10 Characteristics of

Transformational Leaders
Posted March 13, 2012 by Bill Hogg
This is the second in our series of articles that looks at leadership capacity and its impact on
organizational growth. The full series will be available for download as a white paper once it is
completed.
In our last article, we discussed how leadership impacts your organizations ability to grow. Now
lets discuss some of the characteristics that leaders need to impact the growth of their
organization.
There are certain core characteristics the majority of leaders possess. However, there are also an
additional set of characteristics that define transformational leaders -- leaders that have the
ability to make an impact on organizational growth.
It is an organizations ability to develop this next level of leadership capabilities through training
programs, mentoring, and skill development programs that put organizations in the enviable
position to grow year over year without experiencing dips in performance.
Core leadership characteristics
There are certain leadership characteristics that, while important, do not inspire organizational
change and growth that help companies develop into innovative, consistent industry leaders.
Examples of these core leadership characteristics include:

Good judgment

Communication skills

Competence or knowledge

Interpersonal skills

Confidence

We hear about these leadership characteristics all the time and in many different contexts. While
they are very important for leaders to have, there is another level of leadership characteristics
that are must haves for transformational leaders. These are the leadership characteristics that
make an impact and spur growth.
Transformational Leadership characteristics that impact organizational growth

In order to put your organization in a position to grow effectively and on a consistent basis,
leaders with the following characteristics not only make them an effective leader -- but also a
transformational leader:
1.

Internal motivation and self-management: Transformational leaders find motivation

from within and use that as the driving force to effectively manage the direction of the
company. The best natural form of motivation is to love what you do and ensure that your
values are aligned with the organization you work with.

2.

The ability to make difficult decisions: Difficult decisions are a part of being a leader.
Transformational leaders do not back away or put off tough decisions. Difficult decisions are
made easier when decisions align with clearly defined vision, values, goals, and objectives.

3.

Check their ego: When placed in a position of power, it is easy to let your ego get the
best of you. However, transformational leaders keep their ego in check and do not let it get in
the way of doing what is best for business. The benefit of checking your ego ensures you put
the company first over personal gain and encourages the best input from others within the
organization -- because when the company succeeds, you as a leader also succeed.

4.

Willing to take the right risks: Anyone can take a risk. Transformational leaders take
calculated risks that more often than not result in positive outcomes. Trusting your instinct, as
well as your team to gather the necessary intelligence is important. Trusting your gut is easier
when you have taken the time to research, evaluate and inform your decisions with input
from those around you. Failure to take the appropriate risks and make these difficult
decisions will inhibit change and your ability to grow.

5.

Organizational consciousness: Transformational leaders share the collective conscious

of their organization. They understand what actions to take to evoke change, spur innovation,
and make decisions that will create growth. Since their own values are aligned with the
organization they share a joint purpose with the organization and do not just view their
position in the company as just a job.

6.

Adaptability: Transformational leaders are willing to adapt and are always seeking new
ways to respond to a constantly changing business environment. They know that the second
they stand still is when they will be passed by their competitors; which means they are openminded to change and lifelong learners.

7.

Willing to listen and entertain new ideas: It is a rare individual who can build an
empire. Transformational leaders understand that success is a team effort and growth is
derived from the willingness to be open and listen to ideas from all levels of their
organization. Transformational leaders create intentional ways to listen to their team and
incorporate their insights.

8.

Inspirational: People want to be inspired. Transformational leaders have the ability to

make those around rise to the occasion. Inspiration comes not just from a formal motivational

speech or simple recognition for a job well done, but by treating people as individuals and
taking the time to understand what motivates and inspires their team.
9.

Proactive: Transformational leaders are proactive decision makers. They do not wait
around for others to make decisions and then react. They are willing to take risks, try new
things and take an innovative approach to growing the organization. However, they also
understand how to manage risk and make decisions that are backed by research, multiple
insights and are well thought out.

10.

Visionary: Being a visionary is about setting a realistic and concise company mission,
vision, and values that fit the culture of your organization. Transformational leaders have the
ability not only to effectively communicate the vision, but also get every person to buy in and
work toward that vision by communicating with passion and clearly emphasizing the
direction they want the company to pursue.

