The 3T’s of Leadership: Know Your Default

Are you a Do-er, an Inspirer, or a Visionary?

Every leader has a natural “default” style of showing up. Some of us love to drive results and get things done. Others thrive on energising and empowering people.  And some see far beyond the horizon, connecting today’s work to tomorrow’s possibilities.

We call these the 3T’s of Leadership: Transactional, Transformational, and Transformative.

Understanding your default can be the key to unlocking your leadership growth.

 

The 3 T’s Explained

Transactional Leadership – The Do-er

The taskmaster, the driver, the one who gets things done.  This is the leader who operates like an engine, keeping the organisation moving forward with structure, efficiency, and results.  On the flip side, their focus on process and deadlines can sometimes come at the cost of remembering the people behind the work.

In our training we use Jim Collins’ metaphor of a bus with a driver, conductor, passengers, the direction it’s heading and any potholes along the way to help bring a leader’s roles, actions and impacts into greater clarity.  In this scenario, the transactional leader would be the bus driver and the people left behind would be everyone else on the bus!  The bus driver will take you to your destination, whether you want to get there or not!

 

 

Transformational Leadership – The Inspirer

This is the leader who lights people up. They motivate, uplift, and bring energy to the team, inspiring others to see what’s possible. They’re often the person people turn to when morale dips. The shadow side? Their passion and vision can sometimes float a little too high, without being grounded in delivery,  and their energy could be too much for those that require stability and pace.

 

 

Transformative Leadership – The Visionary

The leader of leaders. This style is all about connecting the dots between today and the future, creating meaning and aligning people around a bigger purpose. They’re the compass pointing toward the greater destination – sometimes referred to as the greater good.  But sometimes their gaze is so fixed on the horizon that the team may feel they’ve lost touch with the day-to-day.

 

 

At Jewel Training our Leadership & Management Development programmes are designed to help you strengthen every side of your leadership — so you can confidently pivot between transactional, transformational, and transformative when it matters most.

Ready to expand your leadership range?