5 secrets to becoming a successful transformational leader

By TIMOTHY KOK
timothy.kok@leaderonomics.com

“Do something that everybody else says cannot be done,” says Datuk Seri Idris Jala

Datuk Seri Idris Jala is no stranger to Malaysians. Having worked in a few major organisations (such as Shell and Malaysia Airlines), he has completed many transformation and turnaround projects. Now known to many as the turnaround maestro, he shares with us five secrets to becoming a successful transformational leader:

1 Attempt the impossible

The first secret is what Idris describes as attempting the game of the impossible. “Do something that everybody else says cannot be done,” he challenges.

When Idris was entrusted to turn around ailing airline Malaysia Airlines, he gave a seemingly impossible task to his top managers; to make the Australian and New Zealand (ANZ) routes profitable in nine months. His top managers told him it was an impossible task because in 2005, seven out of 10 ANZ routes were losing money.

A year later, 83% of those routes were making profit. Transformational leaders make the “impossible” happen. William James, a renowned American psychologist and philosopher once said, “The greatest discovery of our present day generation is that human beings can alter their lives by changing their state of mind”.

2 Discipline plus action

Becoming a successful transformational leader requires discipline of action. According to Idris, both “discipline” and “action” are crucial ingredients. “If you do not have action, you will only keep thinking, but nothing gets done. Whereas if you act on something without discipline, you are merely acting sporadically,” he explains.

To create this environment of reflection, ideation and decision making, Idris has been known to run “labs” – a concept he also implemented in his previous organisations to tackle hard issues. A lab is formed by having 20 to 30 people handpicked and “locked” inside a room for a month to solve a problem, during which the lab members would brainstorm, research, debate and develop detailed action plans to address the problems at hand.

3 Be a chameleon

There are many leaders with many different leadership styles. Idris believes that a transformational leader should practise situational leadership. At the beginning of any transformational journey, a leader should be highly-directive.

As followers become more competent, the leader should shift to a more empowering role. Only then, will the leader be able to increase the morale and commitment of the followers. When that happens, productivity and competence will keep improving.

4 Build a winning coalition

The phrase “no man is an island” best describes the next secret to becoming a transformational leader. In any transformational journey, a leader should always look for what Idris describes as a “winning coalition”.

Especially in business, a leader should always have the mentality of creating a winning coalition when it comes to understanding stakeholders’ requirements, investor relations and staff engagement.

Even when it comes to competitors, a leader should be open to opportunities to collaborate. In fact, Idris strongly believes that the winning combination is to have collaboration and competition at the same time, as long as both parties are well aware of the boundaries and limitations.

5 Divine intervention

The final wisdom Idris shares in his interview with The Leaderonomics Show is what he calls “divine intervention”. “Because more than 60% of what happens has got nothing to do with us [and is] uncontrollable. In fact if you were to list down all the major things that happened in your life, I guarantee you that most of it happened out of your control,” he exclaims. But how does one obtain divine intervention? Idris outlines three ways:

1 Be a good human being – The essence of a good leader is a good human being.

2 Practise the right ethics – Always operate from the “white” and not on the “grey” areas.

3 Practise self-renewal – Every leader should find time for solitude and reflection.

These five elements have contributed to Idris’ turnaround successes. Are you facing a situation that needs a transformation? It begins with daring to do the seemingly impossible.

To access the full interview of Datuk Seri Idris Jala and to access other videos of inspirational personalities, visit www.leaderonomics.com/theleaderonomicsshow