What is leadership? Leadership is getting other people to follow you towards a common goal, bringing out the best in the
people around you, and helping people find a greater meaning in the everyday tasks they are asked to perform. A person
who possesses the ability to lead is a great asset to any organization, group, or department.
61

Overall results

You appear to possess many of the qualities of a great leader. Whether you've worked hard to develop your leadership
qualities or you're one of the lucky few who to be born that way, you are in a good position to lead a group towards
success! Leadership abilities are in high demand...and you've got what it takes. Your score indicates that you are quite
capable and know how to handle groups of people with finesse. As you surely realize, leadership comes with a wide range
of responsibilities and pressures. While it may be a lot of weight to carry on your shoulders, you appear to be wellequipped to deal with it.
What is leadership? Leadership is getting other people to follow you towards a common goal, bringing out the best in the
people around you, and helping people find a greater meaning in the everyday tasks they are asked to perform. A person
who possesses the ability to lead is a great asset to any organization, group, or department.
Research has revealed that effective leaders possess a specific personality profile. In essence, people who emerge as
natural leaders set clear guidelines for behavior, reward good performance, provide feedback, and take a management
role in assigning tasks to others. They also possess, among other things, high emotional stability, good motivational and
mentoring skills, a strong vision for success, and can share this vision in a way that inspires others. Unfortunately, those
whose personalities differ greatly from this ideal will likely feel unnatural leading others, and may end up struggling
should they find themselves in such a position.
To be an effective leader takes hard work. Those who have the desire and the determination to sharpen their wits, hone
their skills, and accentuate their virtues can pull away and deftly lead others to success.

61

Overall results
Micromanagement

45

55
Long-term Planning
74
Communicating Vision
64
Emotional Control
55
Motivating

Overall results (score 61)

You appear to possess many of the qualities of a great leader. Whether you've worked hard to develop your leadership

Overall leadership aptitude.

qualities or you're one of the lucky few who to be born that way, you are in a good position to lead a group towards
success! Leadership abilities are in high demand...and you've got what it takes. Your score indicates that you are quite
capable and know how to handle groups of people with finesse. As you surely realize, leadership comes with a wide range
of responsibilities and pressures. While it may be a lot of weight to carry on your shoulders, you appear to be wellequipped to deal with it.

Micromanagement (score 45)

Your responses seem to indicate that you while you are a relatively flexible manager, you do have a slight tendency

Assesses whether a person

tends to control everything
employees do.

toward micromanagement. Overall, you are generally willing to provide employees with some autonomy, but you have
your limits. You are not always comfortable delegating tasks to others, and likely have a little difficulty place your
complete trust in your employees competence. This attitude can sometimes make it hard to foster a strong sense of
empowerment and pride in those you lead. Individuals who have a tendency towards micromanagement prefer to run a
tight ship... to an excessive degree. They believe that in order for their company to be successful, they must control
everything that goes on in it. As a result, they are often reluctant to delegate and to trust their employees, ending up
overwhelmed with work. Their lack of trust toward their employees skills, combined with their overly controlling
behavior, can significantly undermine employee morale and commitment.

Long-term Planning (score 55)

Assesses whether a person has

the ability to plan the future of
a company.

To effectively guide others and a company to success, a leader must not only develop a solid vision and plan of action,
but it is also necessary that he or she set appropriate goals in order to attain these future objectives. You are likely aware
of the need to plan for the long-term, but may not take all the necessary steps required to accomplish this. Without a
concrete long-term plan and the goals needed to bring it to fruition, the success of your company and the group that you
lead will be a struggle. Remember that people need to know, with absolute clarity, where the company is headed and
what goals they should be aiming for in order to feel truly motivated by what they are doing.

Communicating Vision (score 74)

Assesses the ability to share

the overall vision of a company
and to be able to convince
others of this vision.

According to your answers, you are likely able to envision a clear direction for your company and communicate your plans
in a way that excites others. This is an essential skill, because employees will be much more willing to achieve a goal if
they are passionate about it. Remember that the manner in which you communicate your vision is essential. For instance,
if you present your ideas to others in a confident manner, they will likely go over more easily. People who excel in this
area are innovative visionaries who are confident in their ability to persuade and convince others. They consider it
essential to make those they lead aware of, as well as part of, their vision.

Emotional Control (score 64)

Assesses the ability to master

one's emotions even during
times of stress and frustration.

Your results indicate that your emotional control is fairly good, although there is still a little room for improvement.
Overall, you dont seem to have too much difficulty monitoring and regulating your emotional responses and behavior,
which will prove to be a useful skill when dealing with the pressure that comes along with many leadership positions.
Both your relationship with your employees and the atmosphere you contribute to create will benefit from your poised
and generally calm demeanor.

Motivating (score 55)

Your responses indicate that you would likely be a good motivator, but need to develop your knowledge and skills further

Assesses the ability to bring

out the best in others.

in order to really help your employees reach their full potential. Good leaders and motivators know how to draw out
peoples strengths. They actively seek out and value their employees input, find different ways to motivate and inspire
them, and make it a point to reward their hard work. In addition, they are well aware that in order to bring out the best
in others, they themselves must be the ones to set the right example. If you put an effort into improving your mentorship
skills, those you lead will most certainly benefit. There are abundant resources available online on how to coach
employees and help them attain success.
The following is a summarized version of your results, categorized as Strengths, Potential Strengths, and Limitations.

