Tag Archive for: transformationalleadership

Burnout, Leadership, and the Tyranny of the Transactions

Every job has a transactional aspect and a transformational aspect. The transactional aspect deals with such issues as budgeting, planning, performance management, and administration. The transformational side of management is about inspiring, connecting, mentoring, and visioning. Every job has both of these components. Even in the case of a grocery store clerk, the transactional side is about task completion and operational excellence. The transformational side is about the relationship with the customer – the connection you make in the transaction. Transactions get the job done, but it’s the transformational side where we find meaning, purpose, and fulfillment in our work.

Burnout is not about hard work; it’s about heart ache. If we aren’t intentional and deliberate, transactional demands can squeeze out what truly matters: making connections, building relationships, and transforming lives. It’s transactions that burn us out and create exhaustion. One of the reasons that the pandemic was so hard on leaders is that the pressures and demands of maintaining protocols and keeping people safe – the tyranny of the transactional – left little space for transformational work.

Next time you are asked how you are, and you reply with “busy,” take a moment to look inside and ask, “Is it a good busy?” Is it the fulfillment of transformational work, or is it the busy that drains your energy through the tyranny of the transaction? How the balance is between the transactional and the transformational aspects of your work? Both are important and both need attending to.

If you are out of balance and want to step away from the tyranny of the urgent, join us in our upcoming Authentic Leadership Academy in November. Check it out at: https://lnkd.in/gMi2euzp

Leadership and the trap of the tyranny of the transaction.

Every leadership position comes with two components: transactional and transformational. Transactional deals with administration, budgets, planning, forecasting, measuring, and managing tasks. Transformational has to do with mentoring, connecting, inspiring, coaching, welcoming, building your culture.

Transactions get the job done. Transformations make the difference.

In every job, there’s always a pull toward the transaction. It’s the squeaky wheel of organizations, the voice that yells the loudest. It’s the easiest to measure and if we aren’t intentional, it can take up all our time to the point we aren’t even leading anymore. If you aren’t careful it will suck all the energy out of your work.

Here are some tips to move beyond transactional and make TODAY transformational:

  1. In every email to a team member include a sincere statement of why you appreciate the person you are sending it to.
  2. Take time to listen. Find out what matters to people and show genuine interest in what they are interested in.
  3. Check in regularly with your people. How are they feeling about their work? About the organization? What do they need to ensure their success here?
  4. Share your vision with your team periodically and talk with each member about how they contribute to that vision.
  5. Whether it’s through encouraging words, a thank you card, a smile, fulfilling projects, or a pat on the back, be sure every person on your team feels appreciated and valued.
  6. Ask people what inspires them to work here, and what keeps them inspired to come back. Be sure people are inspired.

How do you avoid the tyranny of the transaction – and ensure that you make today transformational?

To deepen your transformational work, check out my complimentary Mini-Series https://lnkd.in/g4M9qpWh that will give you a taste of our upcoming Authentic Leadership Academy https://lnkd.in/gMi2euzp