The 4 BEs of Transformational Leadership: Jordan's Case

A book review by Klaus Schlagheck

The ability to adapt to changing conditions, to new technologies or shifting markets, has always been a basic condition for long-term business success. Digitalisation, advancing at breathtaking speed, has now turned disruptive change and transformation into catchphrases across a great many industries. What gets discussed in that context is mainly the technological or organisational adjustments considered necessary. That good concepts are nowhere near a guarantee of a lasting transformation is amply documented. Change processes are usually highly complex, demanding and, for everyone involved, very taxing over a long period. Implementing them successfully takes precise planning, a willingness to make sacrifices and, above all, a lot of stamina. It is all the more surprising, then, that the question of which particular management qualities decide whether a transformation succeeds or fails is so often neglected next to the technical and organisational questions. Among our clients, mostly mid-sized companies, transformation management has become an important subject too. We increasingly see it in our search mandates. Experience and a demonstrable track record in managing change now belong to the standard requirements for candidates in a range of management roles. But which personal qualities and which behaviours actually go with that kind of success?

With "The 4 BEs of Transformational Leadership – Jordan's Case", Jens Hoeltje makes an interesting contribution to the subject that is well worth reading. Through his two protagonists, Jordan and Nick, he gives us an insight into a highly successful transformation project at a long-established industrial group with several thousand employees. He makes no secret of his admiration for Jordan and for what are evidently outstanding personal and leadership qualities. The author puts the extraordinary commercial success of a transformation project running over several years down chiefly to Jordan's ability to get every senior figure involved committed to the necessary transformation from the outset, and to carry them along at every stage of a more or less stony road to success. What is it that fascinates Nick about Jordan? For Nick it comes down to the four BEs of transformational leadership that distinguish Jordan and largely explain his success in mastering a mammoth project. Be ambitious: Jordan is highly ambitious and does not shy away from confronting his people with very ambitious project targets. Be disciplined: he is extremely disciplined and demands at least as much of himself as of his staff. Be prepared: he prepares for possible setbacks as well as he can and reacts fast, decisively and with a plan. Be successful: for Jordan, success and targets reached are no reason to sit back, only stages on the way to further success.

Trivial as those four BEs may look at first, Nick's conclusions are convincing and hold together. He illustrates his observations authentically and with a feel for practice, drawn from what was clearly a very fruitful collaboration with Jordan on this project. At the end of each chapter the author summarises the resulting lessons in clear bullet form and gives the reader precise recommendations to take away.

One aspect unfortunately gets only a passing mention. However consistently Jordan drove the transformation described to success, everyone should be aware that such an uncompromising approach probably also produces considerable psychological and physical strain on everyone involved. What price did individual participants have to pay for their complete commitment? What effect did that gigantic workload have on people's private lives? The 4 BEs of Transformational Leadership is a well-made and entertaining mixture of a detailed account of a genuinely disruptive transformation, the subjective perception of someone who was there, and an attempt to describe optimal leadership behaviour in such a process. In only 130 pages the author offers interesting insights and food for thought for anyone who will have to deal with change in future, whether in an actively shaping role or a supposedly passive one. Nick's subjective perspective is an invitation to reflect on your own behaviour during change. I certainly enjoyed reading it.

The book is available from Amazon for 14.20 euros.