THEORY 19

BENNIS AND NANUS’ TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP (TL) THEORY

HOW TO USE IT

• Develop a clear vision for your team. Your vision has to be simple, understandable and worthwhile and unless you are running the organisation it must be aligned with the organisation’s overall aims and objectives.
• Decide if the existing organisational culture (see Section 6) supports or hinders the achievement of your vision. If it impedes it, and your vision is aligned with the organisation’s, then you have every right to replace it with one that reflects the organisation’s vision. Embarking on such a change requires careful planning (see Section 7).
• Create a bond of trust with your staff by making clear your values, views and position and stand by these even when the going gets tough. Such consistency of behaviour will increase the trust that people have in you, which will make changing the organisational culture considerably easier.
• Transformational leaders know their strengths and weaknesses. They display no false modesty or pride; they emphasise their strengths and use others to compensate for their weakness. You must do the same.
• Play to your strengths and surround yourself with good people who are strong in those areas where you are weak. You are not showing weakness if you say ‘I don’t understand’. It’s the idiot who pretends to understand and then reveals their ignorance with every word they say. Much like the chief executive I worked for in the public sector who didn’t know the difference between cash and profit and wouldn’t ask for help.

QUESTIONS TO ASK

• Whose support do I need to bring about cultural and organisational change?
• Who is likely to try and block cultural and organisational change and how do I deal with them?