The Transformed Leader

Citation

Austin, A. (2006), "The Transformed Leader", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 27 No. 6, pp. 526-527. https://doi.org/10.1108/01437730610687791

The Transformed Leader begins with the sentence “Leading is a burden.” But even with that somewhat gloomy beginning, Ernest Stech describes clearly how leaders can and do become transformed. I came away motivated. The value of the book is found in two areas: distinguishing the differences between leadership and management, giving a different perspective than can be found in other texts on leadership; and understanding the pathway and outcomes for transformation.

The pathway for transformation is explained through the terminologies and philosophies of four well‐known models:

1. 1.

   the Hero's Journey in Joseph Campbell's classic mythology;

2. 2.

   human archetypes as developed by Carl Jung and further elaborated by Carol Pearson;

3. 3.

   humanistic psychology as set forth by Abraham Maslow among others; and

4. 4.

   the Taoist teachings of Master Ni Hua‐Ching.

There are 17 chapters, each clearly and logically laid out and each with a complete summary section at the end. One could acquire the basic content by reading just the chapter summaries, but I would recommend delving into the chapters to understand the substantial nuances and insights found in Stech's views of leadership and transformation. The first three chapters set the foundation with definitions and history of leadership as it is commonly understood. Chapters 4 and 5 explain what sets a transformed leader apart from “ordinary” leaders. Chapters 6 through 9 explore transformative leadership through the perspectives of the four paradigms listed in the previous paragraph, namely the hero's journey, human archetypes, humanistic psychology and Taoism.

With chapter 10 begins the core discussion of transformation, specifically the integration and outcomes of the transformative perspectives and how they pertain to leadership. Chapter 10 covers the outcome of transformation on the individual leader such as the difficulties faced in returning to “normal” life as a transformed leader. Chapter 11 details the characteristics of the transformative process as compared with a normal developmental pathway to make it clear that transformation does not occur as a matter of course or normal experience because it is non‐linear, qualitative, irreversible and unpredictable in terms of direction or amount of change; and further, charts the journey along which the leader becomes transformed. Chapters 12 and 13 look in depth at the journey and the changes in the leader.

Because transformation is unpredictable, there is no way to guarantee a positive outcome, and chapter 14 delves into the dark side of transformation by again returning to the treatment of this topic by mythology, archetypes, humanistic psychology and Taoism.

Finally the book concludes with consideration of transformational processes and events, the emergence of the leader as “sage”, having attained wisdom and how the impact of transformation requires the leader to operate in two worlds: the hierarchical and political structure of the corporation; and the transcended state where the organizational rules and politics are viewed as a game, and the focus is on ability to see possibilities beyond the existing and the ordinary and to formulate and communicate the potential through motivating others to work toward the transformation of the team, the organization, the community, or the society.

Using a very compact writing style, Stech is able to clearly define transformational leadership without defining leadership more generally, because the definition of the more commonplace version of leadership is based upon the context in which it is taking place. He does, however, spend time describing the “normal” or ordinary path to leadership which is based upon creating a legacy or an effort to anesthetize herself or himself against thinking about dying and the resulting fear often experienced.

In contrast, the transformed leader appears when extraordinary efforts are needed to overcome obstacles, to devise new strategies or to create entirely new products or services. This involves stepping outside the usual cultural norms and definitions. One of the book's key teachings is that leadership arises from within the person, not from external education or experience.

While The Transformed Leader is successful at being universal, timeless and gender‐free, it is missing examples, case studies, and instructive stories that could further elucidate the concepts. Dr Stech is a consultant with years of experience, and citing some cases from his practice could turn a good book into an excellent one. In spite of this drawback, this book would be useful for anyone wishing to become a leader for impulses beyond legacies and anesthetization, for someone finding herself or himself in the midst of an emergent leadership position or for executive coaches and others who support these transformed or transforming leaders.