Strengths

You have good leadership potential

You are capable of communicating your vision for success
You have good emotional control

Potential Strengths

You have a slight tendency toward micromanagement

You are somewhat skillful at planning the long-term success of a company
You possesses some of the skills and traits needed to be an effective motivator to those you lead
Limitations

No limitations detected

Closest Personality Types

In Jung's version of the theory, personality types are not used as classifications. Rather
than being boxes to put you in, they are "points for orientation" 1 or stereotypes2 that
can help you understand your unique personality. This is like using landmarks on a map
to help you find your unique location.
Your personality may be close to one type, though in Jung's experience most people are
between two or more types.3 Your MMDI results suggest that your closest type is
probably ENFJ and second closest is ENFP.

ISTJ
39%

ISTP
31%

ESTP
40%

ESTJ
44%

ISFJ
54%

INFJ
76%

ISFP
60%

INFP
71%

ESFP
54%

ENFP
77%

ENTP
62%

ESFJ
73%

ENFJ
84%

ENTJ

INTJ
61%
INTP
42%

56%

Compare

If your closest personality type is ENFJ then you are someone who seeks to develop and
promote personal growth in your friends, family or colleagues. You sometimes have a
sense of their potential which may extend beyond how they see themselves. You also
seek to develop the potential within relationships or the team. However, you don't push
so hard that it creates conflict, because keeping the harmony in your relationships is
also important.
If your closest personality type is ENFP then you are someone who senses the hidden
potential in people. You enjoy starting discussion or activities that challenge and
stimulate others into having new insights about themselves, which they can then take
and apply to their own personal growth. You are enthusiastic about new projects or
causes that offer the potential for a beneficial impact on people, especially when it
involves breaking new ground.

Balance Of Preferences

Your MMDI scores for the balance of preferences, and the meaning of the letters in the
personality type code, are shown below.
All these psychological mechanisms are present in your personality - and they interact
on a daily basis. Jung compared these opposites to a beating heart, likening them to
"diastole and systole [which] in their harmonious alternation... give life a rhythm" 1.

Extraversion vs Introversion
Directing energy towards the outer world of people and things (E)
or the inner world of ideas and information (I)
|
45% I
E 55%

Your results suggest you prefer to use more extraversion, which involves directing your
energy into interacting with people and things. When you are extraverting, you tend to
take action, suggest ideas as they occur to you, and you may have a broad range of
interests. However, there will be times when you use introversion, which involves
directing your energy towards ideas and information. When you are introverting, you
will tend to concentrate on a few issues quite deeply, and think things through before
making suggestions or taking action.

Sensation vs Intuition
Dealing with facts and tangible outcomes (S)
or possibilities and potential (N)
|
64% N
S 36%

Your preference for intuition means that you prefer to deal more with possibilities,
hidden potential, new ways of doing things, or what is not yet known. You also use
sensing, though to a lesser degree. It involves dealing with reality, with facts, tangible
outcomes, and specific information.

Thinking vs Feeling
Deciding on the basis of objective logic (T)
or subjective values (F)
|
69% F
T 31%

Your preference for Feeling means you use subjective values, taking a more personal,
subjective view as a participant, and tending to appreciate the important things in life.
You also using Thinking, but to a lesser degree. Thinking involves using objective
principles, taking a detached, objective view as an onlooker, and tending to analyse or
see inconsistencies.

Judgement vs Perception
Organising and structuring life around you (J)
or being flexible and going with the flow (P)
|
47% P
J 53%

Your results suggest you like a balance between the

two - using some Judgement, which structures and
controls life, makes decisions and sticks to them,
and some perception, which goes with the flow, and
is more flexible and spontaneous.

Your Leadership Style Assessment Results

You took the test, now what?

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Your assessment results show that you have the

characteristics of these types of leaders:

past issue

Ambassador your score is 19 points out of 25

Advocate your score is 20 out of 25
People Mover your score is 22 out of 25

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Take the test again.

 Truth-Seeker your score 15 out of 25

Creative builder your score is 18 out of 25
Experienced guide your score is 21 out of 25
See the sections below for more detail on your natural roles and some suggestions for next steps.

Ambassador
Ambassadors instinctively know how to handle a variety of situations with grace. They tend to be the
people diffusing nasty situations. The ones getting involved in conflicts on behalf of broad
constituencies, as opposed for their own benefit. They are apt to be persistent in a gentle way -- to be
persuasive and at the same time respectful.
An Ambassador, for example, might be someone who can introduce a whole host of peopleassessment and development frameworks with the result that employees understand and accept the
new order easily.

