Country in urgent need of leaders to inspire followers
Change in leadership models is long overdue for Kenya to achieve its development goals under Vision 2030 despite the new Constitution and few existing visionary leaders in organisations. File
In my last article I led up to the theme for this one: transformative leadership. The term was first coined by JV Downton, in his 1973 book Rebel Leadership: Commitment and Charisma in a Revolutionary Process. Then James MacGregor Burns introduced it in his study of political leadership, Leadership (1978), where he described a process by which “leaders and followers raise one another to higher levels of morality and motivation”. Transformational leaders, he said, go beyond the achievement of short-term goals to focus also on satisfying higher needs.
Burns was influenced by Abraham Maslow’s ‘hierarchy of needs’ model. This showed that once a person’s basic needs are met, such as for security, food and shelter, they start craving “higher order” ones like self-esteem and self-actualisation. These call for a very different style of leadership, one that inspires people to pursue a meaningful vision. Burns saw that such inspirational leaders not only achieve high performance within their teams, they actually change their people for the better.
Both followers and leaders are ennobled, through the presence of a moral dimension that had hitherto been absent from leadership theory. Leaders should aspire to become trusted, admired and respected. They would earn these accolades by helping others understand the value and importance of what they do, and they would get their staff to focus on collective goals and not personal interests.
What a change from most earlier leadership models this was. Before, in what has been described as ‘transactional leadership’, followers expected to be rewarded for specific behaviour and performance, and sanctioned for lack of achievement. It was described as a more mundane exchange, a mere negotiation between opposing interests, which too often resulted in leaders being detached, indeed manipulative, in how they behaved with their people.
But in transformative leadership, which takes the best from earlier types, we are challenged to be more connected to our followers, and so to generate much greater job satisfaction and commitment, and with less stress. The literature pulls out four components that define this kind of leadership.
The first is charisma, or idealised influence. Here the leader displays convictions, takes stands and appeals to followers on an emotional level. The leader lives by a clear set of values, demonstrating them in actions and thereby acting as role models. For sure one of these values will speak about trust.
The second component is inspirational motivation. It requires the leader to articulate an appealing and inspiring vision, through which followers are challenged to perform to high standards. The leader communicates confidence and optimism, and infuse tasks with meaning and purpose. For this to happen strong communications skills are a must, so the vision can be articulated in a compelling way.
Third comes intellectual stimulation, manifested through the leader’s willingness to take risks, challenge assumptions and seek the views of others. They will solicit the ideas of their followers, listen with openness and humility, and encourage creativity and initiative. Followers will thereby understand how they connect to the leader, to the organisation, to each other… and to the various goals. They must also be free to find their own ways of overcoming obstacles, as a result of the leader having created an enabling environment.
Finally we find individualised consideration, whereby the leader offers particular attention to each follower, listening to their concerns and needs and acting as an obstacle-remover (the “servant-leader”) and coach. The leader also ensures that individuals’ achievements are appropriately recognised and celebrated.
Greater achievement
By doing all these things, leaders propel their people to increasing competence and confidence, and so to greater achievement. Not least, everyone learns and grows… and as a direct consequence followers are developed as leaders themselves. For some modern leaders this approach comes easily, naturally. It readily aligns with the culture in which they have been brought up.
For others though it’s a step too far, a risky leap into unknown territory, one that’s guaranteed to end in disaster. In many situations, one has to admit, they’d be dead right, and foolish to try. The question is whether there’s something about the Kenyan environment that precludes transformational leadership as I have described it, simply because it is felt that we live in too much of a culture where no one can be trusted and everyone’s on the take.
My answer? I have seen too many organisations, in the public as much as in the private sectors (both for profit and not-for-profit), here in this Kenya of ours, where transformational leaders have set about creating healthy sub-cultures in which they have been able to perform exactly as the world’s Business School leadership gurus would have wished them to.
Ask Julius Kipngetich of Kenya Wildlife Service, Vimal Shah of Bidco, Margaret Kobia of Kenya Institute of Administration, Nick Moon of Kickstart, Manu Chandaria of Comcraft, James Mwangi of Equity Bank, Michael Joseph of Safaricom, Mahmud Janmohamed of Serena Hotels and so many others.
And ask those who, in the last few years, have been driving the Transformative Leadership initiative across the entire Public Service. They would all say that, yes, transformational leadership is for Kenya. That Kenyans are up for it, deserve it and yearn for it.
