The 7 Habits of Transformational Leaders

This post, 7 Habits of Transformational Leaders from AHLA ForWard 2024, was originally published by
hertelier as part of their three part recap series of the AHLA ForWard 2024 conference 

My first job in hospitality was ringing the dinner bell at my parent’s converted farm house bed and breakfast. Throughout my youth and into my 20’s I served in many hospitality positions. One might think that I was made to follow in my parent’s footsteps to take over the hotel, but I had other plans. After a career in human rights and development, however, I came back. While initially struggling to adjust, I learned early on that I could have a big impact on important people and that my success as a leader was dependent on my willingness to look at myself in the mirror and continuously improve my leadership skills.

One of the things I struggled most with as a leader was employee turnover. And I’m not alone. While average turnover across industries is 12-15%, the average is 73.8% in hospitality according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The hospitality workforce needs better leaders, and Transformational Leadership provides at least part of the answer. 

Defining transformational leadership
Transformational leadership is a leadership style focused on inspiring and motivating team members to achieve exceptional results. It differentiates itself from other leadership styles with its focus on the support of individuals in their personal and professional development. It is a leadership style that is most effective when leaders are facing challenges that require innovation and adaptation or when leaders want to inspire team members towards a common goal. 

Becoming a transformational leader with identity based habits
In my workshop I introduced 7 identity based habits to guide leaders on their path towards transformational leadership. With identity based habits, small frequent improvements can lead to a big impact over time. With evidence and background from James Clear’s book Atomic Habits, we discussed how identity based habits vs. process or outcome based habits are more likely to stick. 

When leaders adopt these 7 identity based habits they create a sense of purpose, promote personal growth and development and enable connection and autonomy. As a result, leaders can more effectively lead change and lead through disruption while simultaneously creating a work culture where team members thrive. 

Breaking down the 7 habits

1) Be the example
2) Motivate through inspiration
3) Give personalized support
4) Propel continuous learning
5) Enable lines of sight
6) Build systems that empower
7) Empower team members to make it their own

During the workshop, participants were introduced to these 7 habits and we took a deeper dive into giving personalized support and empowering team members to make it their own. I used examples from my own experiences as well as the stories from my guests on The Travel Leader Podcast to make these theoretical concepts more relatable and actionable.

*The 7 Habits for Transformational Leadership model was developed by Tim and Janine Bower at B Optimal Consulting in collaboration with me Rachel Vandenberg at The Travel Leader Coach. Want to learn more about this leadership style and how to integrate it into your leadership execution, please reach out!