A transformational leader is able to get people to feel united, to feel part of a tribe. This feeling helps in building both engagement and productivity because people are genetically wired to work hard to support the tribe—just like their ancient hunter-gatherer ancestors did. The survival and prosperity of the group becomes their mission. Like all the really effective ways of improving productivity, encouraging managers and leaders to be more transformational in the way that they go about their business takes time because it involves a new mindset, but costs little, if anything, in direct cash outlay.

When Josh, a Senior Manager in one of the large global advisory firms, came in for his annual performance review he knew immediately that he was in some trouble. The partner giving him the review, Petra, sat there with a stony face as if she was holding herself in, afraid of what she was going to say. Obviously, she would have rather been anywhere else, doing anything else but in that room giving a negative review to someone who had been, a couple of years ago, a rising star and her protégée.

“This is going to be a very difficult conversation,” she began. For nearly 20 minutes, she went through all Josh’s failings over the previous year. His performance was slackening off, his figures were down, he was late with reports and there had been complaints from clients. Worst of all, it was very much the same conversation that she had had with him a year earlier.

Powering on Potential, A transformational leader, Improving Productivity, Encouraging Managers and Leaders.