Our Approach to Transformational Leadership in Higher Education

Transformational leadership is a process that enables change by engaging people's emotions, values, ethics, standards, and long-term goals. While commonly summarized as leader-focused behaviors (individualized consideration, inspirational motivation, idealized influence, and intellectual stimulation), transformational leadership is more accurately a follower-oriented model that focuses on meeting people’s needs and inspiring them to excel through human consideration.

Higher education faculty and administrators who seek to adapt, thrive, and innovate in today’s difficult climate are presented with unique challenges that include complexity, bureaucracy, inertia, and outdated structures that inhibit change. Layer on top of that recovering from the disruption of a global pandemic and universities now face challenges no one could even imagine.

Our approach to transformational leadership in higher education is built around a four-part model that tackles these challenges by putting mission and people at the center, and by providing expert support for ongoing innovation and renewal.

Our transformational leadership model guides you through a four-step, iterative change process that includes:

  1. Inspiring toward change by articulating critical needs and vision, engaging stakeholders, and connecting with the hearts and minds of your people.

  2. Understanding your current state—your organizational strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities using tools and solutions that engage your people such as organizational assessments, culture surveys, and climate surveys.

  3. Inventing the future in workshops and retreats, where ideas are co-created, strengths are recognized, and growth goals are set.

  4. Developing your people so that they have the capabilities they need to effect the change they have co-designed.

To learn more about our approach or services, please contact us.

Jennifer Stine