The Time for Transformational Leadership is Now

Transformational leadership isn't just a passing trend—it's a critical approach for achieving organizational success in today's dynamic business environment. As a long-time partner and guest contributor, Aimee Cohen, President & Founder of ON Point Next Level Leadership, has been collaborating with Cascade to implement this key leadership paradigm through our Cascade Leadership Academy (CLA) program. At Cascade, we understand that delivering high-quality environmental solutions requires leaders who inspire and empower their teams. That's why we developed the CLA, an innovative program aimed at cultivating the next generation of industry leaders. In this blog Aimee provides practical strategies to shift from a transactional mindset to a transformative one, ultimately unlocking the potential for extraordinary performance and meaningful impact within your organization. The potential for extraordinary performance and meaningful impact within your organization.

It’s not a secret that we’re living in a new era of leadership. We know that the days of leaders operating with a dictating, “command and control” type of approach or coaches throwing chairs across the court like Bobby Knight are long gone. Leadership skills have come a long way since then, however, many leaders have yet to fully evolve from a transactional to a transformational style of leadership. But what’s the difference?

Transactional leaders are hyper-focused, and often solely focused, on the output, results, goals, and bottom line. They only care about the destination and not the journey. In sports, it would be the head coach who only measures success based on the scoreboard and wins and losses throughout the season. There is little to no emphasis on the individual players or employees, their strengths, areas of growth and development, or career aspirations. These types of leaders overlook or don’t understand the value of digging deeper and truly connecting with their people and believe that production and performance are the only signs of success.

Transformational leaders, on the other hand, believe in a more holistic approach to leadership. They understand that the more they grow and develop their people, customize their leadership approach to meet their unique needs, focus on and celebrate the journey, and help them achieve their own professional goals, the greater, richer, and more meaningful and significant, the overall success becomes. Even the definition of success broadens and evolves to include improved emotional intelligence skills like empathy, self-awareness, problem solving, and mutually beneficial interpersonal relationships, as well as boosting retention and achieving specific goals and objectives. It’s an “and” not an “or” type of leadership style…personal growth AND exceptional success.

Follow the ON Point Action Plan to fully evolve from a transactional to a transformational leader.

7 Tips for Transformational Leadership

1. Be Aware –do an internal deep dive & objectively evaluate your leadership skills & what you focus on & prioritize
2. Create a Safe Space – a successful & high-performing team needs to be built on a solid foundation of psychological safety
3. Remember What’s Important – more than bonuses or rewards, people want to be seen, heard, valued & validated
4. Lead with Empathy – being fully present, sharing struggles & vulnerabilities, actively listen & respecting others’ experiences is the key to success.
5. Personalize IDPs – everyone on the team should have their own “individual development plan” with goals, strengths, areas of growth & career aspirations.
6. Coach Not Criticize – use mistakes & missteps as opportunities to better coach, develop, train, reinforce & praise rather than chastise.
7. Celebrate Non-Scoreboard Wins – instead of just recognizing the final score or the “X’s & O’s”, celebrate the developmental mini-wins & milestones.

In today's dynamic leadership landscape, the transition from transactional to transformational leadership is not just beneficial - it's essential. CLA exemplifies this shift, offering an innovative program that challenges participants to deeply consider their leadership approach, goals, and strategies for tackling complex environmental projects. By adopting the ON Point Action Plan and key transformational strategies leaders can create an environment where team members feel valued and empowered. The CLA's focus on real-world capstone projects and continuous improvement aligns perfectly with this transformative approach, demonstrating that success extends beyond metrics to encompass engagement, innovation, and fulfillment. As you consider your leadership journey, remember that embracing this change isn't just an option - it's a necessity for long-term success and meaningful impact in our evolving industry.

About the Author 

Aimee Cohen, ICF ACC

President & Founder, ON Point Next Level Leadership 

As a Certified Executive Coach, Aimee Cohen partners with professionals at all levels, from mid-career to executives, to achieve their career goals. With a focus on personal development and empowerment, Aimee provides practical strategies and guidance to help clients overcome challenges and unlock their full potential. She is also the President and Founder of ON Point Next Level Leadership, where they provide leadership training and coaching to executives across the U.S.