Transformational Leadership: What We Need Now

Are we at a turning point?

Across classrooms, boardrooms, and team meetings, people are asking harder questions about what leadership really means. Not just how to manage performance, but how to build trust. Not just how to grow achievement, but how to grow people.

That shift is already underway. And transformational leadership is at the center of it.

This model, long studied in leadership theory, has recently moved back into focus in both education and business. ASCD is actively exploring its role in schools. Corporate research is linking it to higher creativity, stronger performance, and more adaptive teams. What these conversations have in common is a recognition that technical leadership skills are not enough. We need leaders who can connect, inspire, and transform.

Transformational leadership is built on four core principles: modeling integrity, inspiring through shared vision, encouraging creative thinking, and responding to individuals with care. These are not soft skills. They are essential capacities. They are what allow people to take risks, speak honestly, and grow within a system instead of shrinking under it.

As a former educator and administrator, I saw the impact of this kind of leadership firsthand. Students responded not to compliance, but to clarity and presence. When leaders lead with purpose, presence, and a genuine regard for their people as human beings, the learning community will show up with that same purpose and presence.

The work I do now continues that belief. I design learning experiences that bring creativity, emotional intelligence, feedback, and identity into the heart of leadership. Whether I am working with school teams or entrepreneurs, the questions are the same. What does it mean to lead in a way that invites growth? What kind of feedback culture allows people to stay open, not defensive? What makes someone feel safe enough to express their voice?

There are many frameworks that support this kind of leadership. I use one called ICET™  (Identity Centered Expression Theory) which centers identity and feedback as catalysts for development. But the deeper truth is that the framework matters less than the mindset. What matters is the commitment to lead with vision, with empathy, and with the understanding that transformation is not a step. It is a way of showing up.

Leadership today requires more than direction. It requires care. And that care is not optional. It is the foundation of everything else we say we want; engagement, innovation, belonging, and real, sustained growth.

If we want to prepare people for the future, we have to model the kind of leadership that future requires. Transformational leadership offers that path. The work now is to walk it.