Advocate
Advocates instinctively act as the spokesperson in a group. They tend to be articulate, rational, logical,
and persuasive. They also tend to be relentless (in the positive sense of the word), championing ideas
or strategic positions. Advocates tend to use both linear and non-linear approaches when they argue a
point.
Top managers who are natural Ambassadors may do very well at navigating through rough waters. But
for Advocates, being in rough waters is part of the reason they revel in their work. (Many Advocates
tend to see things in black and white only. Advocates very often need Ambassadors on their senior
management teams -- to help them temper their messages and persuade employees to buy into
their decisions.)

People Mover
Think: Talent-spotter, career-builder, motivator, someone with parental, nurturing qualities. People
Movers instinctively take the lead in building teams. Theyre also instinctive mentors. They generally
have large contact lists; they are always introducing new people to new ideas and new paths. Theyre
also generally mindful of their employees lives outside of work; they view performance through the
larger lens of potential.
There is a certain holiday card joy that comes with being a People Mover; when people continue to
update you on their progress because they know youll care, even if you have nothing in common with
them and are effectively out of touch with them, you know youre a People Mover.

Truth-Seeker
Think: fairness, good judgment, equalizer, level-headed, process-oriented, scrupulous neutrality,
objectivity is the high standard. This is the only role for which there is a prerequisite; Truth-Seekers
are unfailingly competent in their field; their competence is unquestioned.
Truth-Seekers instinctively level the playing field for those in need. They also help people understand
new rules and policies. They act to preserve the integrity of processes. They try to identify the rootcause issues, or pivotal issues. They also step in to ensure the just and fair outcome if the process has

failed to yield the same.

Successful individuals in the Human Resources function are generally natural Truth-Seekers. TruthSeekers also tend to gravitate towards line-manager positions.

Creative Builder
These individuals are visionaries and entrepreneurs they are happiest and most driven at the start of
things. They instinctively: see new opportunities for new products, new companies; spot niche
markets; take ideas and make them real. Theyre also often serial entrepreneurs over time, even if
they remain in one leadership post.
Creative Builders instinctively understand that building is not necessarily about invention, but about
process of making an invention real. Builders are constantly energized by new ideas, yet they have the
staying power to see them through to fruition.
The issue is rarely simply the idea; builders arent Hey Dave, whats your latest scheme? people.
Builders are fascinated with implementation. Real estate developers are often builders in this way
(beyond the obvious connection); they feel most rewarded when a project gets underway, or is newly
completed.
Builders sometimes get into trouble if they remain in one place for too long. There are case studies,
too numerous to mention, of entrepreneurs whose legacies are negative because they became
enmeshed in the day-to-day operations of the companies they created, and didnt know when it was
time to leave. Builders can successfully remain in a single leadership position only if they figure out
how to feed their own need for new projects.
Heres an equation to try on yourself if you identify with the role of builder:
Strength of belief in end result + Ability to tolerate the process = Creative Builder

Experienced Guide
The term Experienced Guide conjures up an image of someone very old and wrinkled, with the
experience that comes with age. Thats not incorrect, but Experienced Guides dont have to be old, or
necessarily experienced. What they do have to have is an ability to listen, and to put themselves in
others shoes. They have a way of helping people think through their own problems; they are natural
therapists. Often, they are seemingly bottomless wells of information on a diverse range of topics.
These are the people who can always be counted on to supply the right quotation or the right
historical connection.
They are not necessarily mediators, yet the experienced guide is often the person who finds him or
herself in the middle, with people on both sides of a conflict seeking advice. When a corporate
meeting has been particularly stressful or fraught with conflict, the post-meeting, closed-door
meeting often takes place in the Wise Ones office.
Remember the family lawyer of old? The person, outside of the family, who knew (and kept) all the
family secrets, and was often sought for advice? The experienced guide role naturally lends itself
today to the position of minister, counselor, trusted advisor.

Renato Tagiuri, emeritus professor at the Harvard Business School, noted that natural experienced
guides are often found one level down from the top in organizations. They get their greatest
satisfaction helping others get through the day and helping others see the bigger picture. They
empathize.

Your Next Steps

Your natural role will give you a broad indication of the types of legacies you are building as a leader.
With that natural (or "default") role in mind, ask yourself: In what way is my leadership affecting the
people who work with and for me? How do I affect the way they work, the way they think, the way
they approach a task at work? How does my natural style affect their style?
Try asking these questions in a "broad strokes" kind of way, and then go back and ask them again,
with particular situations in mind. Last week's round of performance reviews, for instance, or the most
recent staff meeting. How does the way in which you approach things change or steer the way in
which others behave? What might you try to accentuate, by a degree or two, to help you build the
kind of leadership legacy you would like to? What might you delegate a bit more, or seek other's input
(again by a degree or two)?
An enhanced understanding of your own natural orientation at work can help you calibrate your
leadership, and the dynamics of your organization, more effectively.