Dr. Aleta Richards, Senior Vice President for the Coatings, Adhesives and Specialties (CAS) at Covestro LLC, joined Kenan Scholars to talk about transformational leadership on Friday, February 19. Dr. Richards emphasized that “being a great leader is important.” Through her powerful and inspiring presentation, scholars learned about the significance of transformational leadership in the business world.
Dr. Richards stated that there are two kinds of leaders: transactional and transformational. “Transactional leadership is ‘We need to sell X product in X amount of time and ship it to X place,’” said Dr. Richards. Transactional leaders, as Dr. Richards explained, take into consideration the tasks associated with a job and implement a rewards and recognition system to motivate employees. Transformational leaders, however, take a different approach.
Scholars identified what they think makes a transformational leader. Junior Cara Kuuskvere believes a transformational leader is “someone who not only leaves the team to get their task done, but also uplifts and betters their team members.” Sophomore
Darien Kenner added that transformational leaders emphasize the purpose of the work to their team members. Sophomore Srilekhya Vennamaneni said that good leaders need to be innovative and adaptable, especially during this COVID era. These reflections from our scholars were well received by Dr. Richards, as these comments spoke to the traits of an effective transformational leader.
Dr. Richards identified five different characteristics that a transformational leader possesses: trust, vision and purpose, passion, curiosity and people-oriented. Transformational leaders are associated with respect and pride and therefore are trustworthy. They communicate the values and mission of the organization while also displaying optimism and excitement about goals and the future. They examine new ways of solving problems while also focusing on the development of employees and attending to each employee’s needs.
For Dr. Richards, Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle philosophy resonates with a transformational leader. She explained to scholars the importance of understanding the why to communicate the what. By understanding the purpose and motivation of your work, it is easier to explain how your work is done and what you want to accomplish. Dr. Richards encouraged students to read Simon Sinek’s book “Start With Why.”
In closing, Dr. Richards emphasized that great leaders are not transformational all the time. Sometimes, it is necessary to be transactional to ensure a job well done. “Even if you’re a transactional leader, you can still use passion and curiosity and people orientation to convince people to jump on board and to accomplish your objectives,” assured Dr. Richards. This session was a huge benefit to our Kenan Scholars as they learn, work and grow to become future transformational business leaders committed to improving the world for the better!