5 Reasons Transformational Leaders Make Great Mentors

The corporate world that we see today is a lot different from how it seemed a few years ago. In contemporary times, the corporate world is embracing new trends and evolving at a swift pace. In a bid to be competitive, business organizations are now keen to explore outside-the-box strategies and approaches. Organizations are even ready to revamp their cultures entirely to build competitive advantages.

Speaking of changing organizational cultures, a trend that is taking over is mentoring. You would be amused to know that, as per Forbes, 84 percent of Fortune 500 companies have mentoring programs. We would all agree with the fact that mentoring is essential for skill development, knowledge sharing, and practical learning in the workplace. However, the real question is, what qualities should an ideal mentor have? Which class of leaders are the most appropriate for taking up mentoring roles? 

Speaking of leadership, the contemporary enterprise world is a culmination of various leadership styles or leadership theories. Leaders go about their business in their own way, trying to create a signature style of leadership. However, transformational leaders make the most attractive class of leaders, especially when it comes to mentoring roles.

To explain, transformational leaders, come with strong and impactful personalities that are highly attractive. They have an aura that attracts people and even inspires the best in them. This is a key reason why transformational leaders make the best mentors. Mentees are at a great advantage when they get the opportunity to learn from transformational leaders. 

This blog delves deep into the explanation of why transformational leaders make great mentors. The blog highlights the key skills, traits, and qualities that make transformational leaders ideal for mentoring roles. So let us get started without further ado. 

Qualities that make transformational leaders great mentors

#1 Transformational leaders have an extraordinary vision

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The most unique and radiant trait of transformational leaders is their exceptional vision. This is what makes their personalities charismatic and unparalleled. This explains why people around them look up to them, and they love the idea of learning from them.

Transformational leaders set fine examples of intellectual stimulation that are centered around their strong vision for positive changes. To explain, transformational leaders always look at the bigger picture and have a great visualization of things on the other side of massive transformations. 

Having said that, their vision inspires enormous motivation among their followers or mentees. When transformational leaders are at the helm of things, they create an optimistic and conducive environment with their vision. Besides, they cultivate great self-belief among their employees that visions are quite attainable and no idea of transformation is surreal.

So, when transformational leaders take up mentoring roles, they are successful in fostering high levels of learning engagement from the word go. They mentor with the idea of vision alignment at the forefront of learning, and this has a huge positive impact.

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#2 Transformational leaders believe in the process

Speaking of leadership styles, while some leaders only look at the outcomes, others give a higher priority to the process. Transformational leaders happily belong to the latter class of leaders. To elucidate, transformational leaders have great risk-taking abilities despite being highly goal-oriented. They promote the same confidence among their mentees and subordinates.

Having said that, transformational leaders place greater emphasis on the idea of transformation and the process of change than on the results. They do not make it entirely about winning or losing. They believe in promoting a great sense of assurance among their employees that it is fine to fail as long as they are embracing the notion of transformation. 

Moreover, they constantly push their subordinates to look at things from new perspectives and bring new ideas to the floor without worrying about the end result. They encourage creative liberty among their employees and motivate them to raise the bar of innovation each day. 

Practically speaking, such a sense of reassurance aligned with creative freedom proves to be priceless from the employees’ perspective. It further promotes a strong sense of belonging in the workplace, contributing to high levels of learning engagement. Besides, greater emphasis on process than on results creates a natural learning environment. 

After all, that is what the basic purpose of any mentoring program is. Mentoring programs are not meant to promote the fear of failure. They are rather meant to make employees believe in the process of change, irrespective of the eventual outcome.

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#3 Transformational leaders inspire self-management 

We are all well aware of the fact that self-management is the fulcrum of career success. The most successful people in the world are those who seldom make any mistakes in terms of self-management. Transformational leaders are known to have an incredible sense of self-management that makes them the perfect candidates for mentoring roles. 

In addition to the skill development prospects and knowledge that transformational leaders offer via mentoring programs, they also model effective self-management for their mentees. This makes learning experiences far more wholesome. For young and enthusiastic talents looking to make their mark, self-management will give them a perfect head start.

Further, a strong sense of self-management will assist them in knowing their abilities better, setting attainable goals, and managing their way through challenges. Transformational leaders will certainly serve as the perfect role models for those looking to master the art of self-management. Once they are perfect at self-management, they will be able to succeed in their daily pursuit of self-improvement.

#4 Transformational leaders promote growth mindsets 

George Bernard Shaw rightly quoted, “Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” You too would agree with the fact that mindset is the underlying difference between success and failure. With the right mindset, you can achieve the impossible. But did you ever pay heed to the concept of growth mindsets? 

People with growth mindsets defy the assertion that people are born with natural intelligence and capabilities. Growth mindsets propagate the idea that with consistency and hard work, people can grow their intelligence and abilities. Companies with strong performance management systems tend to have employees with a growth mindset. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have mentors who believe in growth mindsets and encourage the same in their mentees? This is exactly the kind of learning attitude that young talents need to flourish.

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#5 Transformational leaders are great communicators

Even in the modern corporate world, communication remains a basic problem. Most organizations or leaders lack strategic communication plans, and this does have a negative impact. Ineffective communication is one of the most common reasons for project failure. Having said that, employees must be mentored for effective communication skills that can assist them in better task understanding and collaboration in the workplace. 

Having said that, who can be better mentors for communication skills and collaboration than transformational leaders? Transformational leaders are great communicators and firmly believe in transparent communication. Not only will they help their mentees master the art of effective workplace communication, but they will also create a positive culture of open communication and inclusive leadership.

To elucidate, a culture of open communication is essential for proactive learning and engagement in mentoring programs. When mentors promote open communication, mentees can share their doubts, emotions, and perspectives without any reluctance. Also, knowledge sharing and the flow of information will be much more effective. 

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The bottom line?

Given the trait of effective communication, transformational leaders can add immense value to the objectives of mentoring. They can create a better working relationship with their mentees via open communication to facilitate worthwhile learning. Needless to say, everyone would love the idea of learning in such an environment. 

To encapsulate, there is a lot more to transformational leaders than their overwhelming aura and a strong knack for positive transformation. They have some exceptional qualities and traits that make them great leaders and, more importantly, extraordinary mentors. As organizations are increasingly creating a culture of mentoring, the objectives can be achieved more effectively with transformational leaders taking up mentoring roles. 

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