work (i.e. long term) in order to be able to raise his people and his organization to a higher level. Music to my ears!