Article published in Leadership Excellence, February 2009

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Biography
February TOC
Cynthia and Bill Adams are partners with
Maxcomm. Visit www.Maxcomm.com or
email cindy.adams@maxcomminc.com or
Transformation william.adams@maxcomminc.com.
BILL ADAMS & CYNTHIA ADAMS
Application Tools
Leadership Guide: Outlines the best
Doing something differently is a natural ways to use this program to help develop
response to the changing world. Becoming personal and professional leadership.
something different changes the world by transforming what is within
Excellence-in-Action Guide: Capture an
us.
article's main idea, or ideas, and apply
these ideas and insights to your life and
work.
CHANGE / TRANSFORMATION
Article Worksheet: Read an article to find
In analyzing the last presidential campaign, pundits, linguists and bloggers dissected insights that apply directly to you and your
political speeches by creating cloud tags to visualize the content of speeches and team and set personal and team goals.
quickly identify frequently-used words. Strategists clearly honed in on two words that
struck a chord with the American electorate: “change” and “transform.” Personal Excellence Plan: Create a
personal vision and mission, identify
priorities, and set SMART goals in those
In terms of leadership, these two words are not necessarily interchangeable.
areas of life that matter most to you.
Circumstances can be rapidly and dramatically altered, as recent events have
illustrated. While change can often be accomplished by doing something differently or
Monthly Goalsheet: Set monthly SMART
by doing different things, transformation requires seeing things differently as well. A shift
goals for your company in the seven
of this magnitude requires that effective leaders be agile enough to think beyond the
dimensions of leadership excellence.
solutions often provided by transactional behaviors and move toward transformational
behaviors.
Performance Team Sheet: Read an
article to identify ideas that apply directly
Transactional leadership is rational, based on principles of exchange and to your team and set goals with the
expectation: you do this for me, and in turn, if satisfied, I will do this for you. corporate mission, vision, and values in
Transactional leadership sets goals, determines rewards, and evaluates and assesses mind.
performance. This leadership is oriented from the outside in; operates from a position of
power; and responds reactively to situations. It does not tap into the need employees
Action Items
have to find meaning in their work. And leaders who operate using only transactional
behaviors risk modifying their style of leadership and falling into patterns to meet the Excellence in Action: Help people see
needs and perceived expectations of their followers. how their work matters.
Transactional leadership comes from a place that is familiar and comfortable. Yet
effective leadership skills are seldom surfaced by making obvious choices, looking
backwards, or falling back on conventional wisdom. When challenges require making
large changes in a compressed timeframe, transactional leadership often results in only incremental improvements gained from isolated
changes.
Transformational leadership creates a shift in the way people think, see, and connect to their environment. It is oriented from the
inside out, deriving authority not from title but from mutual trust and respect. It recognizes the value of others, engages everyone, and
seeks to recognize and develop untapped potential. It challenges, inspires, and declares that everything is open to consideration—nothing
is off the table. Transformational leaders respond adaptively to situations and see risk-taking as a necessity, and opportunity for
innovation and problem-solving. Such leadership is inclusive; it articulates a shared vision for the future and encourages those involved to
feel that they’re a part of something bigger, and to have a hand in defining what “bigger” will mean.
Transformational leaders harness people’s desire for a better future and channel that desire into active engagement, commitment, and
participation. They exhibit courageous authenticity, are purposeful and visionary, have a strategic focus, achieve results, display
interpersonal intelligence, foster team play, aim for sustainable productivity, and are systems thinkers. They also recognize the role their
personal transformation plays. They become more self-aware and systems-aware in order to direct, engage, and focus people. They
explore how their beliefs and values shaped the old culture and choose what shifts they’ll make in support of the new culture. They
acknowledge that engagement and commitment to change won’t take hold among stakeholders if leadership resides only in the hands of
a few people at the top. They believe that leaders and followers can raise each other to higher motivation and morality. Beyond sharing a
vision for change, they develop the role of leadership throughout the organization, creating an expanded group of leaders.

2. We admire transformational leaders because in the face of impossible odds, complex environments and unimagined situations, they see
and convey a new vision. They inspire us with dreams, challenge us by defining our roles and responsibilities, and engage us by making
us believe that we are an integral and vital part of a solution that will lead to something greater. Doing something differently is a natural
response to the changing world. Becoming something different changes the world by transforming what is within us. LE
February 2009