In any company there comes a time when the leader successfully has created, shaped and developed the leadership team to such a level that it is capable of functioning effectively with only the minimum of guidance. Each member of the leadership team has different but complementary skills, they know their roles and responsibilities intimately, collaboration is at the heart of the business culture, they are motivated to drive success as they work together in a culture based on trust, pursuing a clearly understood vision, strategy and mission.

When that point is reached – and it could take up to two years to reach that point in a leader’s business life cycle – the time has come for both the leader and the leadership team to move to the next level, adapting and progressing to transform the business to one which embodies the culture of one team with one shared mission but above all, a team of people which works together collaboratively and cooperatively. Only then can a business achieve the seemingly impossible as it embraces challenging growth targets in a volatile economic and competitive environment where transformation is essential for survival.

For the leader to be able to concentrate on strategic direction, positioning the business in the market and leading transformation, a process of ‘mission command’ or mission-based leadership will create the space needed for the tactical work to continue in parallel with strategic transformation. At the core of such a leadership style are a number of related factors:

• Knowing the team: their individual circumstances, personalities, likes, dislikes, fears, motivating factors – in other words, what makes them the people they are.
• Setting a clear strategy with clear objectives, which is well-understood by all.
• Ensuring that the team know their leader, how they operate, the standards required and how the leader reacts in different circumstances.
• Equipping the team with the right tools for the job, whether it is the skills they need or the resources they require.
• Trusting people to do their jobs and conduct themselves without constant, time-consuming and stifling supervision.

With these elements well-known, understood and practiced, a successful leader can use people in the most cost effective way. In essence this can be characterised by:

• Setting a clear strategy, communicated and understood by all – the campaign plan.
• Clearly and simply defining objectives – the mission.
• Defining operational boundaries.
• Giving people the freedom to achieve those objectives, operating within the set boundaries and only seeking agreement if circumstances change to such an extent that the boundaries or the means of achieving the objectives are likely to be breached or radically altered. It is about assessing and managing risk, seizing the initiative and taking positive action.

Another way of viewing this is:

• Well-understood mission and objective – researched and intelligent understanding of client needs and project requirements.
• Established boundaries – client and internal project budgetary limits, delegated authority.
• Clear timelines – client time scales for project delivery and internal process requirements.
• Regular reporting of progress – report progress internally to manage perceptions and to the client to demonstrate intent and progress towards achieving client goals.
• Seize the initiative – client executive and project leader use initiative to enable successful delivery within the established boundaries and time lines.
• Manage risk – assess and manage risk at project level and only seek guidance if boundaries are likely to be breached.
• Seek agreement for action only if boundaries likely to be crossed or the situation changes radically enough to jeopardise the mission – client executive and project leader operate within boundaries and drive forward unless there is an issue which cannot be resolved at that level.

Achieving this requires a culture supported by processes which give people the confidence to act in this way and trust in the business to support them. People should be allowed to learn positive lessons from initial failure and not be penalised to such an extent that confidence and trust is eroded. Too often team leaders are quick to condemn the weakest without giving them the benefit of the doubt. People require training and guiding to develop the skills they need to be as capable and successful as they can be – they are key to any business and successful leaders will expose and nurture the talents they possess.

Unfortunately the culture in many businesses does not encourage this approach. Such businesses are stifled by unnecessary bureaucracy, over-supervision, reporting and centralised control. They are ponderous and often beaten by their competitors – decision making is slow, with competitors thinking, deciding and acting faster.  This is where we need the courage of leadership to come to the fore. The courage to trust team members to work towards the objectives or targets, to take the right decisions, knowing that they can rely on their leader to provide cover and support if needed. Enlightened businesses operate inside the decision cycle of their competitors, thinking faster, making decisions faster and winning.

Do this and people become energised, dynamic and successful. Without it they spend too much of their time looking over their shoulders, waiting for the accusation of failure and losing the winning momentum so vital to success. Transformational leadership gives space to the team to lead the business while the leader looks forward to the future, preparing the ground for engagement campaigns to create unstoppable growth.