Exercise: Evaluate Your Transformational Leadership Strengths

By Andrew Vujnovich.
The following competency lists and exercises are adapted by Career Professionals of Canada based on results of the Cracker Barrel Session that took place in May 2006 at the STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS conference. The session was developed and led by Deborah Foster-Stahle, Colin Holbrow, and Andrew Vujnovich. The competency list on this page was developed by Andrew Vujnovich with credit to conference participants; CPC Advisors Sharon Graham, JP Hatala, Colin Holbrow, and Linda Schnabel; and Researchers Kouzes and Posner, Bass and Avolio, et. al.
A Transformational Leader…
Transformational Leadership Competencies can be put into four main categories. As Career Practitioners we all require leadership skills. Transformational Leadership is a way of inspiring and developing people with whom we work. As role models for our clients, we recognize the importance of continuously improving our Transformational Leadership competencies.
Take a few minutes to review the Transformational Leadership competencies listed below. Think about your own level of comfort and expertise with each competency. Put a check mark beside each competency that you consider a strength. Highlight or underline each competency that you feel you would like to strengthen. Once you are done, create a personal action plan outlining your goals. If you need help to achieve your goals, reach out to your colleagues at CPC…we’re here to help you achieve success!
Behaves With Charismatic Inspiration
- Displays high values and ethics and builds a common purpose
- Instills pride, energy, enthusiasm, passion
- Builds respect and respects others
- Displays confidence; models the way
- Envisions future; talks realistically and optimistically
- Behaves courageously, ethically, fairly, authentically
- Acts as a forward looking, motivational visionary
Stimulates Intellectual Creativity
- Communicates clearly; stimulates creative thinking and solution generation
- Teaches, develops, coaches, and leverages others
- Questions process and thinking to expose other ideas and angles
- Asks for options and new ways of looking at situations/problems
- Makes connections/uncovers possibilities
- Gives constructive feedback
- Builds confidentiality and trust
Develops Intellectual and Human Capital
- Demonstrates affirmational client focus
- Self develops and encourages others to do same; inspires potential
- Displays a collaborative, objective, results orientation
- Establishes outcomes and success milestones
- Defines roles and goals and scope of relationship; builds chemistry
- Questions, listens, understands non-judgmentally
- Behaves with masterful, adaptable, professional technique
- Provides appropriate and diverse coaching resources/skills/experience
Recognizes Goodness, Competence and Human Worth
- Gets to know others; identifies and responds to their uniqueness
- Provides individualized consideration and appropriate recognition
- Demonstrates a safe, supportive, and caring approach
- Behaves as a compassionate, empathetic, honest mentor; develops chemistry
- Displays and encourages intelligence with strong technical skill and competence
- Comes with established legitimacy, experience, and reliability
- Knows when and how to say when you don’t know or can’t help
In the fall of 2006, Career Professionals of Canada will be introducing a new series of cost-effective professional development teleclasses focusing on leadership competencies. These classes are designed to enable you to enhance your Transformational Leadership strengths and attain unprecedented success in your career and business!
Thank you so much for sharing this good information!
I am developing a one day workshop on Transformational Leadership for Law Enforcement. My audience will primarily be upper command staff, i.e. Chiefs, Sheriffs, Captains, Lt., etc. Do you have any suggestions for interactive exercises, debates or discussion questions that have yielded good results?